Setters on Point

Adopt my bady

2011-11-21T18:42:00.000-08:00

It's time for more spam.

This one had the subject line, "Adopt my bady". What the heck is a bady I ask you?

thanks for your mail,
i have read about you profile,
i am very confident that you will take good care of my baby,
i had a very bad experience in my life,
it is not essay for me to give my baby out for adoption but i have no choice,
please help me i real need to go back to school,
my parents told me to go and meet the boy that gut me pregnant ,
but unfortunately the boy refuse the pregnancy so i have no choice but to give birth to the baby now thing are not easy for me,
i need to go back to school,
i am living with in the street no body to help me ,to feed the baby is a problem so i know you will take good care of my baby, i will like to know you very well and if it is possible i meet you for the adoption processed because i need to know the type of family my baby will go, please help me,
i real need to go back to school.
thanks for your understanding i am waiting for you respond

And she attached two photos supposedly of her baby. I wonder if the parents of this little girl know that her photos have been stolen and are being used for this purpose. I want to see if there is a way to track down photos like this, a kind of reverse search for images, to see if I can tell where it came from. Anyway, here's some spam to go with your turkey!

My store on Etsy!

2011-09-03T15:27:00.000-07:00

I've launched a store on Etsy, called Setters on Point! (Surprise, huh?) Quilters will get the whole setting on point idea (turning a block 45 degrees so it's on point) and then there is the fact that we have two setters who point. Get it? Well, I like it.

I took a class in the spring and early summer about having an Etsy shop. It costs very little (20 cents per listing for 4 months) so I have very little to lose. I have a ton of fabric already,, I have a sewing machine already, thread and supplies, so I don't have much in start-up costs. I'll sell quilts, plus woven fabric bowls and little fabric postcards. So far, it's fun, there is a social networking side to it as well, so I can connect with other crafters and learn from them. It's a great experience so far and I have a reason to make more stuff with fabric!

Hey sister, I've been to Sisters!

2011-07-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

After many years of wanting to go, this summer we went to the Sisters Quilt Show in Sisters, Oregon. It was a hoot, a western style town with quilts hanging from every building! Many of the buildings had quilts relating to whatever was in the building. So, the vet had animal quilts hanging outside. The hardware store had quilts with tools, tractors, and Crown Royal whiskey bags on them.

My full flickr stream can be found here.

The next few photos are made by the quilters of Gees Bend. Some of the ladies were there signing books.

And what a sweet face! Clearly this is someone's best friend.

Trying to be perfect

2011-05-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of talk in the adoption world about perfection. This blog post is a wonderful reflection by a birthmother about her want to be the perfect birthmother. Adoptive parents talk about wanting to be the perfect parents. All parents secretly want their children to be perfect.

Well, in case you didn't know it already, that isn't ever going to happen. People are imperfect, period. No human being ever was nor ever will be perfect. It's an unrealistic goal. I think a better goal is to achieve goodness.

I think both J and I realized early on that neither of us were perfect. I have bad eyes, always have, plus an extra little ka-flip in my heart beat (which does nothing other than to make doctors say, "Oh, that's nice.") So, there you go, not perfect since birth. Somehow, my parents still loved me (and still do) and could look past all of my short comings to nurture me into a loved, loving, happy adult. J has been healthy his whole life, but his twin brother hasn't, he saw D suffer a serious illness when they were just 5. Their parents split about that same time. A whole lot of imperfection happened right at the same time. And you know what? J learned a lot about other people, about health, about relationships and how important some things are, and how really not important a lot of stuff is that people think is Such A Big Deal. Through that all our parents and families loved us, supported us, nurtured us through our imperfections, we wouldn't be where we are today if they hadn't.

One of the lessons both sets of parents taught us throughout our lives is to accept people for who they are and to not expect them to be something they're not. Sometimes this lesson is harder to remember. Human beings judge, period. But to strive towards goodness, one would have to push aside judgement and see the person for who they are, for what they bring at that particular moment in time. I don't mean good as average, I mean really, truly good. Doing good by others and by yourself. Doing right by others and by yourself. Trying to be the best person you can be but allowing yourself room for error I think is what we all should strive for and it is a set of values that we will teach our child. Likewise, we hope that our want to do good in the world can be shared with our child's birth mother because we know she is doing good in the world and in herself and her child by choosing adoption. And for that we will forever be grateful and she will forever be a part of our lives.

An alternative to spam

2011-04-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

I received this today:

Dear Colleen and Jason,

I happened upon your web page while looking for something else online. So sorry, but I do not have a baby up for adoption or anything else that could help you in your search to complete your family. However, after looking at what you two have put online, I feel compelled to email this message to you. You two are such nice, kind, stable, accepting, understanding and loving parents-to-be that I feel, pray and hope that your wish will be granted. You will be wonderful parents to whichever lucky baby comes your way. I have never been in your shoes, but I must say that you would be my first choice if I was in need of a new home for a new born baby. Many years ago my sister (at a very young age) gave a baby boy up for adoption. You two are the kind of parents that we hope he went to. Best of luck to you and I hope your prayers are answered soon!!

Take care,
D____

I wrote her back to say how much I appreciate her thoughtfulness for writing. I can't really express how nice this is that some random person from the midwest (obviously I'm removing all of her identifying info) would take the time to write and to express such kind and considerate feelings. Of course, I had to take the opportunity to ask her to keep us in mind and share our info with anyone whom she feels is appropriate. But most of all, I wanted her to know what a sunny email this was! People are awesome!

What do teachers make?

2011-03-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

For years now, I've read/heard a poem called "What Teachers Make" and never knew who wrote it. Various people claimed it, which I've come to learn has been a serious case of plagiarism. Bad form! But now the interwebs is circulating a performance by Taylor Mali, the author of this poem, and to hear it performed, and to hear Mr. Mali's passion, makes it that much richer, that much more alive. What do teachers make? They make a difference, how about you?

What Teachers Make, or
Objection Overruled, or
If things don't work out, you can always go to law school

By Taylor Mali
www.taylormali.com

He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about
teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.

I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests
that it's also true what they say about lawyers.

Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.

"I mean, you¹re a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"

And I wish he hadn't done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and ass-kicking:
if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.

I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.

I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).

Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?

The Stages of Waiting (for an adoption match)

2011-03-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to think there are stages to waiting, just like the theory that there are stages to grieving, which one can bounce in between in random order over various lengths of time. In no particular order ...

(1) excitement (Oh boy, here we are, world! We're AWESOME! We're gonna get picked in about 5 seconds because we are the MOST AWESOME WAITING FAMILY EVER!!!!)
(2) happiness-ish (It's gonna happen soon, I can feel it. Lets send out emails, cards, make a Facebook page. If it doesn't move, and maybe if it does, we'll put our info on it!)
(3) neutrality (it'll happen one day. ... eventually...tap, tap, tap. Let's check Google Analytics again.)
(4) Bordering on Sucking (Ok, this really isn't happening soon enough. What can I do to move this along? I know, let's update EVERYTHING!! Even our HAIR!!! Look, NEW HAIR!!!! That makes us BETTER PARENTS!!!! WE HAVE AWESOME HAIR NOW!!!!)
(5) Totally, fully sucking (Boy, this sucks. This will never happen. It's like infertility all over again. Nobody likes us, everybody hates us, I'm gonna eat some worms. Maybe I should call my Social Worker, maybe she has suggestions. But boy, does this SUCK!) And then we call/email our SW who hopefully brings us back to 1, 2 or worst case, 3.

And based on the feedback I've received from the other waiting families, this pretty much sums up their feelings, too. And unless you've been through it, you really can't fully grasp all of the complexities around this, all of the other factors feeding into this, all of the emotions, the highs and the lows. It's no simple process, that is for sure.

Adoption scammers, who are they, why are they?

2011-03-03T18:45:00.000-08:00

As I've posted many email examples of scammers, there are also in-person, domestic (not from Cameroon) scammers. They are emotional scammers, who take your time and emotions for a ride, and there are the financial scammers, who are after money, and then there are folks that are a combination of both. Lately, I've heard from several friends in the adoption world that the emotional scammers seem to be out and about lately. (This has nothing to do with anything, it is just a coincidence.) The stories are surprisingly very similar, but I know they weren't talking to the same person, because they all cite different elements of the stories (boyfriend, family, home details, other kids, etc.) But they all share some distinct similarities. Because scammers tend to follow some basic patterns, the social workers, attorneys and facilitators (if they are reputable and ethical) can spot these cheats a mile away and advise their clients accordingly. But that requires that the clients listen, and when you have suffered through years of infertility, and then months or years of waiting for an adoption match and placement, you really want to believe *this could be the one*. And that is exactly what the scammers are counting on.

A parable to sum up the experiences I've seen lately....

A waiting adoptive mom and her husband were contacted pretty soon after they became visible online. The scammer told her that she was pregnant with twins (red flag) and pretty early in the conversations, the scammer told the prospective adoptive mother (P.A.M.) that she knew they were the ones to be the parents for her babies. (red flag) She refused to speak to the agency (red flag) and when she did, she wouldn't provide medical information (red flag), talked about money pretty early on and readily (red flag) and went on and on with long and winding stories (red flag.) The scammer woman told the agency that she wanted $200,000 "for her troubles" and felt she deserved to have all of her medical bills paid for by the adoptive parents, and refused to go on medicaid, even though she qualified, because she felt she "deserved the best." The hard part for me to read was that this PAM wanted to believe it was real so very much that she kept talking to this scammer woman for weeks after the agency strongly suggested she stop. The scammer just kept stringing them along, talking about what she was feeling, how the babies were kicking, holding the phone to her belly (supposedly) so the adoptive mom could talk to them. It was just a long, twisted example of mental illness. The lesson is that though we want to think we are experts in this field, because we're educated and are experts in our field of work or our field of avocation, we have to let go and understand that we really aren't the experts and can't necessarily see the situation without emotion clouding our judgement. It is best to trust the agency/attorney as they have our best interests in mind and don't want to see us taken for a ride any more than we do. Bottom line, trust the experts.

Spam, spam, spam: My Lovely Twin Babies

2011-02-23T18:08:00.000-08:00

I couldn't make this stuff up... the devil on my shoulder wants to write this person back and string them along, "Oh sure, that sounds like a great idea, here's some money..." but I am not sure I could restrain myself long from saying "Are you kidding me?" Note that Cameroon is one of the hotbeds for adoption spam, kinda like Nigerian email scams. As soon as you see Cameroon, red flags go off everywhere. But if no one bites, they wouldn't keep sending out these pathetic emails. Here is our latest entry:

Hello There,

It is really a great Honor for me to write you. First I will start by introducing my self to you. My name is Milley and I am 19 years old. I will start by telling you my sad story now.

I have studied through my high School in the UK and finished. I decided to come over to Cameroon for site view and also to explore the Environment and the Culture of Cameroonians. I have stayed in Cameroon for close to 2 years now. During my first two Months stayed in Cameroon , I got into a relationship with a Mexican White Man who also came for sight View in Cameroon for Forestry Study. We were very close friends and so decided to have a close love relationship. After that, I was pregnant for him, I told him about my pregnancy for him and he refuses the responsibility of becoming a Father and asked me to commit an Abortion. I Prayed to God for Guardians, Protection and Understanding on how to carry on with my pregnancy. Then after, I met a Christian Parish, So I decided to seek for help from a Roman Catholic Parish where I attend service every Sundays and the Bishops Suggested that I give the Babies out for adoption since according to them that was the only option to get the Babies to people that love them very much and will raise them like their own. Considering everything I have been through including my age and my needs to continue studies. I know my babies need a family that will guide them through to become successful in life. The Bishop Advice, I go in search of a good Christian home and family for my Babies online, giving me the assurance that I will get someone that will take very good care of them and also give me the opportunity of meeting the babies again in future.. I know you will understand me, all I ask of you people are to give my babies the chance of living happily with people that loves them and will be capable of giving them the type of life a good and caring parent(s) will give to his /or her children. I am suggesting private legal adoption for the process because I desire the chances of getting to meet the babies again any time soon as I have the opportunity to do so. The Bishop and the Rev. Fathers promise if I happen to find someone willing to adopt them, the Parish will offer their full financial assistance in acquiring an attorney needed for the process, paying for the Babies flight etc that will be needed in the adoption process. Please I'm hopefully count on you people for full support and cooperation by helping me in adopting my Twin Babies (Mario and Marion). Although this might by a huge responsibility to you but be certain before responding to my mail, you most be able to hold on to that responsibility. Please, I am on my knees and asking for your help. So if very sure and very serious, get back to me so that I can get you in contact with the Christian Parish so that the Bishop and Rev. Father can provide you information on how Christian adoption is carried out over here. Thanks once more

Wish You A Great Day
And
Look Forward To Read From You
Yours Sincere Catherine

I find these fascinating on one level. Who falls for this? What kind of desperation must someone be feeling in order to think this might be true? Who writes this kind of thing to pray on waiting adoptive families? It's just a fascinating look into the human mind.

