Gitsy's Treasure Quests

Crafting a Toy Wreath

2011-05-02T20:09:00.007-04:00

I get the call from my craftiest friend, KATE: "Get your glue gun and come on over!" AND IT WAS ON! While I am all about dreaming up crafts and storing and saving supplies to make crafts, Kate is about DOING CRAFTS! This girl dives in head first while I tentatively test the water with my big toe.

So I accept the challenge, grab my glue gun and cheap plastic toys and head over to her house. We sit on the deck on a sunny Sunday, sipping iced tea and eating homemade kettle corn. We plug in our hot glue guns and off we go!

I saw Kate at the "Barn of Opportunity", our recycling center, a few days ago and she plugged her craft idea. In the two minutes before it closed, we grabbed a couple handfuls of toys from the free toy bin. Later, we supplemented our inventory with toys from the four kids between us. In about 1.5 hours, VOILA!!! A novelty toy wreath!

I can't believe how fun and how easy this project turned out to be. Kate, who has an artist's eye, made sure we didn't put two penguins next to each other, and kept an eye on the overall form - making sure it didn't look lopsided, without any obvious gaps. But overall, you really can't go wrong as long as you have lots of little toys and lots of glue!

Digging through the toy bins had an unexpected side effect. Our kids rediscovered the toys that had long been lying dormant!!! Kate's son ended up building a complicated dump truck with his long forgotten K-Nex toys. And her daughter asked to set up the doll house and revisit Polly Pocket and friends.

One of my sons recognized some of his toy box cultch already attached to the wreath and expressed (half joking) that I was "stealing his childhood". After he identified the items in the wreath that previously belonged to him, he grabbed a couple "keepers" and walked away. Kate's daughter also requested a give-back, so we had to pry it off the wreath and fill that space with another treasure.

This craft idea could actually be a positive experience for your child by getting their prior approval to make them a customized keepsake of their childhood toys that might otherwise end up broken and in the trash.

When it comes to recycling cheap plastic toys destined for the landfill into a wreath similar to this, THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!

Bochenek Family Reunion

2010-11-22T17:36:00.001-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

3 Boy Chat - Scientists in the making

2010-09-08T18:43:00.004-04:00

Did you ever watch the show called "Beauty and the Geek"? It was a reality show that paired up a beautiful woman with a smart guy. What interested me about this show was, even though it was a competition, the geeky guys were impressed and complimentary regarding the other geeks' intelligence and abilities. The women seemed vapid and competitive.

That being said, here is a snippet of a long, polite stream of consciousness heard in the back seat of my car the other day. Three boys with an average age of 12. Be sure to read with near-puberty voices and the smell of teen spirit.

"I would decorate my vehicle with shark scales to make it aerodynamic."
"You mean hydro-dynamic."

"Are you a mouth breather?"
"No, I'm ambi-respirous".

"By the time you figure out how to clone yourself so you can send your clone to school, you'll be out of school".

"I'm going to invent a jet pack."
"How are you going to power it?"
"With a nuclear pocket power source."
"That's not very eco-friendly."
"How about anti-matter?"
"I never thought of that."

Bumper Sticker Wisdom

2010-06-18T07:46:00.002-04:00

"DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU THINK."

The limitation is only in your mind

2010-01-31T07:58:00.003-05:00

Lately I have been having limiting thoughts regarding my son, who has Asperger's Syndrome. As I was searching for a quote on the internet, I came across this story on another blog. It is a strong reminder that our weakness may become our greatest strength.

A 10-year-old boy decided to study Judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. The boy began
lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move.
"Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?"
"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the sensei replied. Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.
Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament.
Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched.
Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out.
He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened.
"No," the sensei insisted, "Let him continue." Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard.
Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament.
He was the champion. On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. "Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?" "You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defence for that
move is for your opponent to grab your left arm." The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.
"Sometimes we feel that we have certain weaknesses and we blame others, the circumstances and our self for it but we never know that our weakness can become our strength one day. Each of us is special and important, so never think you have any weakness, never think of pride or pain, just live your life to its fullest and extract the best out of it!"
"You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations of your own mind." - Darwin P. Kingsley

Father's Day at Fenway Park

2009-06-22T14:51:00.010-04:00

As luck would have it, I managed to (again) score four tickets to the Boston Red Sox game on Father's Day. It was Maine Day at Fenway Park and also the first day of summer. We were a bit worried that we would drive 2.5 hrs only to have the game canceled or postponed due to rain, but we dressed for the weather and made it to Boston with a few minutes to spare.

With 8 more blocks to go and a very small bladder - we gladly accepted an offer to ride to Fenway on bicycle rickshaws, skillfully driven by Pete and Michael of Boston Pedicab.

What a treat to bypass the sidewalk crowd, weaving through bumper to bumper traffic and getting delivered right to our entrance gate! Our young drivers were personable and worked hard, so we gave them a big tip.

Our seats were near the tall, yellow right field foul pole, known as the Pesky Pole. Nick Green ended up hitting a walk-off home run just fair of this pole in the bottom of the 9th inning to beat the Atlanta Braves 6 to 5. The energy at Fenway is so exciting, especially when the Red Sox win!

