random.on purpose.

Home again, home again...

...jiggety-jig!  I just got back from Utah, where I was getting to know the most recent addition to our family - grandson Marcellus:

(I'll - hopefully - be more photogenic in my next life..  Good thing Marcellus is so cute, eh?)

One of my favorite pics is after his first bath (check the hair):

He's changing so fast!  Here's a two-week pic:

He's all of three weeks old already, and has gained over two pounds and more than an inch in length!  Healthy, beautiful baby boy, he is!  Becca (my daughter and the proud mommy) sent me this cutie last night:

The TSA folk thought that I was crazy, because I had my sewing machine in my carry-on (sans needles, of course - they were packed in the checked luggage along with my staple gun and other tools).  Why did I feel it necessary to haul my gear across the continent, you may ask?  Because some friends gifted Becca and Tyler (the papa) with a glider, but it was in need of reupholstering.  Grandma to the rescue!  Here it is all refurbished:

Whilst I was out in that part of the country, I connected up with a long-time friend from Internet encounters.  We first met in a Close to My Heart online group back in '05 or '06, and have followed each other's blogs and emailed and called and all.  She is Erin from Inky Smiles, and she is FABULOUS!  I forgot my camera in New York (which explains the poor-quality phone pictures I've posted here), but Erin has a for-reals one and snapped a few pics of us.  I stole this one from her blog post:

Why does my nose always look so much bigger in pics than in real life?  One of the great mysteries of my "Sue-niverse"...)

She gave me a tour of her home (it's lovely), introduced me to her fur-baby Sadie (she's a very sweet dog), and let me play for a bit in her craft cave.  She actually taught me some soldering basics and made a pendant for me!  She also gifted me with some baubles/charms from a swap at Creative University, where she has taught for the past couple of years.  One talented chica, that Erin!  Behold:

Pendant front

Pendant back

Baubles/charms

It's next to impossible to see in the above picture, but that teeny, tiny bottle has a silhouette of a fairy and the word "wish" on the outside, and two dandelion seeds inside (or, as one of my daughters always called them, "wishblows").  Pretty cool, eh?

And that's the end of the story (or at least this chapter)!  I'm still recovering from my red-eye return flights. I got on a plane in Utah at 11:29 pm Saturday, had a 3-hour layover at JFK airport in NYC, then flew from there to Syracuse, where I de-planed at 10:39 am Sunday morning.  One long night, I can tell you...  Additionally, my digestive system and I are not currently on very good terms, my head is heavy and achy, and my throat hurts.  Hmmm - I think I need a nap!  I'll be back sooner or later with more...  Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

A True Love Story for Valentine's Day

Once upon a time there lived a young lady who was very shy and very protected, raised by her grandmother almost smack in the middle of the downtown area of Syracuse, New York:

On the outskirts of town lived a dashing young man, one determined to improve his lot in life and make a name for himself:

One evening in November 1938, this fair young lady set out with one of her best friends to attend a Thanksgiving party at the Jolly Joker club (a youth organization).  As they walked along, they decided to go roller skating instead.

Who else do you think was skating that night?  Ah yes, this young man.  And guess what happened then?  Ah yes, the two met and skated together and the young man asked the young lady if he could drive her home.  She was hesitant, but agreed.  You know what happened after that?  The two became a couple and went together for two years before they married on September 7, 1940.

Then came World War II, and the young man was drafted into the army, where he quickly rose to the rank of Staff Sargeant:

While he was overseas, the young man became the father of a baby boy, who was joined by a brother nine years later.  The happy family lived in a house built by the young man himself, with the help of relatives and his friends in the volunteer fire department that he helped to establish.

The young man and his brothers had a construction company and built many of the buildings in Syracuse, including landmarks such as Manley Field House and the College of Law on the Syracuse University campus, along with several dorms.  They also built most of the fire houses and many schools in the Syracuse area.

The years passed, and the young man and his lady grew older and welcomed two granddaughters and two great-grandchildren into the world, enjoying them immensely and spoiling them (of course).  All the while they lived and worked and played - and eventually retired - in the same home.