What I've been working on

2011-02-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

I have actually been quilting. I haven't written much about it, but I've been working away.

Maybe a couple of years ago, I bought first a charm pack, then a fat quarter pack of all of the fabrics in a line of 1930's reproductions with all sorts of dogs and bones, plus supporting prints. (The name of the line escapes me and the selvages are long since cut off.) For the longest time, I wasn't sure what to do with them. Then I saw this. So I downloaded the pattern a zillion years ago, kept it, realized I wanted to pair the two. But not to make a table topper, instead a big quilt. So I've been cutting

And then doing some more cutting...

Luckily the dogs are supervising...

So you sew the squares into a 9-patch

It's important to have a supervisor present....

Then you cut the 9-patch in the down the middle, then across the middle and sew together into what I think is called a Split 9-patch

So far I think I have maybe 50 blocks done and maybe another 20 to go. They'll finish at about 12" I think (can you tell I'm not an exacting type of quilter, plus, I don't have my notebook in front of me.) I will set them in a white kona cotton so you can really see the fabrics. It's a kinda controlled scrappy, since they're all from the same fabric line I don't feel right calling it actually scrappy-scrappy. But it's a lot of fun and it's coming together well.

After taking a long time off for recovery, it feels good to be back in the saddle. Welcome back quilting mojo!

Naming of quilts

2010-10-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

Continuing on following Lisa Boyer's model...

She talks about the silliness and apparent randomness of naming a quilt and suggests we use more non-descriptive names like with people. She thinks that people can make the most of their name if it is something benign like Joseph or Jennifer, but some names just foretell bad things, her example is Arnold. (I admit, I tend to agree as our beloved Governator isn't my favorite.)

She observes that quilt names often come about similar to names for art pieces, as so many quilts these days are just art and not really meant to be loved, slept under, or chewed on by babies or animals. Which made me think that there really are two classifications of quilts now, ones that are meant to be looked at and ones which are meant to be used. I admit, I make quilts to be used. The points are lopped off, the quilting is far from uniform or straight, but my standard is more of a practical one. I always worry if the quilt will hold up after repeated washings, not if it will appeal to some judge with some unknown rubric of evaluation.

And as far as I am concerned, if any quilt I make is named "binky" or "boo" then that is first prize and no ribbon would matter nearly as much as knowing my quilt provided comfort to some child, some adult or some animal.

Adoption -- siblings

2010-10-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

Over at Production, not Reproduction, we are occasionally given prompts to write about adoption and our ideas, experiences and reflections. These prompts often have application to people who have already adopted, and I think this is no exception, so I can really only write about the ideas that we have any clue about, there are just too many unknowns to hypothesize about.

We are not going to adopt again, if our child is a part of a multiple-birth, that's great, but we won't be adopting siblings. We agreed that we only want to parent the number of children we think we can provide for financially, emotionally and educationally, and that is one. I'm an only child and my father is an only child, and we turned out ok, plus J and I are not convinced that there is a magic number of 2 children for some family to be complete. For us, it is one child, so we will savor every developmental step, every new beginning because we will know it will be our one time to parent a whatever-aged-child. We have friends with many children and those kids are out of control because their parents are essentially not there. On the other extreme, our child will be our one child and we look forward to the opportunities that brings.

Color Theory or Bust

2010-10-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

I'm again inspired by Lisa Boyer and her essay titled "Color Theory for Quilters." In that essay, her basic premise is "Who SAID that this goes with that and this doesn't go with the other?" Essentially she feels that there is no such thing as color theory. This makes me think, what is it about colors and our brains that we think two colors don't go together and two colors do? Why are pink and green ok but taupe and anything aren't? I admit, I think taupe should be banned, so I might not be an objective observer. But what in our visual cortex tells each of us that some color is appealing and pleasing and some color is like taupe is for me, just hideous? It is completely subjective, as evidenced by the popularity of taupe (which I consider visual sauerkraut) which I find fascinating.

Are there any colors that everyone loves? Hates? Why?

Afraid of Florals

2010-10-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

I've been reading Lisa Boyer's books, That Dorky Homemade Look and Stash Envy. They are both collections of her articles about quilting, so they aren't long, but they are funny and actually very thought provoking for me. Nothing deep, but definitely fun. I'm going to try to write in response to some of her essays, not to copy them but to add to the conversation.

In That Dorky Homemade Look, she writes about a fear of florals, then writes about her fear of Sunbonnet Sue. I can understand her fear of florals, there are some pretty bad ones out there and they never seem to play well with others. There are typically just too many colors going on for my taste, and they are so... floral! I'm not a floral type of person at all. And Sunbonnet Sue? I sure wouldn't want to sew one because there is so much applique involved. That leads me to my two fears...

Applique and curved seams.

I will never be able to sew clothes because if there are arms, there are curved seams. I just can't do it. The whole mashing and smooshing and pulling and cutting to make it match, it just doesn't make any sense. Yes, I've sewn them following the directions and yes it has worked AND laid flat, but that doesn't mean I enjoyed the experience. Curved seams are just not my spacial friends.

And applique? I know I am not alone in this one. So many quilters are anti-applique because there is just so much hand work, so much detail work involved. Machine applique is ok, but it is so involved. I admit, I like sorta fast results. Like, I want to sew a few seams and see a block start to emerge. Applique seems like you sew and sew and sew and sew and sew and sew and sew and look, you are about 2 inches from where you started and you used up half of your bobbin. (I can't even comprehend hand applique.)

This is why I am drawn to simple block patterns that show off pretty fabrics, because I love color. Color used appropriately. Jewel colors, pastels. But don't bring mauve or taupe near me. Those two shoulda died in 1992 and for some reason taupe has reared its very ugly head in the past year or so. I really want to sit down whoever decides what colors are the new black and just give them what for. Taupe is definitely the new black. But I like black, it has great uses especially in Amish quilts. But taupe? Are you kidding me? It's the color of things you don't want to eat, things that you don't want to smell, things that you don't want to see. OF course it's the perfect new color for quilting fabric! Just say nope to taupe!

Adoption spam from NYC

2010-10-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

This is just amazing to me. The first email was a bit suspicious:

Hi,

You should be doubting how I came to know you. I am just fed-up with all this suffering and my heart is broken but I have to do this because nothing seems to be moving for us. I want to let go this baby to your family where she will be spoiled with love. If you can shower a baby with love and spiritual upbringing, do contact me and feel free to ask questions if you are serious and God-fearing... We look forward to talking with you more privately atlizymegan@gmail.com or holler me at 1-646-6520724 ext 608 .

Liz

But wait, there's more.....

Hello Colleen,

I am so delighted to read your email for I was getting to this not knowing that I could talk to someone like you. I got your posting showing your interest in adopting a baby and since I am an adoptive parent like you, I thought it wise to contact you on this issue so that we can discuss a few ideas together. Hope I didnot hurt you in anyway through my mail. I do understand all you have been going through recently and feel that you are right in every sense of your thoughts about adoption. Adoption is a path I have gone through with many heartbreaks too but I kept my spirit and my belief high despite the tears on my eyes. I have worked for the foster system and have done a lot of research. I know so many people are out to take advantage of both potential adoptive parents and birthmoms; that left me sad and a little jaded. I am proud to have finally adopted a babygirl, Grace into my family. She is a little angel in my life that I presently i can't live without. I first of all went through several agencies and finally got dubbed by one which i don't want to disclose here and they ate my husband's $20,000 without us having the child from Ukraine which they matched us with. I cried my tears dry and since I knew that if we don't have a child it is going to play so much on my husband since it was my fault if we could not make children, I went on searching till we finally had Grace in our arms. Everybody in my family is showering Grace with gifts and lots of love especially my husband.
It is nice to know that you have been visioning adoption in your family. I also thought I could do it easily with same private adoption with a birthmother but after being dubbed by a BM who decided to choose a different family during the process of adoption, we dived into International adoption. It was never easy also here but we finally adopted Grace and that makes us forget about the difficulties we went through. If you were to adopt, will you prefer an open or closed adoption? It is always good to know that you have family and friends supporting you through out the adoption process for it makes the load lighter on you. Tell me more about your reasons for wanting to adopt? How far have you gone with your placement in your agency? Have you been matched already? Please kindly do respond to me so that we can talk more on this issue. May be I can help guide you to a friend who has been a blessing to my family since I knew him. I am looking for a family full of love like mine to adopt baby Myriam. I have been able to adopt a baby through these friends and will want you to benefit from their assistance too since presently, we don't have the financial means to take another child as my DH says. The good thing is that Pastor will be traveling to Ohio and will have to bring the baby to your family so that you can follow up your adoption procedures while the child is in your home. You can call me and we talk more on phone if you like. Waiting to read from you...

Stay Blessed

Lizy, Pit and Grace

214 sullivan St.
New york, NY 10012
1-646-652-0724 ext 608

"If you have a chance to help make life better for others, and fail to do so, you are wasting your time on this earth." Roberto Clemente

First off, how dare she (he?) quote Roberto Clemente! Second, it's amazing to me to see what she is maybe proposing, child trafficking!! The insanity of these people is amazing. Needless to say, I didn't respond. These people are just fascinating to me, and really pathetic.

Lost that quilting feeling...

2010-09-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, my quilting mojo comes and goes. I know this, I expect this and I am not too terribly bothered by it. I'm in one of those down periods. It's not that I'm not doing anything else, I am, I just don't feel too keen on sitting still and being outside. This often coincides with the weather, but this year it has coincided with my health. In April, I was diagnosed with a massive blood clot that ran the entire length of my right leg. (Remember, I'm 39 and not bed ridden!) That caused a whole cascade of events that led to major surgery and what has been a long recovery. I am happy to say that as of Wednesday, I've been given a clean bill of health. But because of the clot, and the lasting damage to my right leg, sitting for any great length of time is painful. So, sitting to quilt means I have to get up and move around every 10 minutes. I just haven't had the commitment to do it lately. So, I've started small, cutting fabric in front of the TV (as DH roots for his blasted Giants), and next I'll be pinning them into 9-patch blocks. Then, I'll just commit to sitting to sew a block, then two, then three, and so on. It's all about the little steps.

I feel it's my obligation to help women know about the risks of hormones, because that is what caused the blood clot. I'd been on birth control for a long period of time and one of the more common but less discussed side effects of ANY hormonal treatment, including infertility and hormone replacement therapy, are blood clots in the legs. These things are no joke, let me tell you. Please help educate other women about the very real risks to taking hormones. And if you think this can't happen to you, you are quite wrong. I'm on my feet all of the time, I work full time, I'm not obese, I have never smoked, and I got a clot. If you feel a terrible pain in your calf, like a charley horse that doesn't go away for days, then your entire leg swells up, get it checked immediately!

That said, I'm ok now. Thanks to amazing nurses and physicians, having health insurance, and most importantly, thanks to four anonymous blood donors who selflessly gave blood that I now carry with me. I guess the other lesson is that if you can, you should give blood. Come to think of it, now that I'm off the coumadin, I should be eligible to donate soon. Guess what I am marking on my calendar!

I hope to post quilt-y stuff soon, but for now, it's one foot in front of the other.

Spam Again

2010-07-31T16:46:00.000-07:00

This time, it's barely legible. It was tagged as spam by gmail, but I had to post it.

Hello,

I am very glad to contact you , And Also I say that May God
see you at the point of your Need.