As an added bonus, the fathers and their families were invited to a "Father's Day Walk in the Park" after the game. They cordoned off the field and allowed the public to walk around the field, from the outfield warning track, past the dugouts and next to the infamous scoreboard. It was such a great day on so many levels. I truly treasure any day that I can spend with my incredible husband and our two wonderful sons.

toilet paper

2009-05-22T16:56:00.004-04:00

A co-worker shared this photo of an ingenious way to store toilet paper. It was taken in the ladies room in Kristas Restaurant. My only comment is that it was definitely designed by a woman. If a man had designed it, it would only hold a single roll.

A Girlfriend Birthday Party

2009-04-25T09:00:00.013-04:00

Happy Birthday to my dear friend Kate!

This creative creature decided to celebrate her birthday by treating some of her friends to an evening of craft. A button making party! How clever and generous is that?

She arranged for local potter, Sara, to host the event in her home studio, about a mile down the road from me. (How convenient!)

Sara is the kindest soul. You can usually find her sporting one of her great vintage aprons. Her home was so inviting and artful.

She set us up with clay button blanks, which we carved and painted with glaze. Unlike most of these artsy girls, I had forgotten how to use the left side of my brain. It was so satisfying once I got over my feeling of intimidation and just let my inhibitions go.

I had a such a good time chatting with these ladies that I rarely get to see. Usually we see each other at school functions, or passing through town, with no time for serious chit chat. On this occasion, we had a chance to eat, drink wine, decorate pottery buttons and "jaw". It was so much fun!Be sure to see Susan's blog for her delicious eye candy photos.

A rare visit to Fenway Park for a Red Sox game

2009-04-11T13:10:00.006-04:00

Unlike anywhere I have ever been, New England has a cult-like baseball following. The Boston Red Sox have sold out every home game since May 15, 2003. Their popularity makes it nearly impossible to get tickets to a home game. You can get tickets, but unless you are lucky enough to win one of several ticket lotteries, you will pay dearly on scalping websites, er, "ticket brokers".

Last year a co-worker made the mistake of telling me he sold his Sox tickets when he couldn't make the game. Thanks to my threat to kill him if he ever did that again, I scored four tickets for the third game of the 2009 season, a sunny Thursday afternoon.

We drove to Boston early in the morning to take a tour of Fenway Park, the oldest park in major league baseball. We told the school that the kids would be absent due to a family function.

During the tour, we got to see Josh Beckett practice pitching and MVP Dustin Pedroia taking fielding practice. We learned that a lone red seat sits among a sea of green where Ted Williams hit the longest in-park home run.

We also learned that Fenway Park has the only manual score board in the MLB. It is run by 3 people in a confined space with no bathroom or air conditioning and a single door with peep holes in the wall. Inside, the walls have signatures of some of the best players in history.

We had $12 bleacher seats, that cost $25 after the ticket fees and a tip for my friend. We ended up squished against a green wall with our backs to the Jumbotron. This meant we would not get to see our name in lights as "Fenway First Timers".

The kids loved all the stimulating sights and sounds. The popcorn and cracker jack vendors, the "let's go Red Sox" clapping cheer, doing the wave and watching a bunch of twentysomethings get ejected from the ballpark in the seventh inning for getting too rowdy and yelling at other fans who wouldn't cheer.

Those people did end up cheering.... when Security led them away.

Ahhhh. Boston. Red Sox. Good times. The score? Oh, the game was secondary to the experience. Boston lost to the Tampa Bay Rays 3-4

11 inches of heavy wet snow!

2009-02-23T08:12:00.004-05:00

We had another N'oreaster last night and got 11 inches of heavy, wet snow. It's quite beautiful, but it's weighing down the power lines and over 100,000 people are out of power. Including us. I'm using my phone line and battery powered laptop to post this.

There is a 2 hour delay for reporting to work. Thank goodness. It'll take that long to plow out our driveway and clean off the car.

I'm looking forward to Spring!

A Tribute to My Husband Extraordinaire.

2009-02-14T09:14:00.003-05:00

This man is a saint. Every day he shows us his love. He takes care of all the outside stuff like shoveling snow and splitting firewood. He's an artist. A musician. And he cooks. He can fix anything. He's handsome. He's gentle. He's honest. He's loyal. Most importantly, he puts up with me.

He's as close to perfect as a man can get. He is going to hate this blog entry because he's unbelievably modest, despite all his talents. He is truly a Renaissance man.

He tells me that "it works both ways", but I know I'm getting the better end of the deal.

I love you. We love you. You are my treasure.

Good-bye Kitty, RIP Blaze

2009-01-19T07:21:00.002-05:00

This weekend we mourned the loss of a dear pet. Blaze the cat was 3-1/2 years old and suffered from congenital heart disease. He suffered a fatal stroke yesterday.
The boys just loved this cat and are having a hard time with his death. He was a very big boy and quite a loving, gentle cat. He and his sister, Kathleen, came from a home with small children, so he was already socialized and used to being carried around. When he was very tiny, one of our golden retrievers would take his entire head into his mouth and gently carry him around the house like a favorite toy. Blaze would just go limp and let himself be dragged around, coming out of Chaser's mouth, unscathed, with a very wet face and head. We explained to the boys that he lived a good life and was always able to roam free and enjoy nature. We keep the cats in the bathroom at night, to protect them from outside predators. Each morning he would walk to the front door and go outside with the dogs. The first thing he did when he got outside was sit on the porch and survey the yard.
He was allowed outside to roam the woods by day and then he would show up on the porch ready for dinner at night. He was very long and twice the size of his sister. We joked that it was because he finished his dinner and then pushed Kathleen out of the way and finished her dinner.
We were lucky to have him in our lives. He will be sorely missed.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-09T17:08:00.006-05:00

It's been much too long since I have updated my blog. Thank goodness no one actually reads it. :-)

We had a very busy holiday season, which involved a treasured quest: a weeklong vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida! This was such a treat for our family. We have never done anything like this in our 15 year marriage. The last time we went on a vacation that did not involve visiting relatives and actually leaving the state was our honeymoon to Hawaii.