They celebrated 70 years of marriage this past September - a milestone that few even live long enough to reach.  All the while this now-not-so-young man watched over and protected his precious lady, spoiling her every bit as much as her grandmother had done.

Eventually, tragedy came to call, and a fall caused our hero to require surgery two days before Christmas.  For a time it was feared that recovery might not be possible, then things began to look hopeful.  However, the toll taken on the weary body of our hero eventually became too much, and he passed peacefully in his sleep yesterday morning February 11, 2011...

Albert Edward Culotti was a much-loved figure in the community - especially by the congregation of St. James church, and the Nedrow Volunteer Fire Department.  One of the ever-fewer surviving World War II veterans, he drew admiration and respect from others at the VA Medical Center whenever he had occasion to go there.  His children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren have fond memories of Pop, and fun stories to tell.  His bride has memories in abundance of their travels and adventures and long, long marriage together.  He will be much missed but, if ever there was a "happily ever after" fairytale ending to a story, he and his bride certainly had it...

Updates and Such-like

Hello again!  I haven't done anything overly creative this week, so not much to share on that front.  However, I have spent some time getting readier (?) to open my Etsy shop.  I at least have a banner and all...  Further bulletins on that in a few days, I hope!

I also wanted to share some birthday jazzedness with you.  Greg and I don't really do anything much aside from dinner and a card to celebrate each other, but this year we got a few things for the house so it would look a bit better for the party last Saturday (pics and candles and potpourri - no biggie, but nice). 

Even though the invite included "no gifts", not everyone listens.  Gina showed up with this very pretty stained glass windchime:

I need to get another length of chain so it hangs a bit lower, but I love it!  The realtors who helped us get this house brought a Home Depot gift card and a Mackenzie-Childs mini frame (forgot to take a pic).  Sherry - my "sister from another mother" - didn't just bring a gift, she brought GIFTS!

She made me that oh-so-pretty card, and THE most ADORABLE little paper purse!  Inside are lengths of ribbon (yummy new Stampin'Up! ones) and some mini brads.  That Mystic Chai tea is my favorite, and I've been completely without for ages!  And see that book back there?  Yeah, Tim Holtz, baby!  Not only that, but check this out:

Uh-huh - autographed and everything!  (For those of you who are unaware, Tim Holtz is a rock star in the crafting world.  Check out his blog for an idea...or six or twelve or two thousand!)  Fabulous!

Then, TODAY came some of the happiest mail I've had in a long time:

Every now and again one of my offspring comes up with exactly the right thing!  Jason and Ami took four of my favorite pics from the photo shoot and framed them for me.  The two discs in the foreground are "every picture that we've taken or been given of the kids".  Doin' the happy dance over here, FO' SHO'!!!

And that's the rest of the story!  Off to do something productive like deliver the jobs I finished yesterday...  Have a good one, and thanks for stopping by!

There's No Shaving On Vacation...

But that's still the face I love...  Ditto on a few more:

 

Like Grandpa Greg's new girlfriend - granddaughter Mia, who weighs about twice as much as she looks like she should, and this is why:

Our little resident "Who" (as in Cindy Lou Who from "The Grinch" a la Dr. Seuss) was fond of eating her own food, and of mooching from whoever walked by with anything edible...  Sometimes, though, you just need a nap, and Dad's (Jake's) lap is a good spot for that:

Her sister Ava, however, was more interested in other pursuits, like playing "Princesses" with her (second?) cousin Riley:

Riley is on the left, Ava on the right.  Their birthday is tomorrow - Ava will be four, and Riley will be five.  Sometimes Ava wasn't doing anything besides being beautiful:

 

but sometimes Princesses need a nap (or a good night's sleep), too:

Also around camp were her mom April:

 

Her aunts Rebecca and Jennifer:

and Jessica and Alicia (joined by friend Debbie, who is far left), and yes, they're doing pedicures:

and cousin Ethan, who was perfecting his stick-twirling skills here:

And posing with mom Alicia here:

Jason and Ami and Ryan and Noah and Charly were very much missed but, all in all, much sun and fun and re-acquainting with lots and lots of family was had!  A wonderful week, to be sure, but my own shower and my own bed were certainly welcome when we got back!  Now we have to return to "business as usual" this week, sadly...

