Vintage

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Straw Flowers from Cathy of California.

This started out as an email to Mom and Gretchen but I found myself rambling my way into a blog entry. See why my blog is called, "And Another Thing . . ."?

Cathy specializes in crafts from the 60s and 70s. She sells these straw flowers and the kits to make them, among other things. I was sending the link to Mom & Gretchen because we used to make similar flowers decades ago, with yarn. (Did I just say decades?? Sigh.)

Side note to local readers - I was reading Cathy's blog and saw an entry about the clock at Midtown Plaza. Btw, I finally heard someone on the radio say the other day what I think every time I hear someone boo-hooin' about the demolition of Midtown Plaza: If it is such a great place and you're so upset that it is being torn down - why didn't you patronize it at least a couple of times in the last 20 years?? Then I calm down and try to think of something that would be relevant to me in that same vein. Some place that holds memories more than being part of my life today. Some place that would be so meaningful to me as to prompt me to write some sorry-ass whiny letter to the editor in the local paper. There must be some place, I just can't think of it at the moment.

I swear I must have been at the end of the line when sentimentality was being passed out. I'm such a big purger and declutterer, that I sometimes worry I'm throwing away stuff that might be meaningful to Simon in the way that I love some of my parents' every day things - like the stainless steel mixing bowls and . . . something else . . . you know, other stuff. I know there's stuff that I've told my parents, "So when you're dead & everything, can I have that?" And they are so shocked that I care, they say, "What?? Take it now. You're so silly."

Sort of like these but not exactly. And there are only 2. I still love them and use them all the time.

Etsy has a whole division, besides the handmade stuff, of "vintage" items. The rule is the items have to be 20+ years old. Twenty years ain't nuthin'! It's been within the last couple of years that I realized I've become one of those people that sees trends come around again and scratches her head at the "young people" getting excited about something we're all been there, done that about.

It's like my friend Mary calls herself seasoned, instead of senior, in terms of her work profile. I like that! At my day job, our CEO has said he doesn't care about titles. "Make up your own!" "Be whatever you want to be!" I know he's told people. Somewhere in the last few years, every sales rep and purchasing agent added senior to their title. It always makes me laugh because - now everyone is on the same level again. I've never seen a junior anything, in our company anyway.

I thought this entry was all over the place but looking back, I actually do have a common thread throughout. What a happy accident that turned out to be.

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The Cousins

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Gretchen and her graduate son, Paul. The last of our boys has completed high school.

I was genuinely disappointed that I couldn't attend Paul's graduation ceremony because we thoughtlessly planned our vacation for that week. But Simon, Gershum and DJ went with Gretchen to the ceremony, which made Gretchen and me quite happy - not to mention Paul! That grin is so big it looks fake but I think it's real.

These are the boys that got me a little choked up the last time they came over, a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't seen Gershum and DJ in many months. These guys grew up together. Sometimes Gretchen's oldest son Nick, was the 5th member of the posse.

Gershum and especially DJ used to practically live at our house, for days & weeks at a time sometimes. This group of boys were often loud and always hungry. I used to laugh at how boys just get in each other's shit, trash talkin' - the whole bit. Girls, to my recollection, do that stuff behind each other's backs. They are much more sneaky and covert.

I have to say that they always did whatever Steve and I asked of them - we gave them chores. For instance, they unloaded the dishwasher with drill team precision. (Gershum always put the silverware away, I remember.) They ate us out of house and home - and we ran that dishwasher twice a day sometimes. They carried in groceries. They helped us move furniture.

They played basketball with Steve in the driveway.

Reggi still gets excited when she sees DJ. Not sure why but they definitely have a special bond - always have.

They joined us for Stahlman breakfast gatherings at the Log Cabin Restaurant - with my parents and Gretchen. We always ate at 8:30 on a Saturday or Sunday morning - and those boys actually got up that early to join us. Even now, my parents will ask, as we walk into the restaurant, "What? No Gershum & DJ today?"

They call each other cousins. They are the siblings that Simon always wished for. That fact alone makes me incredibly happy. Even though life turned out how it was supposed to - for the very best, I carry the usual mother guilt of divorce - and Simon being an only child. So these boys were sent to us. I love that.