I normally do not post photos of myself because I am self-conscious about my weight, but I'm willing to make an exception because I want the world to know that we are a happy family and blessed with love. Happy New Year!

Color Coding our Kids

2008-09-26T17:14:00.002-04:00

I just ran across a photo I never knew existed. When our boys were little, they each had a favorite color. One loved yellow and the other loved blue. Over time, we used these colors to distinguish ownership of toys, clothes, blankies and even presents.

We were tickled when we captured a photo of our "yellow" son plucking two lone yellow balls out of a blue and purple ball pit during one outing. What I did not realize, until today, was that we have a similar photo of our "blue" son, taken years earlier. Isn't that funny?

Olympia Snowe would have been a better choice

2008-09-04T13:42:00.003-04:00

I don't normally talk politics. It's not my thing. But I have to agree with James Carville on this one.

Maine state senator Olympia Snowe would have made a much better Vice Presidential running mate than ramming unknown Sarah Palin down America's throats at the eleventh hour.

Senator Snowe is infinitely more qualified to replace 72 year old John McCain as president, should he become president and then not.

Superpowers and Aspergers

2008-08-30T10:13:00.005-04:00

Today my 11 year old came bounding downstairs and I showed him a gift I had wrapped, which had a smaller box on top. I said, "Look what I made", referring to the tiny box made from folded currency. He replied "Cool. Two five dollar bills, one on the outside and one on the inside."
I was flabbergasted. I asked him how he knew they were five dollar bills. He told me "They both have the Lincoln Memorial". Despite the brightly colored present and the shiny gold ribbon, he was able to drill down to the tiniest print in a fraction of a second from across the room and make his declaration.
This is just one of what I call my son's "superpowers". He was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, which falls on the autism spectrum of "diseases". He struggles in social settings, but possesses heightened sensory traits that are not "Neuro Typical". Paraphrasing an autobiographical article I read on the subject... "while most people have the ability to focus on the heart of the matter at hand, I manage to describe the elbow in great detail."

We have only recently disclosed his diagnosis to him. While this syndrome presents daily challenges, I like to point out his superpowers whenever I can. It makes him feel good about himself. He has an easy time memorizing things and he detects things in the periphery of a scene rather than the center. His recall is superb and he can repeat the scripts of tv shows and comics verbatim if they are of interest to him.

If only the rest of the world had superpowers, they could see at a glance how special he is.

Hello Sailor!

2008-07-19T19:33:00.004-04:00

Meet Mervin, the US sailor. I purchased his 1930's photo album a few years back at an antique shop. My intention was to sell the photos on eBay. I sold one or two, but there were several pages of Mervin and his navy buddies on their ship. I couldn't just sell them. They have a place in history. I felt a strong need to honor them in some way. To preserve them for posterity.

So I did some research and found several websites that post photos of navy ships and their stories. Today I finally scanned the photos of the USS Lea DD-118. I have connected with these young men from long ago. Guys like Skunk and Smitty, Benny and Hawkins, Ralph and Fred.

I plan to copy these photos onto a CD and send them to the websites and/or museums that might be able to piece together their story. I haven't decided what to do with the actual photos yet. There are many more photos, mostly of Mervin's girlfriends, which do not fall into the context of the USS Lea.

But I feel a sense of accomplishment, knowing that these memories are not lost. And perhaps someone will search on their grandfather's name and find an unknown photo of him during his days at sea.

DINAH

2008-06-19T17:53:00.002-04:00

With permission, I am sharing a story that my sister-in-law, Lulu, recently experienced. Last year, she was devastated to lose two beloved family members of the dog persuasion. Her story is compelling.

"When we lost Otis and Stella some dear friends sent us a beautiful white orchid and the plant actually had 2 flowering stems side by side just like how the "girls" were. The blooms lasted almost 5 months which was long for an orchid. After they passed I cut the stems back and watered the plant once a week as instructed. Orchids can be very tempermental so I was certain I would end up killing it. Well, one single stem started to rise and you could see where it was going to flower. One night I was still up and had asked Otis and Stella for a sign that it was ok to get another dog again...weepy, of course. "

"Around the same time when we were chosen for Dinah 2 of the blooms flowered (they are gorgeous and huge as well) and being side by side I thought t o myself that one was Otis and one for Stella. The same weekend that Dinah was picked up and I returned from Virginia a third bloom had arrived when we got home. I thought that one was for Dinah and it was Otis and Stella welcoming her into our home. Maybe it's nothing but to me it means everything."

From where I stand, it does mean something. Welcome to the family, Dinah!