How Sweet It Is

My daughter-in-law sent a link to the blog of the photographer who recently did a session with Charly and her two big brothers.  How's this for the sweetest face ever?

I'm probably breaking rules posting this, but I just couldn't resist!  To see the rest of the photos, and ooh and aah over what sensational photography Juli does, go HERE.

Hope your day/night/weekend is full of sweetness, too!  Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome Little Charly...

So I am a proud grandma - again!  Charlotte Elise was born this morning:

19" long, 7 lb. 13 oz.  Looks just like her mama!  I'm sure my son is the father, but I don't see any of his features here (yet)!  Ami's doing well and so is Charly (what they are going to call her for short)  Cute, huh?  I just had to share the joy for a brief moment - thanks for letting me!

I have been playing with some new toys, so I'll have other things to share soon, too!  Have a great night and - as always - thanks for stopping by!

Sweet Little Faces

Sorry about my last post - I'm much better now...  I have some happy pictures to share with you of the little cuties across the continent from me:

Ryan just celebrated his 7th birthday - growing up waaaay too fast!

Little brother Noah doesn't usually look quite so pensive...

Ava and Mia gettin' all squeaky clean!  Mia just had her first birthday!

I don't have any recent pictures of Ethan, but I'll post one as soon as I shame my daughter into sending me one...

In other news, here's a post that reminds me why I love my daughter-in-law - she's such the clever girl!  She's the mommy of the first two cuties up there, and has another one - a girl - due next month.  My son's fun, too, and has excellent taste in women.  They are awesome parents, to boot!

I got a lot accomplished today as far as moving out of blah and into "ahhh", so more on that in the near future.  I am officially declaring this blog a No Whining Zone!  If I find myself in the doldrums in the future, I promise my most excellent promise to hang a Gone Fishin' sign here or something, so as to not drag you all down with me, k?

I also started a fun Easter-ish project this morning, so I'll see if I can't manage to finish it up and snap a pic or two to share (maybe even some directions to make your own)!

All righty, then!  I think I'm gonna take some Advil and hit the hay now - sleep is a good thing when you can get it, and maybe that'll work better tonight than last...  See you tomorrow!  G'night!

Every Now and Again...

...you just need to smile!  That's exactly what I did when my daughter sent me this pic of granddaughter Mia:

And that's it for me today!  I've been doing battle with a queen-size, diamond-tufted headboard for three days now and it's still not quite finished, so nothing crafty to share yet...  Have a great night, thanks for stopping by, and keep smiling!
 

All Is...

...on hold.  I started an "All is Bright" post 9 1/2 hours ago, then got interrupted by a distress call from Greg's mom.  After 7 hours at the VA hospital, we are home again, but Greg's dad is in the ICU with pneumonia.  Since he is 91 years old, this is not the best news, for sure, but we are confident that they caught it early and he's responding well to treatment so far, so there's that...  We've had a sandwich and a few leftover goodies from last night's celebration and a few deep breaths, but...

Our gifts are still wrapped, our dinner fixin's are still in the fridge and cupboard, and our Christmas spirit is a little shaky.  Greg's daughter will come over in the morning when her cousin comes to relieve her - she's staying with her grandmother tonight - and then we will have our Christmas.  Tonight we are spent and going to bed soon.