These are the boys Gretchen and I took on vacation several times - 3 times, if I remember correctly. The two of us and 5 teenage boys. It sounded worse than it was. The 2nd time, we took Nick's now-wife, Jill, with us too. The last time, Nick was already in the Marines so it was just these 4 boys.

I remember when we first moved into this house 8 years ago. Life was hard sometimes. There was already plenty of adjusting going on between the 4 of us (Steve, Lizz, Simon and me), as you can imagine. I remember one time standing in the kitchen, crying, saying to Steve, "There are always so many kids here. It's too much. How come they all have single mothers at home living a quiet life - and we have all this noise and spend so much on food? I know some day I'll look back on these as the good ol' days, but I sure can't see it today. It's not fair."

I sure can see it today. I love these guys.

You can count on me getting a little teary seeing them all together after all these years. Throw in a big occasion like Nick's wedding or Paul's graduation or just showing up unexpectedly at our house with grins on their faces - and I'm a goner.

Wow. All I meant to do was post those photos and congratulate Paul (and Gretchen!) on a job well done. Where did all that come from??

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Hair Carving

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Look what you can get for just $10! Simon already had the fauxhawk, so the side shaving and carving was $10. He justified the $10 because one of his roommates owed him $10. That's how kids with no money justify spending money - it felt like free money to him. It was not his money, but his roommate's. With keen financial skills like this, thus the kid has no money. In his defense, he's definitely growing up and learning some tough financial lessons this year. Just not in this case. ;-) He's 20. He'll get there.

But back to the fun stuff. It was done with a straight razor (whoa!) freehand. So each side is different. He loves it. As do I. Simon and I went out to dinner at The Olive Garden last week. This was pre-carving. He was dressed all in black (required at the high end sunglasses store he works at). I was noticing how many people stared at him as we walked through the restaurant. He doesn't seem to notice, but I'm sure he does. The boy loves attention. I love that he is who he wants to be and lets his freak flag fly. I love this kid with all my heart.

He wouldn't let me take a photo from the front. Guess he figured it would end up on the Internet. Hmmmm.

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Catching Up

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Sticky Notes, $4.50

Blogger has been unable to upload photos all week - at least for some of us. After a couple of days I checked other blogs, checked the Blogger Status page and looked for other posts in the Blogger Group section. Didn't see anything recent and pertinent so I posted my question with details. I signed up for email updates and almost immediately received 13 other "me too!" type emails. A Blogger employee did respond that they are working on it. One user had a work-around which I was going to use this morning but now it's working. Yay! I can't seem to bring myself to post an entry without a picture. I know, that's my silly self-imposed thing.

My point in telling you all of this is wondering why people think being abusive and immature in a quest for help is going to get them any further along. Do they think Blogger doesn't care if there product works properly?

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In Monday's post, I showed the beautiful painted box made by Abrianna Adler. I emailed her that I had done this - thought she might get a kick out of it. I also suggested she look into setting up an Etsy shop if she hadn't already. First I got a nice reply from her mom, then I received a nice note from Abrianna. Not only did I make her day - it was on her 16th birthday. I had held that box for 1-1/2 weeks, kept meaning to post about it. I ended up doing it on her birthday! I love when the universe works like that.

It turns out her aunt has an Etsy shop so this weekend she's going to help Abrianna set up her own shop. I also offered to give Abrianna some craft show contacts if she's interested in participating in more shows. I haven't heard back yet but I suspect I will.

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Remember when I posted the before and after pictures of Bruce Jenner? Then someone left a comment that his plastic surgery was due to a tragic house fire? Then I felt bad about poking fun so I researched it further and couldn't find any evidence of the fire story except in the sometimes unreliable Wikipedia.

Yesteday I received a comment from Summer that said:

I don't believe the fire rumor about bruce jenner, there are photos of him here. I also checked wikipedia and it appears that they changed his bio and it no longer contains the fire story.

That link even has a timeline of his face!

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A couple of weeks ago I posted here and sent a couple of group emails to Internet friends and work friends about my sister Gretchen running the half marathon on behalf of Team Semper Fi, as a fundraiser. She completed the half marathon last Sunday - and hit 220% of her goal! So thanks to all my friends who donated. We both appreciate your generosity!