My name is John Willem A Uk Citizen base in uk and And Also
Working Here . I am 25 year old single . And i work with the fabrice
Company. My Company has Branches all over the world.

Anyway I am very Delighted to contact you after i got your
email over my search and every details Inpressed me. I don't want you
to be Susprice when you get this mail Bcos i believe you don't know me
but we will get alone very soon and know ourself better. I contacted
you bcos i have a 2year old baby boy and a 4yeard old baby girl who
are the children to my late boy which i am puting them on Adoption .
my late Brother die last years with his lovely Wife on a Motor
accdient on thier way to Shopping. After The Incident . I have been
taken Care of this Children . I decided to put them on adoption bcos
of the natural of my job . bcos i am Alway on Transfer from branch to
branch of the company as the supervisor. presently I am in West Africa
nigeria as the company Recently send me on a Transfer for a
Consignment for 1month.

And when ever i am on Transfer i do keep the children with some
neighbour bcos its on not allow in my company policy to take those
children along with me when i am on a company Consignment on transfer.
presently my Neighbour who do help me to take care of them when ever i
am on Transfer has presently relocated. and i just don't know what to
do . So i decided to put them on adoption to a Good Foster parent ,
who can care for them and give them the motherly love they need . So
if you are really interested for adoption and you know you can car for
any of the children you are interested to adopt kindly contact me and
i shall give you more details and thier pictures. I shall look forward
to read from you .

Thanks

Open Adoption Round Table question for July

2010-07-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

Are there any things that you don’t want the other members of your triad to know—or that you don’t want to know about them? I’ve heard first mothers talk about not sharing their birth stories with adoptive parents because those are for the adoptees and for themselves only. I’ve also heard of adoptees concealing their reunions from adoptive parents so as not to cause them pain. What don’t you want shared in your adoptive relationships?

Susie Book over at Endure for a Night came up with the prompt above. She's a birth/first mom and writes very honestly about her thoughts, experiences and feelings. As a part of Open Adoption Bloggers, I'm happy to chime in.

I want to know even a little bit about the baby's birth father (he's a plumber/his name is John/he lived nearby, etc.) if possible, but if the situation isn't one the birthmom is comfortable sharing, then I don't want to know the story. If it is something she finds embarrassing, upsetting or in any way negative, then I don't want to know the story, and thus won't have a secret I'm keeping from our child. If our child wants to discover his/her birth story, s/he can do so when s/he is old enough to understand the entirety of the situation. Likewise, we sure won't be sharing our child's birth story with anyone, because it's his/her business to share with his/her birth mother (if at all) and definitely not ours to share.

We won't share with our child the actual facts and specifics of why we adopted until s/he is old enough to understand the biology involved. I don't ever want our child to feel s/he was our second choice, not the best choice, not good enough, etc. But I know those feelings are normal sometimes for adoptive children to feel, but I don't ever want to intentionally add to that. I will tell our child from early on that before I met his/her father I knew that adoption was right for me, and that J and I were always in agreement that that was the best path for us. This is entirely true. The underlying "why" is the part that I'll save for when she/he is older. Like a three year old needs to know the words "uterine fibroids"? I don't think so.

I don't want to know anything about our child's birth/first mom that she wouldn't want to tell us. I feel very strongly about respecting her privacy in her life, about her feelings and impressions, and if she wants to share things, that's great and I will support that, but I will also respect her boundaries. So I don't want to know anything more than she feels safe in telling us.

"Urban" aesthetic

2010-07-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

I have no idea how craft/quilt/design trends get their names. There was the whole shabby chic/cottage look which involved distressing items, lots of lace and roses and such. There is the nautical/Nantucket/beach look which has different flavors depending on which beach you are talking about. There is the cabin/rustic look which typically involves a whole lotta wood and moose. There is the western look, which can involve animal parts like hides, horns or heads, or often rusted metal and lots of stars and stripes. And now I am seeing the "urban" look which also could mean mid-century modern. "Mid-century" also could stretch from 1950 to 1979, so it's mid-ish century.

I really wonder about the use of the word "urban" to describe certain fabrics or looks. I live in an urban environment, and most decidedly, this is not how the buildings, streets and sidewalks look. Trying to figure this out makes my head hurt, so instead I'll share some cool "urban" links, which I am happier clustering under "modern". And by "modern" I mean 1975.

First is the blog, designer and twitterer at Urban Crunch. She has lots of neato stuff she's made with modern fabrics and modern looks. I found her via another twitterer and I am a fan of her neat ideas.

Next is a group I am going to join one of these days, the Modern Quilt Guild. This style of quilting is definitely not for everyone, but I am liking it more and more. It's not about fussy cutting, matching everything, perfect quilting. It's about bold colors, often larger blocks of fabric, and unique styles of quilting. I'm making a quilt that would fall under this description using a pattern adapted from "Easy Quilted Gifts" with straight line quilting 1" apart. There are local branches around the country.

Another modern type blogger is over at Tallgrass Prairie Studio. I love seeing what she comes up with, and she has been featured in many different magazines, so I know I'm not the only one who loves her stuff.

I don't know if I'd call her "urban" but she definitely isn't country: Dyed and Gone to Heaven has some of the most goooorgeous hand dyed fabrics and the quilts and other items that spring from them.

I love the varied looks of the Silly Boo Dilly. Just amazing, creative, unique work.

There are a couple of Flickr groups to give an idea what modern quilts look like: Fresh Modern Quilts and Modern Stitching: Life Beyond Stipling. These are wonderful examples of the creative work people are doing in the Modern/Urban quilting world.

More adoption scams!

2010-07-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

Luckily, our adoption agency has an adoption board for pre- and post-adoptive families, so we can share info and collaborate. People share their experiences, thoughts, ideas and really importantly, scams. That's how I knew this was a scam for sure:

hi am a single mother with a baby girl, which am looking for a loving and caring home to adopt her .i want to give her out due to my job and other complication after the death of my husband. so i was wondering if you still need a baby to adopt then you could just contact me through my email and let's talk more, thanks and God bless you.

Evidently this person is so dim as to send photos of different kids, claiming they are all of her "daughter." I really wonder why someone contacts families associated with an agency because any decent agency would advise their clients about scammers. But I guess there are always people who are willing to do whatever to get a baby, but I sure hope they wouldn't lose their common sense! I guess the scammers are hoping there really is a sucker born every minute, but I'd like to think they have a dang hard time finding one.

More Twitter and Quilting (part 3)

2010-06-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

Another way to use Twitter is to find out about sales, promotions, or new offerings. Many of the quilting related companies offer email newsletters. For example, this week I got an email newsletter from the longarm quilting sewing machine company Gamill. Great, they've come out with new stuff. Love it! But then I see they have, down at the bottom, "Follow me on Twitter" and I click that link. It takes me to their Twitter page where I can choose to follow them, which means, I will see their tweets, which include new products, secret sales, whatever they want.

For example, their last post a few days ago announced their newest machine:
West Plains, Mo (June 22, 2010): A New Star is Born! Gammill Quilting Systems introduces the Vision 22”. This new... http://fb.me/tuGi8W5n

That last URL is really short, because they used a URL shortener, but it takes you to their site. These little URLs are nothing to fear, if they are included in a tweet (message) from a known company or person, then they won't redirect you to anything "bad" like spam, malware, viruses, etc.

Now whenever I get an email newsletter from a group or company I like, I'll see if they have a Twitter feed and follow them there.

I have organized my Twitter feeds by lists, which is a sort of folder type feature that Twitter offers. It's somewhat annoying because you can't re-order the list, they are in whatever order you created them (I think) so if you want to group "quilting" with "home" and they weren't created one right after the other, you're out of luck.

It's super helpful to have feeds organized into these lists, and you can make the lists public or private, so if someone else likes what you have going on in your quilting list, they can choose to follow your list, and they will then see the same tweets you see in that list. No, they aren't breaking into your account, it's like you're looking through two different windows in two different houses, but looking at the same scenery. This is a part of the interconnectedness of this whole "social media" movement you've read about.

Another one that posts great discounts is Fat Quarter Shop. Their tweets regularly include 40% off their already great prices but only for a short time, and only if you have their special coupon code that is included in the tweet. This week it's Whimsy by Fig Tree Quilts made by Moda. Yeah, pretty sweet, huh?

The other thing about Twitter is it can suck up all of your time if you think you are going to stay on top of all of the posts. Since people are posting all day every day, that means you will never leave your computer. Pick and choose who you are going to read, assign them to a list, and follow them when you can. Or if there is a coupon you want or a deal, go to their individual Twitter page and you can read only their posts. Whatever you do, do NOT think you will keep on top of the Twitter posts.

I hope this helps you see why I love Twitter but only in little bits. :)

Creative project ideas

2010-06-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

Today I got my weekly issue of AllPeopleQuilt.com and I started poking through the links. Then I got the email newsletter from Better Homes and Gardens Crafts (which owns AllPeopleQuilt) and I poked around and found ideas for working with kids and buttons: Easy Button Kid Crafts

Now I'll be honest, I really don't see many boys giving a wahoo about this, but some might. And unless your girl is craft interested, she won't care either. But for the right kid, this could be a lot of fun.

Or maybe you want to make some new pillows.

Or a knitted bunny

I have to admit, bhg.com has a lot of cute ideas. Enough to keep someone busy for a looooong time.

Twitter in my life, part 2

2010-06-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

Spawned by a friend's brilliance, I am also using Twitter to reach out for our adoption outreach. A long time family friend, Phyllis Zimbler Miller, is a guru in the world of marketing. Thankfully, she chooses to share her brilliance with us real people, she focuses on non-profits, small businesses, but I'm sure she'd take a Fortune 500 contract or two just for fun. If you have any sort of business, look into her Web site, she has wonderful recommendations for any product, service or campaign. Her two free books helped me really think differently about online marketing.

Open adoption is partially about marketing yourself to birthmothers. And that means your information needs to be available as many different ways as possible, with the advent of the Internet, information is much more available than it ever was. Plus, with smart phones, it's incredible portable now, too! One way to make yourself visible online is through Twitter, which is totally free. Many people use it to tweet (or post) their useless thoughts, like "I'm tired" or "I'm hungry," but then other people are using it very successfully to get information out about their product or their industry. In my case, I will post things I find online and think might be useful, typically around the topics of education, health, quilting, crafting, or sometimes politics. Or if someone has posted something funny, I'll "re-tweet" (post again with credit to the author) it to everyone. But how does this tie into adoption?

I also send out tweets essentially essentially advertising our search for a birthmother. I have several versions of a tweet that give a brief intro about open adoption, then a shortened version of our Web address. We've been lucky in that several people have re-tweeted it, which means they have sent our blurb on to their connections, too.

How can you shorten your Web address to not take up all 140 characters? Enter Bit.ly, Ow.ly, or TinyURL.com. I started with TinyURL, it's the most basic, but then I tried Bit.ly, and now am using Ow.ly and their Hoot Suite to help manage my posts. All are free and easy to use. You just type in the long URL (Web address) you want to post, and it shortens it to something that is maybe 10 characters long. Bit.ly and Ow.ly let you create a login so you can keep track of your links and who has clicked on them. That's helpful for us to be able to track who has checked our Web site via the Twitter posts.

I'll continue about Twitter and Open Adoption in Part 3

Quilting in the Twitter World!

2010-06-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

I love Twitter! If you haven't discovered it yet, it is a micro-blogging tool for saying whatever you wish to say in 140 characters or less. Is this something you can't live without? Nope, doubtful. But it is super helpful in many areas of life.

For me, as an educator, I can keep in touch with other educational technology professionals (teachers, district leaders, principals, professors, etc.) and what they are observing in the world of ed tech just through using some simple search terms, denoted with a hash tag, the # symbol. Type in #edtech to Twitter's search bar and you'll see what I mean, we're a talkative bunch.

But guess what, there are quilters out there, too. Twitter isn't just for 16 year olds, actually studies show that 16-25 year olds aren't using Twitter as much as The Rest of Us are. That just means we'll have to work hard to get the next generation interested in quilting! Anyway, some of the fabric and book companies post to twitter, like @robertkaufman, @modabakeshop and @ctpublishing. But also the smaller businesses do, like @fatquartershop. They post patterns, sales, interesting bits, whatever. I LOVE reading this stuff, and like blogs, you can get bogged down VERY quickly, but I've learned to just let go.