The Glory Days of Department Stores

2008-06-11T17:02:00.011-04:00

I think of my sisters all the time, but today brought back vivid memories that included my older sister. I was browsing my favorite Goodwill during lunchtime and what to my wondering eyes should appear? A shaggy vintage fur coat! Not just ANY shaggy vintage fur coat, but one with a DONENFELD'S label inside! What are the chances that I would find a coat in Maine with a label from a long defunct department store from DAYTON, OHIO (actually pretty good, if you knew how often I frequent thrift stores)!?
My sister used to work at this store. With a bunch of very little and very old ladies. The old guard. This was the kind of store that had a person that sat in the elevator and closed the accordian iron gate manually before asking you which of the two floors (one of which was called a "mezzanine") you wanted to visit. It took ten times as long to get to that floor than if you had just taken the stairs.

The women who shopped here were decked full out. Pumps, hosiery, full coats over their dresses, pocketbooks, hats and many times GLOVES! Your purchase came with tissue paper and a paper shopping bag with handles, not some flimpsy plastic bag.

I think I went shopping there soon after I graduated college. I wanted to Dress for Success. I was after Career Wear. Size 8 or 10 (or was it old school sizes like 9/10 and 11/12?). I remember the ladies bringing me suit after suit (where my sister was, I have no idea). They would bring along a few accessories that matched. How about a scarf or belt to go with that? Do you need any nylons while you are here?

After what seemed like hours in the dressing room, I decided nothing was right for me. And off I went. I felt a little guilty about leaving those sweet ladies to re-button and return to the racks all the things I had tried on. I think they worked on commission, too.

Are you visualizing this? Are you going back to that place? I barely remember it and it's a little sad to think my children will never get to experience anything like that. What is your favorite old time department store memory?

Ten more days

2008-06-05T11:30:00.005-04:00

Only ten more days of this. These two brothers walking into school together. Next year they will be in separate schools, on different schedules. No more playing while they wait for the bus. My hope is that they will remain as close as they are now.

I took this photo, through misty eyes, while sitting in my car. ~sniffle~

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-26T07:38:00.005-04:00

A bunch of our neighbors gathered for a weekend barbecue on Saturday. Everyone brought delicious food and beverages. There was plenty of beer, but mojitos somehow became the adult preferred beverage. Tasty!

Activities included eating, drinking, talking, laughing, football, a 3 "hole" golf course (which included much hiking to find your ball in the tall grass), karaoke, more laughing, more drinking and more karaoke.

Our gracious hosts have the perfect setting for such a party. A deck out back with acres and acres of fields. Parents can converse while their kids run at full tilt within eye shot.

And there's something for everyone. Even my quiet son found the most idyllic spot to read his new Foxtrot book.

Here's a shout out to all the veterans who gave their lives to our country. THANK YOU!

When blogs collide

2008-05-21T16:48:00.003-04:00

Found this entry on one of my favorite blogs. See previous post for my 9 year old's current fantasy. Coincidence?

Obsession du jour - INDIANA JONES

2008-05-17T21:05:00.002-04:00

"Props" to Salvation Army, Goodwill and the Recycle Barn for the necessary gear.

Harry Potter finally comes to our house

2008-05-17T01:41:00.004-04:00

This photo was taken 6-1/2 years ago. The Harry Potter glasses were a novelty for just this photo. We are just now discovering the joys of the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers' Stone. I remember all our friends and relatives going bonkers with the release of each book, but my kids just didn't show an interest in the topic. Even with all the merchandising, it had no appeal to them.

The timing coincides with their age being nearly the same as Harry's right now. Our entire family has read or is reading the book and we just sat down and watched the movie together. What a spectacular fantasy J.K. Rowling has created. I now see what everyone was so excited about. I'm glad I waited to experience it with them.

Mom, You're Embarrassing Me!

2008-05-07T06:58:00.004-04:00

How many times am I going to hear that in the coming years? As we prepare for the transition to middle school, my eldest has been asked to bring in baby photos for their "yearbook". I tried, in vain, to get him to bring this photo. He said "Are they just trying to embarrass us?". It's one of my favorites, so I'm sharing it with you.

Life Comes At You Fast. Ready or not.

2008-04-19T21:58:00.004-04:00

This pamphlet and complimentary toiletry came home with the fifth grade boys last week. My oldest son keeps picking up the Old Spice Red Zone and looking at it. Today, he told me the difference between an anti-perspirant and a deodorant. And as if to punctuate the changes that are about to occur in his boy body, he got his first pimple. And I got to give him the speech that my father gave me: "Whatever you do, don't pick it or squeeze it. Leave it alone!".

It seems like only yesterday that we were riding in a crowded shuttle bus after a day of skiing and my kindergartener leans over to me and whispers "I smell a fifth grader". Apparently that was his association with the smell of b.o. Hubby and I got such a giggle out of that. And now, fast forward 5 years, here he is, ready to "step up" to middle school. How will I ever make it through that ceremony without sobbing out loud?! Hold on, honey, we are in for the ride of our lives.

"Children's Literature"

2008-04-15T08:27:00.005-04:00

With so much paperwork coming home from school, I almost missed this literary treasure authored by my third grader. The assignment is "How to catch a leprechaun" (not "How to mug a leprechaun").