Her account of the run is in her blog.

In other good news, her son returned home from his second deployment to Iraq on Mother's Day. Best gift ever, huh?

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Team Semper Fi

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Read my sister Gretchen's blog today. I'm so proud of her!

My nephew, Gretchen's son, is finishing up his second tour overseas. There's not a living soul that doesn't "support the troops". Here's a way to actively do just that.

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Saturday, May 10, 10:00-4:00

3rd Annual Art Show & Craft Sale
Our Lady of Mercy High School
1437 Blossom Road
Rochester, NY 14610

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20 Years Ago Today

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Harvest Moon by Hand

Isn't my latest Etsy purchase beautiful? $12 plus shipping. I plan to hang it on my studio window. Here's what the artist says about it:

I make the window stars by hand-folding small squares of paper, overlaying the folded paper, and then gluing them together to create different patterns.

Each point on the star is folded 19 times. With 8 points on the star, that's 152 folds!

This star measures approximately 9 1/2 inches in diameter.

The star can be kept on your window all year round since the paper doesn’t fade.

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Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of my favorite day of my entire life, the day we picked up Simon at the airport, fresh from Korea. Steve will tell you I can't say that sentence without a quiver in my voice and he's right. I love that kid so much.

But. Yeah, there's a but. This parental thing we do of attempting to balance enabling and support in the right proportions, is a bitch sometimes. This week has been full of tough love for me. Simon and 3 buds went to Myrtle Beach for Spring Break, very spur of the moment. Simon couldn't afford to go but he's making do somehow. He calls me every day or so, with wild stories. He would swear he's not asking me for money but sounds to me like he's laying the ground work for me to offer. Not gonna happen. It feels good actually, doing the right thing. I'd gotten a wee bit out of balance in recent weeks and realized I was depriving him of the opportunity to make his own success and be proud of himself.

I know I was the only one concerned about it, but Simon got through his five days of jury duty availability without having to report to court at all. He was in Myrtle Beach for the last 2 days of that 5 day period so don't ask me how that was going to work if he had to report. I don't know how that kid hit the lottery but his jury pool appeared to only be 200 people strong with only the first 50 or so having to report to court. Most pools are 900, I believe. His number was 161 so in the beginning I was certain he'd have to report. As the days wore on, it looked more and more like he wouldn't have to report, especially when they started pulling the next pool of 900 into court. So I wasn't overly concerned but it was on my mind.

Anyway, I really do love that kid to pieces. Besides less money to him, means more money I can spend on me in Etsy shops!

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Simon & Reggi

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This is a 7" framed piece I made a while ago but I need to reframe and rephotograph it before I post it for sale. I'm not happy with the quality of this frame.

I'm hauling out the old stuff to post because I'm on the verge of finishing new stuff. I did finish a framed piece for an order from my friend Pam but didn't have time to scan or photograph it. I'm making another one very similar which I'll post in the next few days I think.

Poor Simon is sick. I did his laundry for him the other night and delivered it to him last night. He's usually one to power through colds but this one has him down and out. I think it's because he doesn't have many hours at work this week, so he can take the time to be sick. The thing is he's up for jury duty this week. He has to look online today after 5:30 to see if his presence is required. He has a relatively low number so I'm sure he'll have to go tomorrow. I'm guessing he won't be picked to serve, but you never know.

Reggi continues to improve. Yesterday and today, she's been stuck to me like glue, following me from room to room. I love her.

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Paul

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This is my nephew Paul.
When Your Child isn't College Bound

Paul called me at work yesterday to tell me. "Aunt Stefani, I'm on the Internet!"
He's a great kid.

My sister Gretchen wrote about this stuff here:

Dreaming the Biggest Dream

Looks Like He's Almost Made It

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Happy Birthday Simon!

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The boy turns 20 today. This photo is from my nephew's wedding this summer. If only I could get Simon to come out of his shell, poor thing.