I'll dig up more uses for twitter and post accordingly.

Where am I?

2010-05-29T16:51:00.000-07:00

It's a long story, but the short version of it is I had to have an emergency hysterectomy, which is actually quite a blessing, it turns out. I have photos of what my uterus looked like inside my body, this is the beauty of laproscopic surgery, they can look around before they did anything. In one photo, I can see over 10 fibroid tumors, and that is just one view, and doesn't include all of them you can't see. Basically, my uterus was useless and causing me a whole lot of pain and suffering and some events all came to pass at the same time and the best solution was to have it removed. What a blessing this has been, I had no idea it would feel so much better. And at age 39, all the MDs tell me all should be fine. That said, recovery takes a while, though the incisions are all healed and are less than an inch long each, the internal healing takes much longer. So, I am resting and doing a lot of reading, but I am tired, more tired than I ever have been. But I am taking care and being careful and following doctor's orders. When I get back up to speed, I'll be posting more because I'll be doing more!

Away from Keyboard

2010-05-22T11:17:00.001-07:00

I've been away for a while due to a health issue, but I will be back as soon as I can.

Ultimate Adoption Book Club, v 1.0

2010-04-07T16:51:00.000-07:00

In March, we read "The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis, which would be the book the movie is based on, you know, the one Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for? Yeah, that one. Luckily, I just got it in my PaperbackSwap about a week before I discovered the Adoption Book Club so I said, Let me join in! Of course, Eva is a saint and sent out questions, and I had plans to get this out and be thorough and insightful and well written, and here I am at the last minute throwing this up. How's this for rough draft thinking? Here goes nothing...

What did you think about the portrayal of adoption, particularly teenage transracial adoption in the book?

Since I think this book is primarily about football, secondarily about an individual player (Michael Oher) and eventually about adoption, I really don't think it addressed transracial adoption much. I don't think there was any indication that the Trouhy's were trying to make Michael white, per se, but I wonder about that. I wonder if he dressed more like a preppy, rich white kid, or like what is popular with African American kids. I didn't get an indication that he had many African American friends, there were few non-white students in the school, so I don't think he had many other kids to connect with culturally.

At one point, when the Tuohys are being investigated by the NCAA, Lewis writes, “Michael Oher might never be sure of Sean Tuohy’s deeper motives. But he could be sure of this: Pops was funny(p. 223)!" What do you think motivated the Tuohy’s relationship with Michael? Did you ever doubt their sincerity?

I never questioned the Tuohy's motives. They are Christians and thus they are taught to take care of those less fortunate. Michael Oher was suffering, one set of clothes (too light for winter), not much to eat, really desperate circumstances. Who wouldn't see the opportunity to help a child, albeit a very tall child, in this situation? I think they were generous and incredibly giving.

In what ways do you think that Lewis' approach to race and class is successful ? And in what ways do you think it falls short?

This is where I think he really falls short. SO much could be said about the conflicts Michael felt in regards to race and class, but I don't think the author delves into anything too deeply. These are often hard topics for people to discuss, I think the author is much more comfortable writing about football (which I admit, I skipped those sections because I hate football) than about what internal struggles Michael must have experienced. I think the book was cautious in its dealing with race, class and culture.

What impact, if any, does Michael’s story, his success, and the success of The Blind Side, have on people’s perception of foster care and adoption? Particularly teenage, transracial adoption?

I hate to say it, but I think it directly feeds into stereotypes about foster adoption. Michael came from a family with many, many children, by different fathers, with a mother struggling with addiction, living in public housing. I don't know if there are any foster stereotypes that aren't hit in that. And he has learning difficulties, that's a huge stereotype! Oh, and he has anger issues, another stereotype. (I sure as hell would be protective angry if I were him!) I don't think the author portrayed Michael as a multi-faceted human being. His interests, beyond video games and football aren't discussed. I really felt he was stereotyped by the author.

What did you think about Michael Oher's school experiences? (My own question, I'm not in love with this wording, but it's basically "the teacher question".)

As a teacher, I'd love to meet Mr. Oher and hear about how he learns the plays in football, that would be an interesting conversation! There was much hinting about his learning styles, and about the tutor who worked with him to help him overcome the deficits of his school experience, it really interested me to know more about his learning style. I think there is so much more to him than what we were given in the book.

I would recommend reading the book, it's a fast read and if you're not a football fan, you can feel comfortable skipping the football parts.

Overseas adoption spam

2010-03-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to see a trend here:

Hello
My name isFather jushua of st.johns parish the Ngoundere Cameroon . i am looking for a loving family out here that is interested in adopting a baby.Tribal misunderstanding in nearby Bali Village has brought in two more babies in our catholic orphanage but unfortunately we have no spaces left. We are actually looking for a family that is able and capable of bringing up a child in the most responsible way. No matter wherever you are, you can contact us either by phone or email if you have lots of love reserve for children.our contact information is below
[deleted]@gmail.com
phone link not connected for now.

Things I'm noticing:
1) Appeal to sense of pity. Tribal misunderstandings, orphanage, no room, etc.
2) Cameroon. Lots going on in Cameroon.
3) No phone number, too easy to verify if this is a scam that way.
4) Responsible is used to describe what the adoptive parents should be. So we remember to brush and floss? Is that good enough? Last time I checked, no.

I really wonder if the spammers are the only ones who look at adoption listings on the adoption classified sites out there. It sure would be easy pickin's for them, a entire Web page of people who just might send them a big bag of money in exchange for bupkis. I know they aren't getting our info off of our Web site, we're not getting international hits, so I really think it's the photo listing sites. Oh well, they are free sites, and the spammers give me something to write about. If a few electrons get knocked around in the meantime, so be it.

Questions from a blogging birthmother

2010-03-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

Jill, the writer of TheHappiestSad writes a wonderful and informative blog from a birthmother's perspective. She is very honest and truRecethful. She also allows adoptive parents good insight into some of the feelings a birthmother might go through. Recently, she posted a bunch of questions that adoptive parents should be sure to answer, so I thought I might as well answer them here. Here goes...

Will [I] be a stay-at-home-mom?

Full time, all the time, no. Simply, we can't afford to. But we are already planning on how J and I can work our schedules so one of us can be at home for at least the first year or so. With his flexible class schedule and me being able to work from home and taking family leave, we are optimistic we will be able to be at home for a good amount of time. But since adoption has many unknowns, we just can't be sure what this will look like on any given day.

-Do you have any family traditions you hope to carry on?

J loves the outdoors and he wants to take our child camping as soon as possible. He wants to be sure to teach our child all about nature, how to appreciate and protect it, and the joys of sleeping on dirt. He went camping a lot as a child and found it great fun. I want to pass down my grandmother's and mother's ability to bake, to sew (boy or girl, every town needs a tailor or dress maker!) and the joy of reading. We have many traditions around Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter which we hope to carry on, as well as the broader traditions of community activities in our neighborhood. I have family traditions from where my mother's family lived, for example giving a piece of jade jewelry at the girl's 21st birthday. That came from Mom's life living in Hawaii as an Army kid. I imagine we'll realize how many family traditions we enjoyed as kids as we start to see the world through our child's eyes, and we will definitely make new ones, too.

-Do you have a nursery set up (are you ready, right now, for a baby)?

Define "ready." :) The adoption agency actually told us to NOT set up a nursery because we have no idea how long we could be waiting and it could be years, and that can be hard to look at. That makes sense and we agree. We also have many friends who are ready at a moment's notice to bring us all types of baby gear so we are confident we could have a nursery set up in a couple of days.

-Do you have any pets?

Yes, we have two dogs, Mocha and Fudge. They are both Gordon Setters from Springset Kennels in Oregon. Mocha is 6 and Fudge is 3 and they are such gentle, happy, friendly dogs. Though if you are a pigeon, watch out! (They are bred from hunting stock though neither of us hunt.)

-Any plans to move in the next 10 years?

From the area? Nope. We might find the need for a larger house, but even then, we'd stay in the same city.

-Do you have immediate and/or extended family living in the area?

J is related to a ton of people here in the area. I have a very, very small family, extended family is on the East Coast or in Hawaii, my parents are in Southern California. J's parents, brother and his family, aunts/uncles and cousins are all within 10 miles. I have many long term, even lifelong friends in the area and they really are like family.

-Besides infertility, have you overcome any other hardships/adversity? What did it/they teach you?

I had severe vision problems as a child and the lessons from that have carried through my life. First, know your limits. It's ok to not be able to do something, just say so. Maybe you can learn, maybe not. Second, take care of your health early and thoroughly. Don't let something get out of hand. My parents hey took care of my vision problems from the earliest possible days and I went from legally blind to pretty dang great vision in a matter of years. Yes I've worn glasses my entire life, but so what, I can see.

-Do you have any experience with adoption? Do you know anyone who has adopted, or anyone who was adopted?

Actually both. I know some people who were adopted and I know many adoptive parents. I have learned a great deal from all of them.

-What would adopting a child mean to you?

This is a very simple yet powerful question. I am going to save this until another day because I want to give it it's due!

follow up adoption spam

2010-03-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

So I was right, the last piece was definitely spam. On the off chance that it wasn't, I sent a two line response that she should contact the agency and they can help her with her adoption options.

I then got this response:

Thanks for your time
Am Baky and am 23yrs old and from the US Solomon Island but because of my eduction am Presently in Cameroon.I am not a Cameroonian.I am a student studying geology at the University of beau in Cameroon. I was pregnant by one of my classmates who is from the United States.He bead out that he was not ready for a child.
For a while now i have been moving on my own.I haven't been home for a while now.I intend to find a good home for my baby before i return to my country.I do not want my parents to know i have a child,i also do not want to leave her in an orphanage here.You have to understand me,I'm the first in our family.So much trust is bestrode on me.I do not want to jeopardize my education, i feel i still got a long way to go.i hope you understand my case.
I feel this child will hold me back.For this one year three months i have been with Zoe i have had a lot of stress to provide for her.I do not want to continue in this way.She is 15months old .If you need know more about us please get back .
thanks
Baky

And she sent photos of an adorable couple of kids (supposed to be the same kid) and a delighted looking mother. Who KNOWS who is in the photos, and who knows who is actually sending this.

Quilt magazines

2010-03-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

I've been noodling over this for a while, but I've decided that "personality" quilt magazines are not worth the names added to them. I come to this conclusion after reading some wonderful Irish quilting magazines, which were basically called Irish Quilting. Not Lady Gaga's Irish Quilting, but just Irish Quilting. Great, I have 100% certainty of the general nature of the theme of the publication.

Last fall I guess Mark Lapinski either left or got booted out of Quilter's Home. I didn't realize this until the Jan/Feb issue arrived and it was clear that the new editor was trying for the same cheeky tone, but it kinda fell flat. That's ok, much writing out there is too flat anyway, but she really needed to brush up on her pop culture references. Then again, under Mark, I had a great time counting the typos, even on the cover. I don't see this magazine hanging around forever since he's gone, I'll be surprised if it lasts until my subscription runs out in October. It's too bad because it's aim was true, to bring a fresh view to what is typically a stodgy genre.

Now I hear that Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims have a new magazine. Ok. So what? What makes it different than the 10,000 other quilting magazines out there? I have no idea. Because they edit it? Lend their names to it? No clue. Though Alex Anderson's TV personae bugs the snot out of me (it's so obvious when she is reading lines versus just speaking as herself) I have to give her props because she is from this area, and she has stayed loyal to her home town her entire life. That's cool and gives quilting in this area (a large urban area where you wouldn't expect there to be much quilting going on) that added something. Ricky Tims I know nothing about other than he wears a cowboy hat and makes very engineered looking quilts. In the category of "whatever floats your boat", if there is a market, so be it. I just won't be signing up, I'm enjoying my free time to read novels.

And if you want to get a whole discussion going, just ask a quilting email list about magazines. You'd think you brought up politics or religion the way people weigh in, it's hilarious and scary at the same time. Again, whatever floats your boat, I say.