How to Catch a Leprechaun

This is how I would catch a leprechaun. First I’d sneak up behind it, knock the lights out of it, bag it and tie it to a chair. When he wakes up, I’ll force him to tell me where the gold is. If he says, “I don’t know.” I zap him with a taser until he tells me where the gold is.

I wonder what kind of writing little girls bring home?

Mother Nature is cruel. More snow.

2008-03-28T08:14:00.002-04:00

Here it is, one week into Spring and we are getting 3 to 6 inches of snow today. This is what we woke up to. As pretty as it is, I've had enough. I would really like to see something green sprouting from somewhere.

NICKEL!

2008-03-09T20:00:00.003-04:00

I'm breaking a paradigm today. I'm blogging WITHOUT POSTING A PHOTO! This was a self-imposed rule. One that prevented me from posting more often. Dial-up internet access turns posting photos into a major time suck.

I must also give credit to this blog entry about creating family rituals. It reminded me that we create rituals every so often without even realizing it.

The other day, my youngest was telling a story, profusely using the word LIKE. For example: "I was, like, going to, like, go up to him and, like, say something." At which point, I told him that he would have to give me a nickel every time he used the word LIKE extraneously.

This became a fun game. He continued to tell the story and his brother would shout out "NICKEL!” a split second after every infraction. It became hilarious to all of us as we realized how often he did it. And the more he tried NOT to do it, the more he DID IT!

From there we decided they could NICKEL me whenever I used a curse word. Sometimes I pepper my rants with the occasional damn, hell or shit. And they call me on it. Now they NICKEL me on it.
The boys heard the B-word (for fatherless child) on tv and we deemed that word worthy of a quarter. We downgraded "crap" to a penny word.

No actual money is transferred, but it’s a great way to point out transgressions and get a chuckle at our inside joke.

Does your family have any rituals that are your very own?

CALVIN and HOBBES merchandise DIY

2008-02-06T14:11:00.000-05:00

My kids love Calvin and Hobbes. I mean they LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this cartoon. My youngest taught himself to read in kindergarten, so he could share in his brother's obsession. They have read every single frame in every single book and could probably repeat the rest of the strip verbatim if you read the first square. They are third generation Calvin lovers after their father and their older cousins.

They like to role play as Calvin and Hobbes. The oldest is always Calvin and the youngest is always Hobbes. Their grandmother even knit them sweaters in their trademark colors: orange and black for the tiger and red and black stripes for Calvin's shirt.

They can't understand why Bill Watterson never merchandised their favorite characters. So they took matters into their own hands. Behold their latest DIY (do-it-yourself) Calvin and Hobbes creations.

One son decided he wanted his own stuffed tiger. So, off to the fabric store we went. He decided the faux tiger fur was too "real". He needed something primitive, like the cartoon. So he decided on blaze orange fleece. Dad helped with the sewing - freeform (we don't need no stinkin' pattern).
They also wanted t-shirts. Easy enough. White cotton shirts and permanent markers were all that was required. Voila!

Prayer Request for Community Members

2008-01-10T21:23:00.000-05:00

Please keep the Cloukey Family in your heart and prayers. All six family members were in a terrible crash and they need all the support we can give them. This is a good family with very little means.

The father is a roofer and now has a broken back The mother (who is studying to be a nurse) suffered numerous breaks to her arm and wrist. Their 12 year old daughter is in critical condition.

Thank you for your thoughts and good wishes for all of them.

He sighs a lot.

2008-01-10T21:02:00.000-05:00

My youngest (age 9) had a writing assignment to describe one of his parents. The result is priceless. Here is a picture of the actual masterpiece, but I've translated it for readability:

My dad has a nice face. He's tall & happy most of the time. He works alot. He's very sensitive. He has a job as a carpenter. He has dark brown hair that looks like black hair. Since he's a carpenter, he's dirty alot of the time. He sighs alot. He loves baseball & football. Mostly the Red Sox and the Patriots. If you need fine woodworking, go to www.donovansbench.com

Winter Weekend in Phoenix

2007-12-23T09:13:00.001-05:00

It's such a busy time of year. It's hard to post on a regular basis. (Sorry). A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit my sister in the greater Phoenix AZ area. We had a nice hermana weekend. Unfortunately, they had unprecedented rain that weekend, so we had to resort to antiquing and thrifting much of the time.
With two straight days of rain, I'm surprised the newscasters didn't recommend to the audience that they start building their arks. It was similar to our "Storm Center" coverage here in Maine. Lots O'Hype.

I didn't capture it on film, but the funniest sight was seeing a newscaster "on location", standing in a puddle of water, with a knit cap and mittens. She was literally shivering while she described the havoc all this rain was wreaking on the area. Accidents everywhere! And there in the corner of the tv was the temperature, 61 DEGREES!!!! Ha!

I did manage to capture their segment on "Arizona Winter Fashions". No L.L. Bean gear in sight.
The contrast between Arizona and Maine was like night and day. The nicest part was seeing the mountain range in view from almost anywhere. But the area is experiencing an explosion of growth and with that comes constant construction, unending dust and traffic like Mainers have never seen.
We visited an upscale grocery store called AJ's and it gave me grocery envy. Check out the uber-organized shelves. This must be where the OCD shop. The food prices were as unreasonable as the organization. (What if I want that head of cabbage on the bottom?). I bet the freegans have a field day in their dumpster, with all the not-pretty-enough-for-display outcasts. Seriously though, visually, this entire store was eye candy. I splurged and bought the two of us fresh fruit tartlets at $1.25 apiece. DELISH!