He works not far from me so I called him as I left work yesterday, offering to drop off his present. (I thought I might not see him on his birthday because he'd want to hang with friends.) All he ever wants is cash, which he spends 4 times over, in his head in the months leading up to his birthday. Steve and I got him a Visa gift card so when I said gift, he started guessing all sorts of wild things. As if. He's been wanting a motorcycle so I mumbled something about a trailer being attached to my car. Prostitutes & porn, he asked? With a side of heroin, I replied. He almost hung up on me when I told him we were getting mother/son tattoos. (I know, sorry about that visual.)

He's always properly sincerely grateful when he receives gifts but a part of me always feels "less than" because his wants (not needs) are so high. Oh wait, there, I'm over it.

I love that kid to pieces.

November 16, 5:00-9:00

November 17, 9:30-5:00

November 18, 11:00-4:00

Holiday Bazaar

Rochester Museum & Science Center

657 East Avenue, Rochester, NY

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Spinning

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Remember I said Friday morning how I was feeling tightly wound? Later that morning I realized what the perfect cure would be - an emergency massage! So I emailed Mary and she had a 5:00 appointment available. It was heaven.

I spent a few hours with Simon on Saturday - his new apartment is very nice. Nick was picking up his stuff that day but Simon had most of his there already because he had taken Friday off. I saw the living room and said, "This is such a typical bachelor furniture arrangement!" They have 2 love seats that came from my work, used to be in the lobby a while back - both are pulled right up to the coffee table in front of the TV, leaving half the room empty.

They both slept at their apartment Friday night, Simon had his bed there but Nick slept on the floor with a couch pillow and a blanket. When I talked to Simon Sunday, I asked him if it felt like the big push was getting the apartment and moving - and now, after 2 nights here, "Wow, I really live here!" He said it did.

We went to Linens & Things where I bought him a shower curtain and a curtain for his bedroom window. He was like a kid in a candy store - we had to circle around twice so he could absorb everything. "Simon, we're finally bonding over one of my favorite stores!"

He called me later to tell me that as he was walking up the sidewalk to his apartment, a guy stopped him and asked him if he was moving in. When Simon said yes, the guy said, "Great, I'm moving out - so maybe we can help each other out." He gave Simon a Surround Sound speaker system, a glass coffee table and 2 glass end tables. Everything works, Simon said. I'm looking forward to seeing the place again when he and Nick have their stuff all set up.

It doesn't quite feel like an empty nest around here yet. That's probably not helped by the amount of mess he left in the garage and his room. He's not done yet but he worked really hard for a couple of days so I gave him a break about cleaning up around here. It felt a little bit different grocery shopping for just Steve & me but I'm not sure why - Simon practically never ate here the past year or so.

Other than that, I worked like crazy on Pine Tree Designs stuff. I feel like I have enough cards made. Enough for now anyway. I'll only have 4 framed pieces at Thursday's show at Casa Larga because I've been concentrating on the things that sell the most - the Sticky Notes and cards. Now I'm in the mode where the more I get done, the more I think I can get done. So I'm making about 100 pins. I'll post them later.

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New Paper

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This is the card I wanted to upload a few days ago to show you. Helen sent this to me with her check for a recent order. She has 3 cats and knows I have 2. This was made by Julia Masseo. I love it's simplicity and colors but what I really love is the way she covered each eye with liquid applique or embossing powder or something to make it shiny. It's a tiny detail that really elevates the card from nice to terrific.

My Bazzill paper order arrived the other day. This is just part of it. I started putting it away but realized that I really need another paper organizer.

I have two. Ideally I would have one shade of paper per compartment but I'm really okay with several shades from the same family in the same slot. But I have so much paper now that I found myself mixing color families and that just doesn't fly.

I bought the two I have at BJ's Wholesale Club. I found them on their website this morning but decided to check the store on my lunch hour since it's near work. As I'm driving there, I thought to myself, "Oh, I should pick up some toilet paper and paper towels for Simon."

No paper organizer to be found, but $200 later . . . I have a cart full of stuff for Simon. Stupid boring stuff they won't think about - garbage bags, dishwasher detergent, soap. With my blessing, I told Simon he should come home to do laundry to save him some money but I know that will get old real fast so I bought him laundry detergent too. Stuff like that.