Questionable adoption spam

2010-03-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

This is the first piece of adoption spam that is a bit questionable, but I still think it is spam.

It is with with a great heart that i am seeking a loving home for my baby.It has been a while.I can not take care of my baby.I had this baby under certain conditions.I am seeking any one who would love to parent for this child.This is not the right time for this baby.I love the baby so much but i have to let go.I hope you are a Responsible family?I do want her to have equal opportunities like other kids.For any other inquires please let me know.

First, this wasn't addressed to us directly, it was addressed to someone else that had an adoption-themed email address. Second, there are no specifics about this situation, like how old the child is, what her name is, etc. I sent a two line email back (just in case it isn't spam/a scam) recommending she contact our agency for help with making an adoption plan for her child. Money down that never happens, but just in case this is someone in desperate need, she now has the resource.

We'll see, but I'm not holding my breath.

Adoption statistics

2010-03-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

Several things:

First, it appears there is no correlation with the abortion rate and the rate of women placing their children for adoption. The abortion rate has remained steady and even declined a bit, while the adoption rate has declined.

Adoption.com is a great resource, and they cite articles, which I always like. Try not to get bogged down in all of their ads, there are many of them.

Second, with this historic health care bill, several great things have happened. First, people without children will be able to qualify for MedicAid/MediCal, which is fantastic. So many more people now will have access to health care, which will help the overall quality of life in the country, but also bring down costs because these people won't be forced into emergency rooms for what should be covered under routine care.

Additionally, the health care bill continues the adoption tax credit which makes adoption affordable to more people. This was due to expire the end of this year, it has been extended to the end of 2011. This makes adoption available to more people, and allows foster or special needs adoption to end up having no cost. Anything to help adoption!

The business of adoption in the US

2010-03-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

When we started our adoption journey last fall, we had no idea what a complex situation and system it is. And this doesn't even include foster care or international adoption, I'm just talking about domestic infant adoption. There are definitely some shadier sides of this world, which we are working hard to avoid.

First, I've now learned about "outreach resource providers," essentially brokers. They contract with adoption agencies, attorneys and facilitators as well as with waiting adoptive parents. When the agency/lawyer/facilitator has a "hard to place situation" (code for African American or multi racial baby) they then go to this broker, who contacts their waiting adoptive families and connects them up. There is no mention if the potential birth mother has received any counseling, support or guidance, and there is no way to know what kind of advice she has been given. Has the counselors tried to help her stabilize her financial situation so she could effectively think about parenting? Or have they tried to talk her into all the reasons why she isn't going to be a good mother, basically taking her baby so they could profit? Or something in between? No way to know. I am sure these outreach providers are like anything else, some are good, most are ok, some are not good. But it just seems like there should be more regulation to protect the birth parent's rights.

Second, one of the things that these outreach resource providers post on their web sites are "situations". That is, birthmothers who have approached their contracted agencies, and what her situation is in terms of race, financial needs, drug or alcohol use (usually none), state of residence, etc. They only post them online because something abou them makes them hard to match, which really makes me wonder what is so hard to place them. There is no indication that the child will be born with special needs like a medical or genetic condition. I really wonder if the birthmother is getting the emotional support she needs from the agency, or if they are just trying to make a buck. (Money is often exchanged upon match and finalization of the paperwork.) Again, I really think more control is needed as the requirements and oversight varies SO MUCH from state to state. Some states the procedures amount to baby selling while others are as equitable and reputable as can be. It's distressing and clearly an area that is greatly in need of improvement.

Health care, abortion and concessions

2010-03-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

Right now, the health care debate and vote is going on in Congress. I admit, I haven't followed this as closely as I should, but today really got to me. The president is issuing an executive order maintain that federal funding will not be used to pay for abortion except in the cases of rape, incest or threat to maternal health. This got me thinking about all of the situations that bring a woman to decide on abortion, of course, 99% of which no one can ever really know about.

In the adoptive parent world, like everywhere, people sit on all sides of the abortion debate. Some people say, well, if you are a waiting adoptive parent, you must be anti-abortion. I for one can say this isn't a given. J and I for example both feel that it is an individual woman's right to choose what she wants to do regarding her pregnancy, she can choose to terminate, carry the pregnancy and parent the child, or carry the pregnancy and place the child for adoption. But she needs to know that she has more than two choices (abortion or parenting) and I think a lot of women don't realize that open adoption is a very real alternative for them. They can maintain a relationship with the child but they don't have to be responsible for the upbringing of that child. I really wonder how many women would choose to carry the pregnancy if they knew that this was an option.

That said, I really hope this health care bill accomplishes something different than the status quo, we need something that benefits those without health insurance, not just benefitting the insurance companies, they are rich enough!

Another kind of adoption, another kind of spam

2010-03-21T10:45:00.001-07:00

We got some more adoption spam today:

Hello,
I am Dickson and i am looking for a family that will be
able to help me.I have always love America and wish to one day be
there.I have been told that the only way that i can make it to America
is being studying very hard.I have known that since when i was still a
very small boy.I am seeing my dreams dying down because my family
seems not to be able to support me any more.I have finished my high
school Education and i made a good pass in Biology,Chemistry,Physics
and maths.If you will like to see my certificates i will forward them
to you.
Please,I am contacting your family because i know that some
people are out there ready to help others.I don`t want the knowledge
that i have acquired so far to be wasted.If you can sponsor me to
America and take me even as your yard boy and help me achieve my full
Education i will forever be grateful to you people.I have dream to
become a Medical doctor and i have got a good foundation for it.I know
that God don`t wants me to end at this point in life that is why i am
seeking your help.I am ready to answer and provide any information
that you will like to know about me.Thanks for taking your time to
read about me and i hope that i could be of interest to your
family.God bless you
thanks

This is a new kind, the supposed writer wrote asking for us to adopt him. As you can see, he is trying to sell himself and what a good student he is. Now, maybe this is real, but I am doubtful. First, there is no mention of where this person is in the world, other than that he is not in "America". Second, it is just too pathetic for words, I half expect him to write about how horrible it is in his country and how he is afraid for his life every day. Yet he still manages to have Internet access. He basically wants to become an indentured servant, in not so many words. The underlying message here is "send me money" which is always the biggest red flag ever.

And yet, they provide me good material to write about. As a neighbor says, "Humans, go figure."

Adoption Spam with Jesus as a reference

2010-03-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

It REALLY chaps my hide when people use religion to play on people's hearts and minds.

Evidence:

My Children,
This girl has not found a home yet.I am still looking for a home that will love her and Cherish her.Well i will like to get the following information from you.Name of husband and wife?Marital status?
Years of marriage?
Home address?Your Biography and reason for adoption?occupation of Husband and wife?Telephone number?State of Residence?Street/House Number?
Airport Address?Age of Husband and wife?
The church wants to make sure that this child has the best so after i get this information i will have to take to the other Rev fathers.I will like you to take this prayer and say it every day.
Dear God, I thank You for the gift of this child to raise, this life to share, this mind to help mold, this body to nurture, and this spirit to enrich. Let me never betray this child’s trust, dampen this child’s hope, or discourage this child’s dreams. Help me, dear God, to help this precious child become all you mean her to be. Let your grace and love fall on her like gentle breezes and give her inner strength and peace and patience for the journey ahead.

Thanks
Rev Perez

This obviously doesn't include the child's photo (of course she is adorable) nor the religious flashing twirling gif. It was addressed to us and three other adoptive couples. Who knows where they got our email, but I forwarded this to our adoption coordinator and will let that be that. I just hope no one else falls for this.

up and disappeared!

2010-03-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

I am beyond pissed. We had a toll free number set up so birthmothers could contact us easily. I just called the number to make sure it was working and I got an error message. I called customer service, which was absolutely useless, and found out that they sold the number to someone else. Basically, I think the whole company was a sham, their Web site is gone now and I am not thinking about if someone tried to use that old number to call us. I won't even go off on why I hate off-shore customer service. Just lots of frustration right now.

On the plus side, our Web site is updated, we have a new toll free number that has a much catchier ring to it (sorry, bad pun) and it already works!

But I really hate off-shore customer service numbers.

Two is the magic number?

2010-03-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

An article on SFGate.com claims that the number of children have is related to the health of the parents. This is a blog off of the paper's Web site, so automatically I wonder about its sources, if it was fact checked, if it's anything other than someone's opinion. As I read through it, I kept thinking of something one of my psych professors used to say, "Correlation does not imply causation." Just because one thing, say, is increased when another thing is decreased, doesn't mean that one thing caused the other to happen, it just could be a coincidence, unless proven otherwise.

Case in point. The study included in the post above, looks at public records in Norway and finds that people who have zero or one child have an increased risk of something or other, the people who have two kids have the least risk for another something, and the people who have four or more kids have more chance of some other condition. It's just baloney!

An example from Wikipedia:

Since the 1950s, both the atmospheric CO₂ level and crime levels have increased sharply.

Hence, atmospheric CO₂ causes crime.

Correlation does not imply causation, it's just coicidence.

Bracketology

2010-03-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

This time of year, all of the papers and local news shows are talking about college basketball and "bracketology". Basically, you pick who you think is going to win each of the tournament games and if you are competing with others, you win points for every correct pick. I go by pure guessing, but my dear husband and his brother spend hours researching who is doing what super well, who is weak in whatever area. Funny thing, I don't finish last out of the three of us pretty much every year. Which tells me that spending all sorts of time reading this and listening to that doesn't help you do much better than chance. Might as well flip a coin.

Which is sometimes good advice, we tend to over-think things, should I do this, should I choose that, when no matter which you choose, it's an ok answer. It's better to just flip a coin, it's a whole lot less stress.

More adoption spam!

2010-03-08T21:27:00.000-08:00

Seriously, do they think I am going to believe this? It's from a @yahoo.it address, which I think is Italian Yahoo. Come on, unless you can get a real Born in the US of A-American Yahoo email address, we can't even discuss adoption, because, sorry, we're not approved to adopt outside the US. AND if this person WERE in Italy, I'm thinking there are super amazing social services available, plus, the grammatical mistakes don't mimic someone who speaks Italian. (Sorry, getting technical, but it's true.) I am going to keep posting every bit of spam I get as a public service, because I want others to know what shameful, pathetic people are out there, praying on waiting adoptive parents.

Here's what s/he wrote:

Good day mother i came through your profile and notice that you can help me and adopt my son so please if you are still in need then you can adopt my son just contact me for more information Charles is just 8 months old.

Once again, I must say, SERIOUSLY?!?!?! Are you kidding me?

Note to real people: I don't care how bad your grammar is, how bad your spelling, it's about what you say that shows you are a real person and not a spammer. A real person isn't going to offer up her baby in one sentence, nor would we accept. That's just not what real, caring people do.

Boy, I sure do hate spam.

Oh Canada (a bit late)

2010-03-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

I keep forgetting to write my thank you: Oh, Canada! You did a great job with the Olympics, we were rooting for you in curling and hockey all the way! (Curling is fascinating, I'm hooked. Hockey, not so much.)

In the ceremonies, I loved how they paid homage to the First Peoples of the region, which you would never see in this country except maybe in the Pacific Northwest or New Mexico. The rest of the country couldn't care less about our First Peoples. I was really impressed with them including the Tribal Leaders with the dignitaries. I have to admit, I think I'd have more respect for a tribal chief than an elected politician. No, I know I would. I would love to meet a chief some day and ask him or her about his/her life, though I might be so intimidated (in a good way, like meeting a celebrity) that I might not be able to get a word out. I would stumble over myself with admiration, kinda like when I met Marilyn Burns, I couldn't even say my name. Yeah, I'd be a wreck. But it would still be cool.