And lastly, with Christmas upon us, I'd like to share this random "Holiday Visual", complete with an ironic street intersection. Merry Christmas! Ho Ho Ho!

Blog Illusions

2007-11-29T08:11:00.000-05:00

I was blog jogging the other day, clicking the links from one perfect blog to another. Perfect pictures. Perfect wit. And it really made me feel hugely inferior. My husband had to "talk me off the ledge". It occurred to me that some blogs can be as dangerous as fashion magazines when it comes to peoples' self esteem.

So many blogs only show the beautiful side of life. Not real life. So I've taken a moment to bring some balance to the perfect posts. Instead of showing you the perfectly risen, whole wheat homemade pizza dough with organic toppings, baked to a crisp golden brown.....

I give you the last slice of the leftover frozen cheese pizza, charred by the microwave devil onto a vintage pastel plastic Tupperware plate. Complete with hole for hanging.

Oh yes, and it makes great wall art. Until your family catches you.

Have you any wool?

2007-11-21T19:38:00.000-05:00

It's interesting when you notice the laws of supply and demand in your daily life. As craft fair season hits its stride this weekend, you will see an abundance of wool felted arts and crafts. I predict this, the day before Thanksgiving, because I noticed a major shortage in wool sweaters at the thrift store.

I called my friend Kate (who sold these fantabulous needle felted veggies at last year's Artisans Sale). She confirmed my suspicions. She, too, experienced the same wool sweater shortage phenomenon. Even the "set aside" was bone dry. Everyone seems to have discovered that 100% wool sweaters can be recycled to make very cool things.

We live in Maine, for goodness sake! There used to be an over-abundance of Woolrich and LL Bean sweaters and plaid wood hunting coats. But someone is snatching them all up!

It's not that I needed a sweater to felt into something. I just like to poke through the sweaters at thrift stores, looking for wool ones. I'm not looking to wear one (too itchy, too hot), I just think they're much more interesting than their cheaper relatives (the Acrylics).

I enjoy discovering homemade sweaters and giving them some appreciation, if only for a few minutes. I like finding really ugly sweaters too. Or preppy ones. They make me laugh.

But, darn that Martha Stewart and her good things! Spreading ideas about how to recycle sweaters into great gift ideas. (Maybe she owns stock in Goodwill). She has robbed me of my sweater hunting joy.

Foraging Part III - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2007-11-20T19:23:00.001-05:00

Some of my friends and family marvel at the treasures I unearth. But it is not effortless. I don’t just walk in and out of thrift stores or the “set aside” with clean, collectible treasures at every turn. It’s not that pretty. There is a dark side.

I happen to like to paw through the textile “bins” at the “set aside”. My youngest has informed me that they are watermelon boxes. Intrigued, I asked him how he knew. He said “It says so on the side of the box”. I guess I am too busy looking inside for treasures to bother reading the outside cardboard.

I go into a zen-like state, sifting through the boxes. Some people exercise. Some people read. Some people knit. I SIFT.

Before I started sifting on this particular day, I discovered two futon covers sitting right on top of the huge pile of clothes. They were clean and neatly folded and tied with twine with a scrap of paper tucked under the twine that read “futon cover”.

Someone must have just left them. Otherwise, they would have been untied, unfolded and mixed into the contents of the big box, along with who-knows-what. Each person looking in the box would have to drag it out and ask themselves what it was. And then they might throw it back into the pile, for the next person to figure out. Worse yet, some careless person could come in and deposit a pile of wet and moldy clothes, spoiling the entire contents of the box.

The futon covers were left by a Polite Neighbor. Not all visitors to the set aside are Polite Neighbors. Some are not even neighbors. So we’ll call them Visitors. You’ll find Friendly Visitors, Generous Visitors, Grabby Visitors, Loitering Visitors, Sharing Visitors, Conversing Visitors and Careless Visitors.

A good visit is when the friendly people mill around and banter about their common hunting and gathering habits. They exchange ideas for recycling a treasure. They offer up items that we are willing to pass up. They take a moment to dispose of broken or icky items.

A bad visit involves visitors who break things and leave them sitting where they fell. Or watching visitors let their children run around, unsupervised, in an area where large, heavy items are being moved about with hydraulic machinery. This usually "harshes my sifting mellow" (thanks, Adam, for that term) and I make a quick exit.

Every once in a while, some unsuspecting visitor gets bit by the friendly, but feisty resident barn cat, Tucker. Maybe the cat can sense the type of visitor they are.

As with anything, it is what it is. You have to take the bad visitors with the good. The leisurely visits with the hasty retreats. You have to sift through torn and dirty clothes to find the clean and perfect ones. Sometimes the torn or dirty clothes turn out to be the treasures. Some people even come in and tidy up the shelves and organize things, merely to make the place a little more appealing. Other people just don’t care.

Even the “gift shop” has a Yin and a Yang.

Foraging - Part II

2007-11-19T20:43:00.000-05:00

I’ve recently encountered some great NPR segments about folks who forage. I think they're worth sharing.