I'm letting him do this move on his own, I really haven't butted in too much. Being a planner and organizer, that's not exactly easy but I want him to feel the fulfillment of doing it on his own. I don't want to be one of those helicopter parents that sets their kid up in their first apartment with so much stuff that it feels like an extension of home or something. Anything they forget or do without, isn't life-threatening - and their threshold for inconvenience is way higher than mine. They'll be fine.

But let's talk about me some more, okay?

So I went online and found that paper rack for $69.99 - no shipping, no tax! Most places I checked were $70+ plus shipping. It should be here in a few days. I'll have a slight bit of rearranging to do to make room for it but it's sorely needed. I've been making do for a while now, longer than I realized when I tried to squeeze this new paper in the existing racks.

I made a big fat mistake in ordering the paper though - I ordered rusted metallic paper instead of copper metallic. I use copper so much I ordered 2 reams, or so I thought. The company has a $200 minimum order so it will be awhile before I order again. I'll figure something out. And I'll start designing with rusted metallic, apparently.

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His First Apartment

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Simon is moving into his first apartment this weekend. He'll be living with a kid named Nick, who works with Simon. Seems nice. This process has been ongoing for a couple of weeks and they got the final word last Friday. Needless to say they are excited out of their minds.

I can't believe he's moving into an apartment complex! Where have I gone wrong?? I have never lived in an apartment complex - always rented half of a house - or I lived above a store once. His biggest life lessons these next few weeks are going to involve getting along with his neighbors. Lord help the neighbors.

It's been an interesting process for me. I'm 100% excited for him and want him to do this. It's time for him to go. When he first started talking about it, he asked me a few times, "Mom - can you believe I'll be moving out? Are you going to be okay with that?" I've assured him I will be. I kept my voice level but inside I was doing the happy dance, believe me. Then I realized maybe I better dial that back a skosh - maybe he wants me to miss him a little more. So I assured him I'd miss him. And I will. (His apartment is only about 10 minutes from here. And he's never without his cell phone. With our diverse schedules, we often go days without speaking to or seeing each other. It's been a gradual liberation process for us both.)

So for the 2-3 weeks this has been going on, I've been really happy - for me. It was just this past weekend, now that we're on the home stretch that I've gotten excited for him. I've told him several times that moving away from home was one of the top five moments in my life. I had a great home life (thanks Mom & Dad) but it was time to start my own life. I mean, is there anything better than living independently*? I'm so happy & excited for him.

*Note: He won't be 100% independent - I'm still paying his car insurance and cell phone. He'll take those on as he's able. But that kid has so much car debt, with that fancy car of his - and don't get me started on that.

The thing is, I know he can do this. He's ready. Will there be bumps in the road? Yep. Oh well.

I told him this is a big turning point because once you move away from home, you never want to live at home again. Nor do your parents particularly want you to. (Can I get an amen from the empty nesters please?)

The other interesting thing is how many people want to unload their crap on them, um, I mean share their possessions, recycle their furniture and household items. People are so relieved to have someone to give it to - it's coming out of the woodwork! We'll see how it shakes out this weekend but I think they should be set with most stuff.

Simon is very high maintenance, a real material boy. I am pleased to see that I think he's getting it about accepting used furniture and such. I was kinda worried about that, with his high-falutin' taste and all. I knew the reality would slap him in the face sooner or later but like I said, I'm happy to see he seems to be embracing that concept up front.

He says his room is mostly packed but I haven't ventured in to see. I'm the type that packs everything a month in advance, in boxes neatly labeled. I know, that surprises no one. But I'll have you know he does have his priorities in order. He spent a couple of hours this weekend squeezing the fluid out of yellow highlighters. He mixed the liquid with water in a row of empty liquor bottles - that glow under a black light. Other than commenting that I'm glad he obtained those empty bottles from an over 21 year old friend of his, all I could say was, "Finally! My son is crafting!"

It does look pretty cool.

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Gretchen

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I'm very happy to report that my sister Gretchen is blogging again. I know some of you have followed her writing for years and this is her latest incarnation. I'm happy because her writing is too good not to share with us. This latest site only has a few entries up so far but I think you'll enjoy reading about her going nuts over pie.

(Gretchen - Steve loved the slice of key lime. Best he's ever had, he said.)

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