Adoption Spam

2010-03-02T19:43:00.000-08:00

Just like in the rest of the world, there are adoption spammers and scammers. We got our first bit of adoption spam the other day. I will quote her here to show the obviousness of it all:

hello to you,
My names are Nancy lizzet mankaa and i am from African
age 21yrs and was a student of the advanced institude of technology
studying telecomunications level 1. i am unfortunate to have my future
dreams dumping down due to my irresponsibility toward caring for my
self.actually i will be really happy to find the best for my child and
for my self.
I got pregnant out of wedlock ( on wanted pregnancy). my
boy friend inpregnated me back in school, abandoned me and claimed
that the child was not his.he broke my heart and made me homeless full
of shame and lost in dignity toward my family relatives.my affection
toward him was so much that i could do any thing for him. when he told
my parent he had never seen me when my parents came to his house to
question him abou the pregnancy.My parent abandoned me due to the
incidence and i laboured hard with my pregnancy to be able to pay for
the hospital bills when my baby will come to this sad world . I
thought of abortion but many advise me not to cus my life was equally
in danger so i decided to keep the pregnancy. my darling baby is
called nancy and she is just 1 week old and i find it so difficult to
cope to provide for her baby needs and some other finances i will be
the happiest person on earth to find a ready lovely couples who will
be ready to adopt my darling or better still provide me with financial
assistance to race my angel. as i earlier said , i will love my baby
not quit from this side wicket side of the continent and to see a
happiness and a home care that i never had.
If you will be ready to adopt my baby, you will provide
all the assurance that i will always come visit you, you will provide
me with shot of my child to her growing rates, you will care fo her by
your self and not by a house maid, you should be married and with 1
child in the house, .
Also , my child must grow up in a christian and moral
family,( cus i hate the muslim religion). Also , you should note that
i know nothng on how adopting over long distances is all about so you
shall make me know what i am suppose to do. You shall also be required
to send me a series of your pics in your house and the location of
your house and he way in which your nieghbourhood looks like ( full of
criminals or christian) .i wil just let you know that i will be really
happy if you will answer me the question if we are to proceed with
the international adoption process.
Note that you must not be a smooker , a drug adicts infacts rough.
have a nice day
Nancy

This really is the same quality as the Viagara ads, but you just have to wonder when/if they actually get some takers. I am so glad our agency screens for these things so I don't need to even pretend that this is a potentially real situation. It's really pathetic that someone would choose to pray on people's desires to have a family, they deserve all the negative karma the world can throw at them.

Opening Minds

2010-03-02T19:20:00.000-08:00

It really amazes me what dedicated teachers will do for others. One of my colleagues, a former teacher and school principal, who weighs 100 lbs on a rainy day, tutors inmates at San Quentin once a week. She has created a whole course for them, called "Write your Life," in which she teaches them how to write, as they have not had many educational opportunities, and then how to go through the writing process (writing, revising, editing) to improve what they have written. She wrote a paper for a national conference about the process one of them went through in writing his life story, and I found it interesting which scholars paid attention. Not the educational community, they wanted nothing to do with those in the prison system. It was the sociologists, who are often social workers. They were all over her papers, publishing it, giving her all the notoriety it deserves.

She told me about the disproportionality of the folks, specifically the men in the prison system. We all have heard that the men in the system are predominantly African-American, but has anyone asked why? Has anyone done anything to address the "why"? Has anyone stopped to look at the educational opportunities presented to these men as children? As young men? What about beyond the school day? Maybe home isn't the best place for them, but what is being done to stop the cycle? There are a few community resources around, but by no means are there enough to counteract the societal imbalances basically making it two or three times as hard for a lot of young men out there. My colleague is trying to do something about it on the other end. For the men who are non-violent offenders, she is giving them an important skill that will first help them in finding work, but in also expressing their feelings and experiences to make a small change in the racist cycle that exists in this country. She shows true compassion and non-judgement, which we all can aspire to achieve.

Olympics!

2010-02-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

The Winter Olympics are in full swing and we've been catching events here and there. One event I've never understood, until now, was curling. Jay has explained it to me now, and though it isn't hugely athletic like a marathon, there is a lot of strategy involved. It's fascinating. It's like baseball, it goes really slowly, and the score only really matters in the end.

Wikipedia has a good article all about the game. It's like pool, too, in that you sometimes need to bang your opponent's stone (or ball in the case of pool) out of the way to get where you need to go. It's pretty interesting and hearing them all yell at each other is just hilarious. HARD HARD HARD EASY EASY EASY... the women yell much louder than the men, and the women are more graceful about their play. The men just throw the stones as hard as they can, the women put some great spin and finesse on it. Just a funny game to watch.

Sleeping Greyhound

2010-01-31T20:15:00.001-08:00

Sleeping Greyhound
Originally uploaded by ColleenJason KeirnMayfield

This dog clearly loves her person and her person clearly loves her. This poor man had so many people taking his photo, but it was a wonderful image.

Sleepy Boy Mastiff

2010-01-31T20:12:00.001-08:00

Sleepy Boy Mastiff
Originally uploaded by ColleenJason KeirnMayfield

one of the best parts of going to the dog show yesterday was seeing the dogs actually be dogs. This boy clearly wasn't bothered by all of the noise. I am sure he was snoring!

Who let the yorkies out?

2010-01-31T09:52:00.000-08:00

It was a doggie weekend. First, we went to a local dog show and saw some amazing dogs. I took some photos.

First, the mastiffs.

Then, the Gordon Setters, our breed.

The sleeping saluki with her owner was pretty cool.

And in honor of Daisey my dog from childhood, the Bichons.

It was a fun way to spend the day, I even got lots of snooter kisses from the female Gordon named Britt. This is very unusual for Gordons, they typically don't care much about anyone other than their people.

Then, on Sunday, J comes in the house and says a yorkie is out running loose. Our neighbors have a yorkie rescue, so they have anywhere from 5-10+ dogs at any given time. One of them got out. So I go out the front door, join another neighbor in pursuit of this little rascal. The dog ran up a couple of blocks, back down, all the while staying relatively close by the house. After a lot of running by three adults, and the help of some neighbors out walking their dog, we cornered the yorkie in a front yard and I snatched her out of some painful shrubbery. I got her tag, called the neighbors and they asked me to hold on to her for another 6 hours, as they couldn't come home! Well, I don't know this dog, and the last thing I am going to do is leave her with our dogs, so I dog sat. And sat. And sat some more.

The second the neighbors came home, I was out the door to return the little girl to them, to discover that this little girl was in heat! Wonderful. No wonder she was so stinky! She was well behaved, but that also could have to do with her being terrified, but I was glad to return her home.

But what a tiny little dog, too small for my tastes, thankyouverymuch.

(Back) in the saddle again!

2010-01-18T16:09:00.000-08:00

After not posting for almost a year, I thought I should resurrect this blog for the purpose of our adoption journey. Since this blog is linked to our Web site and profile on Iheartadoption.org, I thought it a good idea to actually post something.

We are officially visible to the world for adoption. As of Jan 12, we are home study approved, which means the state of California and our agency, Independent Adoption Center, have deemed that we are fit to be parents. The process of the home study was tedious but not impossible, doing your taxes is harder, but it convinced me that if every parent had to go through this process, our prisons would be empty. SO many kids are just thrown away by their parents, even while still "parenting" them, the kids are left to fend for themselves. No wonder they end up being "mentored" by less than desirable character and end up going down a bad path. If everyone had to go through the process of being asked "Why do you want to be a parent?" and they had to demonstrate they had a plan for how to care and support the child(ren) then imagine how many children would be so much better off! And this is regardless of income, for example a single mom could be just making enough to support her and the kid in a one bedroom (or one room!) apartment, but at least she has a plan, and she is committed to that kid. So many great people have come from similar circumstances because their mothers/fathers/grandparents were committed to making a good life for them. If only...

Anyway, our Web site is up, our letter is available, and now we just wait. I know our birthmother is out there and she will find us when the time is right.

Praise Song for the Day

2009-01-22T16:24:00.001-08:00

Praise song for the day.

Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.

A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, "Take out your pencils. Begin."

We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know there's something better down the road."

We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.

Some live by "Love thy neighbor as thy self."

Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.

What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light.

(transcript of the inaugural poem recited by Elizabeth Alexander, as provided by CQ transcriptions on the New York Times website)

Worlde word cloud of the inaugural speech

2009-01-20T20:31:00.001-08:00

The slow cloth movement

2009-01-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

I just discovered what is not a new idea, the slow cloth movement. Evidently it comes from the slow food movement, wherein we are encouraged to take the time to enjoy the food, the preparation, the aromas, and the complex flavors. Wikipedia describes it thus: "Opposed to the culture of fast food, the sub-movement known as Slow Food seeks to encourage the enjoyment of regional produce, traditional foods, which are often grown organically and to enjoy these foods in the company of others. It aims to defend agricultural biodiversity." The slow cloth movement is much the same, take time to enjoy the process, the fabric, and your workmanship.

It is talked about at Beth Ferrier's blog and also at Red Thread Studio. I think they may be on to something.

After watching the newest Quiltville mystery unfold and not participating yet, I've realized something. First, I like Bonnie's patterns. They are traditional and I also think they are evolving, in that I think her secondary and tertiary patterns are becoming more defined elements through color choice. I did the second mystery, Orange Crush, and hated the results, because it was too busy. I used lots of scraps from my stash, so it WAS busy. Ick ick ick.

For the past two mysteries, Bonnie has chosen color ways only, browns or golds or pinks, for example. This makes for a much more pleasing overall look in my opinion, and it then creates the lovely secondary and tertiary patterns and images. I have already picked my color ways for the newest mystery, purple and green, lights, mediums and darks. I don't exactly know how it will come out, but I'm willing to wing it.

Considering these two pieces of information, if I take my time, consider fabrics and cutting and piecing carefully, I think it will be a much more enjoyable experience. And maybe for once I won't have wavy borders.

UPDATE: Lainie at Red Cloth Studio offered another neato link regarding slow stuff: SlowPlanet.com. Go see and thanks to Lainie! Here is a wonderful post by her.

A few of my favorite (quilty) things...

2008-12-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

Machine sewing binding on both sides if it is going to be washed and used a lot. Hand sewing the back part of the binding if it is an heirloom that won't be used as much. Example here.

Recycled plastic green batting for quilts that I don't want to shrink much. Cotton batting for that antiqued look.

Having over 10 quilts finished this year!

Getting some old UFO's crossed off my list!

Getting organized.

Giving quilts to friends for special, or not so special occasions.

Satire is not dead!

2008-11-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

Words as art

2008-11-05T15:26:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama's acceptance speech as word art on Wordle.

Remarks of President-Elect Barack Obama

2008-11-05T15:19:00.001-08:00

Remarks of President-Elect Barack Obama
(as prepared for delivery)
Election Night
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008
Chicago, Illinois
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.
For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

It's about time...

2008-11-05T15:14:00.000-08:00

I'm still done

2008-11-03T15:11:00.000-08:00

with the election, but then I saw this blog post. I don't remember people standing in line for HOURS to vote? We've been so apathetic for so long, I think the last two presidential elections and the events of the last 8 years has helped us all see that our votes really DO count. Well, God bless America! Our fore-mothers and fore-fathers scarified a lot for us to be able to vote, and it was not that long ago that women and people of color were barred from voting. This is just so exciting.

Almost there!

2008-11-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

In my 37 years, and 19 years of voting, I have never remembered a campaign as passionate as this one. We are potentially on the verge of something amazing if Senator Obama is elected, and on the verge of a mass exodus of the intelligentsia if McPain is elected. I have received just tons of email, videos, jokes, and letters over the past year and this morning I received this video. I thought this was a wonderful way to end the season.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I am done with this election!

2008-10-31T11:55:00.001-07:00

And I'm not the only one. The Daily Show had a great bit about it. Wyatt Cenac is turning out to be one of my favorites on the show, he has an honest, matter of fact, Joe the Plumber delivery. He just reminds me of so many people I know.

Also, 236.com had a great coping recommendation for surviving the last 8 days. (4 days left as of today.)