I hope that all of you have had an uneventful, peaceful, warm Christmas full of love and light!  I started out to show you a few pics of what our first Christmas in our new home looks like, so I guess I'll carry on with that now:

Our tree doesn't have gifts under it because most of the gifts get sent across the country to my children and grandchildren, and most of the local ones get carted over to Greg's parents to be opened Christmas Eve, so I put my Christmas tin and snowman collection under there instead.  Here are a couple of closeups:

There are more, but I haven't discovered which box/bin they're hiding in yet, so there's what I've found so far.  I'm a bit of a sentimentalist, so my coffee table (which is a big trunk) has some of my most "precious" Christmas things on it:

 
The little elves belonged to my maternal grandmother, the girls holding the wreath and candy canes were my mother's and the teacup topiary was a gift I made for Greg's aunt, who has since passed. 


The little angel votive holder has been with me since junior high.  I used to light a bayberry candle, stare out my bedroom window at the Christmas lights reflecting in the wet street (rain is Christmas weather in southern California, where I grew up), and alternately sing Christmas carols and write poetry.   The teapot Santa is a relatively recent acquisition, and has no real sentimental value - I just like him and he fits the 'theme' of the table.

I adore Snowbabies, but apparently no one got the memo because this is the extent of my collection so far...

There are a few more Christmas-y things around my humble abode, but that's enough to go on for now.  I'm going to go see how Greg's doing and snuggle a bit - we need it right about now.  Have a peaceful evening, thanks for stopping by, and a better-late-than-never Merry Christmas to you!

'Tis the Season

...to be frantic!  I'm sure all of you are busy, busy too!  I spent the weekend and today getting gifties purchased and packaged and postal - whew!  All of my children (all six of 'em!) are getting this gift:

 
because I'm a frugal, scheming kind o' mom...  They (the kiddoes) are at various levels of financial okay-ness, and there is a fee involved to reserve the campsites.  Since I want them all to attend our reunion this June, I paid all of the fees for them (I asked first if they were okay with that being part of their Christmas, and they all were).  I wanted them to have something tangible instead of just a verbal "I did it", so I made up these little gift certificate thingies, and packaged them like this:

My younger brother is the "editor-in-chief" of our family newsletter, and a very, very clever boy!  Our last name is (or was, in my case, in the 'maiden' days) Shumway, so he titled the newsletter "The Shum-Way", and sends it to us in an email every other month.  He published a "special edition" to inform us all about the reunion details, so I printed it off for each of my kids, tri-folded it, and put it in a pretty holly-print envelope with the gift certificate.

The grandkids all got 'real' gifts.  The grandsons all had this paper:

and the coordinating stripes.  This package is Ethan's.  Under the gift tag is a gift card holder tin.  The tag is made from a snowman cut from the paper glued to kraft cardstock, then punched into a scalloped square and matted with green cardstock.  I stuck the giftcard holder tin to the gift with redline tape, then wrapped the cord around the gift a couple of times and through the holes punched in the tag and tied a bow.  My solution to this-has-to-go-through-the-mail-without-getting-the-bow-squished.  I'm noticing in this pic that I didn't get it centered (quite), but I'm thinkin' Ethan won't notice or care...

Ryan and Noah got the same paper, but time was running short and there were four separate parcels going to them, so that was too many tags to make, and I short-changed them by just writing their names directly on the paper - bad grandma!

The granddaughters - Ava and Mia - got this adorable paper:

 
but I didn't take pics before they went postal.  For their tags, I punched scalloped circles out of aqua cardstock, and a large Martha Stewart snowflake punch out of pink, then glitter-fied the snowflake and added an epoxy clear sticker over their name in the center of the snowflake.  For the gift that was for both of them (they're sisters), I punched a larger scalloped circle and layered the snowy hill and reindeer on part of it, and popped up a cutout reindeer over the glued-down one for dimension.  And that's my tale of gifts so far...

In other news, I got a proud email from my brother (the same afore-mentioned one), with a link to video of his daughter's performances at her harp recitals.  She's only been playing for three years (she's 13 years old), but is apparently something of a prodigy.  I'm beyond proud, and asked David if I could share the link with all of you.  He said yes, and here it is:

http://gallery.me.com/davidshumway/100081

Enjoy!  I'm going to go clean up the disaster area that is supposed to be my worktable, but was recently Giftwrap Central...  Have a great night, and thanks for stopping by!