I had a “driveway moment” while hearing about a Vermont couple that hunts for wild mushrooms and other plants, selling their wild gourmet food to fine restaurants. For Les Hook, growing up in a large poor family, foraging was a necessity.

I admire their resourcefulness, their love and respect for the land and their responsible harvesting practices. For details, go to the "Wild Crafting" segment of Heart of the Land.

Note: Another absorbing segment at the previous link is “Stone by Stone”. It details the craft of “walling”, or building and maintaining rock walls. It is truly an art form. Color, proportion and balance, especially, all come into play. The unsigned and undocumented work of each craftsman lives on for at least another century.

Also of interest, a Chippewa Native American author comments on the necessity of visiting the dump in
Being too poor not to go to the dump.

If these topics are remotely interesting to you, here are a few more related links I found while surfing the ‘net:

Freeganism, surviving on disgarded food.

Here's a newsclip of a real life Freegan.

Freecycle, an internet-based give and take network, organized by locality. "Changing the world one gift at a time."

Really, Really Free Markets, temporary open air markets for sharing goods and services.

Give-Away Shops, where everything is free.

And last, but not least, is the Mainer’s favorite:

Uncle Henry’s FREE FOR THE TAKING category. Caveat emptor: The earliest bird gets the worm. Free stuff goes fast. And ask questions before you drive across the state to discover that one man’s “free firewood” is another man’s rotting soft wood yard debris.

HAIKU - Dial Up

2007-11-19T07:11:00.000-05:00

“Problem loading page”
“Firefox can’t find the server”
“Try Again”. Click. (please)

Foraging - Part I

2007-11-18T18:44:00.000-05:00

Who doesn’t love free stuff? And nearly free stuff, like my thrift store finds. I think I must have lived during the depression in my last life. I am a regular at the town "set aside". And I've been known to scarf an item or two from the curb on trash day. But until now, I have only fantasized about the more radical concept of dumpster diving. (In the UK they refer to it as “skipping”.) A few days ago, I took the plunge. It wasn’t really a true “dive”. It was more of a “dipping of my big toe”.

Here’s how it went down. The path to one of my favorite thrift stores goes by their always overflowing dumpster. Not only does it bulge from the true junk, even by my standards, that rude people leave... but the store also lacks real estate and is so cramped that they actually have to toss inventory into the dumpster. (Horrors!)

On my way into the store, I pass the dumpster. At eye level, I catch a glimpse of something non-trashy (to me). The big green metal monster is practically handing it to me. I can tell there are no food scraps or icky stuff in this dumpster, just "hard goods". I take a deep breath and look the other way.

As I come out of the store, there it is again. Beckoning me. So I take it this time, without hesitating, and get into my car. My heart is beating fast. I feel brave, yet illicit. It's fair game, right? I may have crossed a line, but I’m not sure what that means, exactly. Have I moved up (or down) a level, from casual thrifter to guerilla thrifter?

At any rate, there you have it: A confession, a vintage wire Inbox and 3 wooden fawns. Was it worth it?

3 brothers and a cousin

2007-11-14T20:30:00.000-05:00

I found these framed vintage high school portraits at the "set aside" this weekend. They are from the 1930's and I figured I might be able to re-use the frames. One gent in particular caught my eye. I liked the color tinting and he looked so Irish.

On the back were their names and graduation dates and high school. The last name was that of one of my co-workers. Could they be related? I brought the photos to work and showed them to her.

It turns out the three brothers are her father's cousins. She brought in her father's senior picture, taken at the same high school, but 15 years later (see last photo). I think the resemblance to his cousin is quite striking.

It's hard to say how they got discarded, but the photos have found a proper home. My co-worker contacted the wife of one of the brothers. They will be given to her.

I love a happy ending.

Puffin

2007-11-09T07:02:00.001-05:00

I found this puffin bird carving at my favorite thrift store this week. I walked around with it, trying to decide if I should part with the $4.99 (seriously). There is no Made in China sticker, it is signed by the maker, so I took a chance.

It turns out the maker is from New England and this bird is "retired" (no longer produced). I called a friend who knows about carved birds and decoys. She bought it sight unseen.

I have found it a proper home, which is usually my goal for most of the treasures I acquire. My only wish is that I could find homes for everything this quickly.

p.s. My new blog banner is coming! Stay tuned!

Sláinte! (cheers!)

All Saints Day. Calling St. Anthony!

2007-11-01T19:24:00.001-04:00

I admit that I am somewhat of a heathen. The fact that I do not participate in any organized religion, however, does not prevent me from collecting "Catholica" such as religious medals, rosaries, angels and Infant Jesus of Prague statues.

Raised Catholic, I pray on occasion. Most nights, I say a prayer of gratitude for being blessed with a wonderful life. Other times I pray when I'm really stressed about something. Like today.

Is it ironic that today is All Saints Day and I really needed the help of a particular saint? You see, I sold this orange glass basket on eBay and it's time to ship it to the buyer. One problem. I misplaced it. I did a massive search in my cluttered office. No luck. (We had company this weekend and I performed my famous "Stash and Dash", exacerbating the clutter.)

Now, I know from 16 years of Catholic education that there are saints that you pray to for specific reasons.

My favorite subconscious prayer is "Thank God for Google", if that's a prayer. So I Google: "Patron Saint of Lost Items" and I get this link that identifies St. Anthony of Padua
Patron Saint of Lost Items.