After our Commie Pinko dinner last weekend where a bunch of us got together and discussed the California state propositions, I had a good sense of closure, and thanks to our discussion, I feel the most informed I ever have in terms of voting. I highly recommend this exercise. Get as many friends together as is needed. If you are like us, you got like minded folks togehter (hence the Commie Pinko joke) and just skip discussing the presidential race. Skip straight to the propositions, which here in California, are a given. (In San Francisco they have over 20 county specific propositions in addition to the California state props! Including a proposition to rename their sewage treatment plant in honor of Dubya. We all agreed that sent an important message, but the costs to change the letter head, signage, etc. was not worth it.) Then, discuss. You'd be amazed at how different your ideas are. We had the Green Party voter guide, a friend pulled up the League of Women's Voters pages, and another friend had each one of those annoying fliers that get sent in the mail. When it came down to it, I voted with the California Federation of Teachers, United Teachers of Los Angeles, or any other legit teacherly org. It was a great experience and I am proud to say my Commie Pinko husband was one of the most liberal in a group of very liberal thinkers. And of course, this took place in Berkeley, California, where you are required to vote Democratic, Peace and Freedom or Green.

One of Those Days

2008-10-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

I read a bunch of different quilting blogs, most are sorta interesting, lots are dull, some are just brilliant. This one just made me giggle. I thought it was a good visual representation for One of Those Days. Here is a close up of the photo. Remember, the colored squares are supposed to be within the outline squares and the bulls-eye type register on the right are all supposed to be on top of each other, not all wonky as in this case.

Quilt books

2008-10-15T19:53:00.000-07:00

In looking through my quilt books and magazines recently, I've realized my need to downsize. I've already scanned all of the clippings out of various quilt magazines, saving me many inches of shelf space. I have them all on CD now, and at some point I'll make an organized DVD of them all. Or, if I can find an online hosting site for pdfs, that's another option.

In considering which books to downsize, I think I'll weed out the one trick ponies. That is, if the book basically focuses on one technique or basically one pattern, it's going. I will hold on to my basics, I have learned because I wish I held on to the machine quilting book I had. Oh well, live and learn. I just need to take a good hard look at them all and get rid of the ones that are not interesting anymore.

And if I could find Gwen Marsten's Liberated Quiltmaking, I'd be overjoyed!

Scary!

2008-10-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

Help with wavy borders

2008-10-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

I am working on a quilt top that I hate. I'll post photos later, but for now, I am trying to baste it. The stupid thing has so many bias edges that I've pulled it out of whack, or I pieced it horribly or something. I had read a really helpful tip about wavy borders, so I thought I'd re-post it here.

Written by Bonnie Botts on the APQS forum:

you can do it either before you frame it up or while on the frame. Sometimes the fluff, doesn't show until you have gotten down the quilt several rows and you realize that its getting bigger as you go. If that should happen you will need to work this trick from the point of notice till you get to the bottome. And it can be done while you work on the frame or off. BUT, you need to remember to have a heavy towel ready so that you can push from the bottom while you are using your iron (on high and Full steam) from the top. IF you need I will explain how I learned REALLY quick why you need the towel.

First, spray pretty heavy with the spray starch...I personally use the heavy professional ones. Brands it makes no difference, as long as its a good quality one.

Once its sprayed take your iron and hold it over the spot and start steaming and working the material into place. It may take a few minutes and some time (Also you may need to repeat a couple of times)....once you have the material hot start to apply some pressure....DO NOT rub, you are not wanting to stretch the fabric anymore than it has already been stretched...it will sort of work like a Shrink-A-Dink and just start to fold back onto itself and work back into place.

Also you may need to come further into the quilt...I've had several that I had to go almost to the middle of the quilt.

The only thing that once you have done this you must remember tell you customer what you needed to do...SOME customers don't like to wash their quilts right away...and if you forget to tell them and there are "Silver Fish" in your area, things could go south. Silver Fish love spray starch will eat the quilt...once its washed it won't draw them so things are good.

Ruthie has provided some GREAT pictures and as you can see it just goes back into place. NOW you will find there will be times that this doesn't work 100%, (piecer really stretched either the border or the top when they were sewing the two parts together) but I honestly have to say that even in those times....it will make such a difference that you won't have any trouble in finishing the quilt.

Walk for Hope

2008-10-04T18:38:00.001-07:00

After a rainy night, we weren't sure what kind of weather would greet us across the Bay in San Francisco this morning. We exited BART (our subway for those from the East) to clearing skies, and lots of cheerful volunteers pointing us in the right direction. We joined several thousand others, of all ages, shapes and sizes, at Justin Herman Plaza right next to the water. The gun went off and the walk was on. Boy did the traffic along the Embarcadero not like us one bit, we blocked traffic for easily 20 minutes! Tough luck! We were on a mission.

Before I knew it, AT&T Park, where the SF Giants play (lose is more like it) was in sight. We rounded the park, had a lovely view through McCovey cove and I realized, somehow we had made it to the front of the pack. This helped me remember that walking 5 Km (3.2 mi) is an awfully long way for a lot of people, for various different reasons. No matter what, we felt thankful for our ability to walk through this lovely city for this wonderful cause.

We came back towards the Plaza and saw the local farmer's market. After a brief trip through the market to fill our noses with wonderful smells, we crossed the finish line to the exuberant cheers of the volunteers. We were even given medals! I thought this gesture was so kind of them, it was another reminder of the importance of our little morning stroll.

Palin's debate

2008-10-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

This says it all in my opinion.

Another quilting idea from geology

2008-10-02T14:37:00.001-07:00

To make my DH's geology class relevant to more pieces of my life, I try to find some image that is somehow an inspiration for a quilt. This week I found metaconglomerate minerals (or are they rocks? Still haven't figured that one out yet.)

I am not sure how to do this yet, or even if I could, but I just think this is so cool. Pebbles smashed inside of a rock. This might need to be something I delve into art quilting to do, with some painting or maybe thread painting with lots of different rounded bits of fabrics. The colors aren't terribly amazing, but I think the shapes are so cool.

If you ever have a chance, I recommend taking an intro geology course. I'm not a scientist but it has really helped me understand a lot of what I see around me, since it is a community college course it is geared for pretty much anyone. I'm hoping to convince DH to teach his historical geology course in the evenings so I can take it.

Who me? and a finish

2008-09-29T12:25:00.001-07:00

I finished one quilt over the weekend, and am working on the binding of two more. I told myself I couldn't cut any new quilts until I finished all of the tops that need quilting and binding. I am making good progress on these!

And look who decided to snuggle. For most dogs, this isn't unusual, but Miss Mocha MonsterPants does NOT snuggle, thank you very much. Clearly she was cold, or she likes this quilt. Or she was body snatched. Or she is tired of Fudge getting all of the prime real estate, so she figured if she wanted to be on the couch, she would have to lie next to a person. Whatever the reason, it was clearly worth a photo.

Mayor Sarah Palin charged rape victims for rape kits

2008-09-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

Since the McPain campaign is not responding to this issue, there is no public comment on this matter, other than all of the public records. This New York Times article is nothing short of disgusting.

Schoolhouse Beach - red chert pebbles

2008-09-26T15:14:00.001-07:00

Schoolhouse Beach - red chert pebbles
Originally uploaded by marymactavish

Another geology inspiration for a quilt.

More geology to inspire quilts

2008-09-26T15:12:00.001-07:00

Navajo Sandstone Cross-Bedding #2
Originally uploaded by Molas

This is called cross bedding, it is formed when currents of wind and water move the sediment that, over time, is compacted into rock, in this case, sandstone.

In honor of the debates...

2008-09-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

These need re-posting:

California Academy of Sciences

2008-09-22T15:15:00.000-07:00

The scientist of the family insisted that we have a membership to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. It has been completely redone and it is amazing. DH is unhappy because there is a complete lack of Earth science, no rocks and minerals, no gems, no dinosaurs, no chemistry, no physics. Lots of plants and animals though. The aquarium is amazing and gorgeous and the hilight of the building.

Notice the little froggie on the leaf towards the center of the photo.

Just another gorgeous coral with a colorful shrimp on it.

A sea anemone.

Corals with a cool little shrimp:

The all important penguins:

Then there is the living roof...

Here are some interesting anemonies that are like jellies only stuck in place.

are they all blind?

2008-09-20T22:36:00.000-07:00

since when do fabric designers put gay men on fabric? If they are going to do this, I want to see some good trannies on a fabric line.

Granted, that's a bad trannie, but still, a Rocky Horror fabric line would make as much sense.

New dishwasher!

2008-09-18T16:14:00.001-07:00

Mocha is just as excited as I am. The molding will go on later, for now, this is just fine!

More geology quilts

2008-09-10T15:49:00.001-07:00

These are called Strata Quilts made by Scott Murkin. I think this whole series of quilts is so cool and a lot of them really look like rock layers.

Inspriation from geology

2008-09-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in on Rocky's geology course and while I am learning a lot about the world around us, I am also seeing some neat images that give me ideas for quilts. Thin sections images look like crumb quilts to me, I am sure I can use one of these as a guide for making a few blocks of something interesting.

We are also learning about geologic formations. Those are neat sections of rocks that you can see out in nature.

These are just so neat, and now that I know what they are, they are even cooler! Above is an obsidian flow in Oregon, I think. This was taken by a professional photographer and I love the colors and shapes he focused on. Cool!

Let there be light and clean dishes (almost)

2008-09-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

I can finally sew again, we have updated wiring (grounded) in the back bedroom. DH and I finished the room today, all painted and plastered and done.

Before:

and after:

(Yes it looks THAT good. We were really impressed with our plastering and painting abilities.)

Also, we got ready for the dishwasher.

Before (when the house was for sale and staged)

During:

Old Tobacco Road, Part whatever

2008-09-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

I've learned something about myself. I like mystery quilts because they are, by definition, written in a step-wise manner. Most quilt patterns aren't, they are typically written such that the instructions leave a lot to the imagination. Having been a special ed teacher in a past life, I want steps. SpEd students learn best with steps, I think in steps, I give information in steps, and if someone wants me to make something I don't know how to make, give me the dang steps. So, for this reason, I like mystery quilts.

I don't like mysteries because I am so addicted to color. I need to know what the quilt will look like before I start. I want to pick my colors well, even if I am going for scrappy, I want to have a real solid idea of what to put where. Do I need dark-darks or just medium-darks? Yeah, maybe this is a bit persnickety, but I want to like a quilt I make, even if it is made for someone else.

Otherwise, I end of with the Bleeding Eye quilt, which is due to be given to my DH's aunt and uncle who are resoundingly not liked by everyone. It's one of those Cheshire Cat grin gifts..."Here, I made this just for you. I don't even want to donate it because it could make a sick person sicker. But I'll give it to you with a great big grin." Yeah, I have plans for that quilt. Evil laugh...

Eddie Izzard rendered in Lego

2008-08-28T15:01:00.000-07:00

I think Eddie Izzard is one of the funniest comedians around, his jokes about the Church of England/Anglican church I find especially hilarious.

Fugly quilts

2008-08-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

So Tanya asked me to post my fugly blocks. Well, I have to admit, I don't have any.. well any that I've made in response to this challenge. See, Dear Husband Rocky has the power off in that back bedroom while he works on the wiring for the house. Now, many have said that they have these new fangled inventions called extension cords. True true. I guess I am just afraid of some kind of power surge frying my 4 month old machine. I'd rather just take the time to cut, organize and put stuff away. (Boy am I getting organized!) Until I can get in there, I am cutting some old and ugly fabric.

The one on the left is easily 10 years old. The two on the right are just not my favorites. (I'm cutting blue fabrics now, they are BY FAR the largest color group!)

So, Tanya, I officially owe you some photos of ugly blocks, for now, I will love her uglies. They are something to aspire to. (Thankfully Tanya has a good sense of humor about her uglies, she knows that we all have uglies in our closets.)

What I did on my summer vacation part 2

2008-08-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

My bean plant made these few beans and that was it.I finished two quilts that are now hanging on my office wall.

And I repainted our bathroom. Rocky agrees that it makes the pink less Pepto-like.

That's about it, I was pretty productive in my time off. Now it's back to real life.

What I did on my summer vacation

2008-08-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

This summer, rather than getting married like we did last summer, Hubby and I spent several weeks together. He has a teacher's schedule, so he is off for the entire summer, while I decided to take advantage of my workplace's liberal vacation allowance.

We started out the time with a few days of sleeping. He was already busy working under the house, finishing our earthquake retrofitting, and continuing on working on rewiring our house. Our house has knob and tube wiring and evidently our insurance company isn't too thrilled with this idea. So Rocky is upgrading us to whatever is code. Something called romex, which I think sounds like a tampon brand, but clearly the stuff isn't named by women. There is also metal clad cable galore, that is the stuff I think of when I think of household wiring systems. He has been working hard on that.

We then took a trip to Chicago to see the city and my grandfather. Glad to see both are looking fantastic, given that the my grandfather is 93, and well, the city gets snow every year, which can really run a city down. We played several rounds of cards with Grampa, he still has his wits about him, that is for sure. It was nice to see him and I know he enjoyed our visit. Chicago was amazing, we got to go to Wrigley Field and see the Giants lose to the Cubs. I do love watching the Giants lose, especially when surrounded by a zillion Cubs fans. I swear, Cubbies fans are some of the most devoted, yet well behaved fans I've seen. Well, and Wrigley is just a shrine to baseball.

Hope springs eternal. Cubs fans are as unloved as Red Sox fans used to be. I'm rooting for them this year, that's for sure!
I miss hostas. They won't grow here, they become snail food. I also really admired the gardens in the neighborhoods around Wrigley, people had lots of three family homes and these gorgeous little gardens between the sidewalk and the street.

We went to what was Marshall Fields, but is now a Macy's. What is cool is it is still an old time, downtown department store in a lot of ways. There are the very high end purses, hats, furs, bridal salon, and then there is Macy's usual stuff. One section I loved was the toy section. They were playing Sesame Street music, and they had these awesome stuffed animals. First there were these ugly dogs, which I think are hysterical.

Then, they had giant dinosaur stuffed animals. Those were just works of art!

They still had the old time dining room, with gorgeous architectural features and such. I just love that building and I am so thankful Macy's didn't Macy-ify it. We found sales people everywhere, even at 7 pm on a Friday evening. They were all very courteous, it was a lovely experience, and now Jason knows why I hate shopping: nothing else is like that store. And I got a cool purse for $25! I love that store!

Our view out our hotel window and the Jelly Bean in Millennium Park.
The somebody or other pavilion in Millennium Park. This park is just a testament to good urban planning.
We walked through these main Chicago parks on our way to the Field Museum. On our way, we stumbled across this amazing landmark.

Buckingham Fountain Truly spectacular.

Then we made our way to the Field. This is the natural history museum in Chicago's museum row, which isn't really a row, but a clustering. These are Museums with a capital M, lots of stone work, high ceilings, well put together exhibits. These are places of scholarship and education, AND free admission for teachers. I always liked this museum as a kid and it is just as awesome now.

What a lovely town.

Fugly quilts

2008-08-04T11:14:00.001-07:00

Bonnie and Tanya are calling them Fungly (fun + ugly) but I have a more *me* name for them, Fugly, as is frickin + ugly. They are the fabrics that make your eyes bleed. They make you say, "Why the heck did I buy THAT!?" They induce seizures in people not prone to seizures. They are made for quilts for the dogs, since the dogs are color blind, it won't hurt their head like it does ours. They are the uglies!

Tanya has a wonderful example on her site:

Yep, that qualifies as hideously ugly. It's wonderful. (Are those shoes in the yellow fabric? What are those things?)

Here's another one:

That's pretty awful, too. I love it!

Their rules:
get your uglies
find a standard block
make said standard block with said uglies, over and over again
consider wearing sunglasses or taking some Advil
don't match seams (I'm SO there!)
put away the seam ripper
pucker up (when quilting)
this is gonna be one hideous quilt!

References: Bonnie Hunter and Lazy Gal Tanya

Our First Anniversary

2008-07-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Dear Husband and I celebrated our first anniversary of wedded bliss. We had our version of the one year old frozen cake, we got some Critters from Divine Delights, which were our wedding cake. They are as yummy as ever!

A week ago, we went out to brunch at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. The desserts were gorgeous!

The flowers in the lobby were incredible!

Then, we went to check out the Hayes Mansion, which is where we're next going to try brunch.

The World Series of Poker

2008-07-07T18:07:00.001-07:00

My long time friend Bob has made it to the second round of some advanced round of the World Series of Poker played in beautiful Las Vegas. This is quite exciting as I think Bob is one of my chosen family and has earned this fun experience. So, we're thinking good thoughts for him.

Here's Bob in action.

The quilt from hell

2008-07-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

I'm machine quilting a large quilt for the first time. There is a lot of learning going on. THANKFULLY the thread I've used is all but invisible so my wonky meandering quilting doesn't show so much. BUT as I am finishing it, I've done something wrong as the batting is stretching and puckering. And you know what I did? I folded the batting over, quilted over it and said, "Looks good to me." Each time I get to some new step in finishing this quilt, something else goes wrong, I mis-measured here, the batting stretched there. At this point, I just laugh. This will be a quilt that I'll wash and use, I like the colors a lot. But hoo boy, at EVERY turn, something goes wrong. I will chock it up to learning as I go. If I didn't like the colors so much, this would be donated unfinished sooo fast.

Ugly quilt

2008-06-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

My Orange Crush quilt is starting to grow on me a little bit. I'm close to finished with piecing the whole top, then maybe I'll add some darker borders to tone down the luminosity of it all. I am happy to say I'll have no hesitations practicing my free motion quilting on it.

But I now have a quandary. I really want to start collecting photos of hideous quilts, because some of them just make your eyes bleed. But I don't want to offend anyone, after all, who am I to pass judgement. This has nothing to do with the construction of the quilt, I could care less about snub points or mis-matched seams. I'm talking colors, which I think is the easiest part of making a quilt. Evidently not. So, I captured the image, used a palette generator and cut out the palette. And no, these colors aren't all dark because the photo was in the dark. These are the real colors. Amazing, aren't they?

I never thought I'd see the day...

2008-06-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

I know Hillary's campaign is winding down, but it doesn't matter. This race wasn't a sweep, it is clear that this country is ready for the idea of a woman as president. Maybe 2008 was not the right year, but there is always 2012. I can't say I am a devoted Hillary supporter, but I am just so happy to know that in my lifetime, it is possible for a woman to run for president and show the boys that anything they can do, we can do better. (Insert Ethel Merman singing here.)

'bout freaking time, really.

The mystery is solved

2008-06-04T19:13:00.001-07:00

So this is what the final quilt looks like as made by the mystery's designer. I can say this confirms my tastes regarding scrap quilts, and mine in particular, which has nothing to do with Bonnie's abilities, skills or judgment. I've just realized these aren't my taste. I don't think my twisted blocks are going to make a difference, which is nice to know. This quilt may well be one that is good for me to practice quilting on.

Here's what mine will look like. Boy, that sure is bright. It will be a good size and with all of the scrappy colors, I am confident we will be able to use it (i.e. let the dogs sleep on it) and we won't see a hint of the dirt. Yeah, this is definitely a quilt that will be used.

Isn't she lovely? Isn't she won.der.ful.

2008-06-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

I swear these are the most beautiful stairs ever.

Old stairs are gone!

2008-06-03T19:20:00.001-07:00

This is the view from the door, before the stairs started pretty much as soon as you stepped out the door.

And here is the first day of the new stairs. The porch is really a bit of a porch now, there will be room for some potted plants. The stairs are much wider now, and they don't move. The railings will be really nice, those will come tomorrow, and there won't be room where a puppy can go flying off, as Fudge did this past fall. That's Fudge in front of the blue tarp, he's all grown up now.

Stairs going....going...

2008-06-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

This was the scene at the end of the day yesterday, Monday...

The back steps are going....

2008-06-01T17:25:00.001-07:00

We are getting rid of our icky back steps (that magically hover above their footings in the summer) and all of the cement the previous owner laid over the back garden. Right now, the cement is GONE! Just a lot of rubble left which we will use to fill in all of the drains we need to lay. And tomorrow, these rickety stairs will be GONE! We'll be without them for one day, so we have another way to get the dogs into the back yard for tomorrow, but then on Tuesday, we'll have NEW STAIRS that don't move. I am SO EXCITED!

Step 5 Done!

2008-06-01T17:18:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I'm done with scraps.

I mean, really done with scraps.

Even when I try to lay these all together, I am not seeing a pattern, and not much more than a biiig jumble. This will most likely be a top I donate somewhere, as it is perfectly usable, but hoo boy, I am not liking how it looks.

I'll be glad when this mystery is done, and I will think about my fabric choices for the next one. This might not be the right arrangement, so I will be curious to see what it is, because I am totally not thrilled with this one. Ick.

After seeing these photos, I realize I have some sub-blocks rotated, so they aren't where they are supposed to be. That said, the colors are such a jumble, I am not convinced that fixing the rotation would make a difference.

Let's go Red Sox!

2008-06-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to see the Red Sox vs. A's, but of course my Sox lost (because I was there) but we got to see batting practice. I got some great photos!

Josh Beckett was the pitcher.

Jason Veritek was the catcher.

AAAnd I got a batting practice ball tossed to be by relief pitcher, Hideki Okajima, and then signed by other relief pitcher, David Aardsma. Even though they lost, it was a cool day!

Step 4 DONE!

2008-05-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

WOO HOOO!!! 30 blocks, somewhat square. And I since I ran out of yellow, I had to shop my stash so I was able to use up another yellow, which blends in very nicely but goes with the whole scrappy thing.

Bay to Breakers done!

2008-05-19T10:44:00.001-07:00

As always, it was a hoot! We finished in 2:18 so for walking a 12K that is 7.4 miles, that is an 18.6 minute mile or 3.2 miles per hour. Considering we hadn't prepared for it at all, I'm pretty pleased with us. The Hayes Street Hill wasn't so bad, the pace going up it isn't too fast.

The costumes were not as plentiful where we were, but I think we were closer to the front than usual. There were a lot of floats on the sidelines waiting to join, so maybe they usually come in later, which is where we often walk. I got some good photos though, the Vikings and the Romans nearly had a war, and thankfully the Romans stormed the gates to let us through. (For some reason SFPD had gates up keeping us from where we all were supposed to queue for the starting line. So, the Romans took it upon themselves to move the gates aside 10 minutes before the gun, which makes sense for those who want to run the thing!)

Here are the Vikings getting ready to rage war with the Romans. War involves yelling "ARRR!" and shaking of fists.

Here is the top of the Hayes street hill. People as far as the eye can see. I'll post a better one that I steal from the Chronicle.

Finally, my favorite costume, the stages of Britney. One guy was dressed as Britney 1999, with Mickey Mouse ears and looking all cute and innoncent. Then there was this guy, Britney 2008, smoking a cigarette, carrying a bottle of booze, being pushed in a wheelchair. Note his broken left foot, I thought this was a great way to use the wheelchair in the costume, as Britney really is one step away from being incapacitated. Note the guy pushing him is Schoolgirl/Trampy Britney, circa 2000 I think. "Oops I Did it Again" era.

Aside: it's amazing what you get when you Google "Britney Spears train wreck".

Bay to Breakers

2008-05-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

This Sunday is the annual Bay to Breakers run/walk. The event is huge, with up to 100,000 people crowding into San Francisco for the event. Lots of people wear costumes, some walk/run naked, lots of people run/walk drunk. We only may wear a funny T shirt or funny hat, and we drink water and Gatorade, but it is hysterical to do. It is always a good, safe time, people are just hilarious at 8:00 on a Sunday morning. People throw corn tortillas like frisbees at the beginning of the race, when everyone is all smooshed together and waiting for the gun. It's hilarious to look up at the financial district buildings and see tortillas whizzing through the air. Then, finally we get moving, and it is 7.5+ miles of a big rolling party. After a certain point your feet and legs are on auto-pilot, but since the course is mostly flat, it's ok. It's one big, rolling kick in the patoot! I'll take photos and post them.

Step 4, not done!

2008-05-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

I am totally behind in Step 4, because I want to finish my green/brown quilt. I'm almost done with that, I just needed to un-sew some blocks, so I can cut some triangles down to size, and then resew the blocks. Soon, 49 blocks in trendy blue, green and brown, so Orange Crush is waiting.

Some more words of wisdom from Dawn:

If you have finished Part 4, you have now cut and sewn, another 240 pieces!! :)
Total of 1540 pieces to this quilt so far.

Oy. No wonder I am hating little pieces!