The site lets you send a religious greeting card via email. BUT CHECK OUT THE PRAYER TO SAINT ANTHONY!:

Tony, Tony, look around.
Something's lost and must be found.
I'm praying that you find what you're looking for.

Perfect!!! It's even written in heathen-ese. So I send myself a greeting. And in the area where you send a meaningful message, I write "Where the hell did I put that orange glass basket?".

Then I click SEND. And head back into my office, where I eventually find said basket. Thank God.

Always a Bride

2007-10-31T08:20:00.000-04:00

Do you remember dreaming about your wedding day when you were a little girl?

My ivory beaded Jessica McClintock wedding gown has been sitting in my closet since September 11, 1993. I never opted to have it preserved as an heirloom. So here it sits 14 years later. The lace has yellowed in places and the dirt around the train remains. I figured I had three options.

Option 1 - Sell it on eBay. Well, after researching the website, it's clear that used wedding dresses just don't sell.
Option 2 - Donate it to a charity that re-sells wedding dresses (www.makingmemories.org). Turns out they only want antique/vintage gowns or gowns from 1995 or later.
Option 3 - Keep it until it comes back in style or offer it up to a son's fiancée. I just don't see it happening.

Now, this is coming from someone who A) claims she can sell anything on eBay, B) is incapable of discarding anything with perceived value, and C) is able to successfully re-sell fashions from the 1980's.

So I hear that my friend Kate is tasked with creating a Halloween bridal costume for her friend's 9 year old daughter. And I offer up my wedding dress. With all its satin and lace and tulle and beads and bustle.

Rewind to 25 years ago. My sisters and I were HORRIFIED when my mother revealed to us that she had given her wedding dress to her sister so that she could make a First Holy Communion dress out of it.

From the photos, her wedding dress was stunning. A plain ivory satin number in classic 1950's style. She and her entire wedding party were gorgeous. How was my mother to know she would have 4 daughters who might be interested in her 50's glam wedding dress? So we tsk, tsk'd her for years.

Fast forward a generation. I email my sister to tell her the plans for the dress and she is taken aback. How could I do it? Even Kate’s husband weighs in: “You can’t possibly accept her wedding dress and cut it up.” He is adamant. I insist she take it. Because, as I see it, I am breathing new life into this dress that is dead to me. I am not insensitive or unsentimental, ask anyone who has watched me cry during a Hallmark commercial. But I rest, knowing that I have beautiful photos and lasting memories of the greatest day of my life, wearing that dress.

Here is the ultimate opportunity to reduce, re-use, recycle, alter, whatever. RE-PURPOSE. That’s the word I’m looking for. This dress has a new purpose. And the story gets even better.

The final product is better than I ever could have imagined. In typical Kate fashion (artistic and sensitive), she created a “mini-me” bridal gown - retaining the style of the original dress, right down to the lace.

The best part? Some little girl gets to feel like a princess, just like I did.

Besides, I still have all the fabric from the tablecloths at the reception that my mother-in-law is going to help me make into a quilt someday

Halloween Approaching

2007-10-19T12:41:00.000-04:00

The kids are getting excited about the Halloween festivities coming up at school and in town. Their costume ideas are less than original, but they don't seem to care.

I have fond memories of my Halloween costumes. More so when I was in my twenties than my childhood. I loved being creative and original. Perhaps I can post some of those pics later.

I found a bunch of plastic jack-o-lanterns at the set aside of the recycling center. As with everything found there, they needed some cleaning.

I lined them up on the rock wall and lit tea lights at dusk, just in time for the kid's arrival back from camp.

It's all dowsing.

2007-10-14T08:56:00.000-04:00

I discovered this weekend, that I am really good at fishing mealworms out of sawdust. With the crew "up to camp", I have gecko feeding duty. I easily managed to throw in a few crickets and got to watch Spots prey on them, wagging his thick tail before pouncing for the kill. He looked pretty hungry, so I got out the container of, supposedly, 100 mealworms and started searching.

Who counts the mealworms for each package? My youngest swore that they had shortchanged us at the pet store and there were not 100 mealworms in this pack. So I poured out the contents onto a plate and started sifting. Sifting through sawdust. Sifting out the shedded exoskeletons, which only LOOK like mealworms. (Too much information?). And I started finding worm after worm. Probably 20, enough for a couple of days to a baby gecko.

The mealworms play dead when you touch them. Then they start to move when they're in the mosh pit I call a food bowl. Gross. I am not a big fan of reptiles and worms. But this reminded me that, when I was a kid, we used to water the front lawn and go outside after dark with flashlights and "hunt" nightcrawlers. It was our job, my brothers and sisters, if we wanted to go fishing with my Dad the next day.

I distinctly remember the rush of catching big, fat blood worms before they were able to slither back in their hole. My fingers were caked in moist earth. And they had this shiny slime to slither from between your fingers, giving it a difficulty factor. As an adult, the thought repulses me. But I remember it not being a big deal back then.

I haven't checked, but you probably need a permit to hunt night crawlers in your yard these days. There is no free bait.

Which brings me to the title of this posting. Whether you're searching for treasures at Goodwill, or meal worms in sawdust, or earthworms in the ground - doesn't some internal instinct take over? Aren't you somehow guided to find the thing that you're looking for? I know I am. It finds me.