Want to know how to glow?

Some days when I go to yarn shop to meet the ladies in the knitting group, I pretend to wear blinders so that I don't notice new yarns and patterns that tempt and distract me from my current project. There are sooooo many pretty yarns to avoid! 

A month ago I did very well bypassing the yarn but noticed a basket of fibers for needlepointe by a Halloween display. The back wall in this photo is mostly needlepoint supplies.

I love Halloween so I had to look. There was a card of almost white fiber called Zoo Eyes by Rainbow Gallery. It is a polyester-viscose blend that glows in the dark. Boy howdy, I had to have some! It is recommended for needlepoint 13-18 count canvas or 7-11 count cross stitch. I bought waste canvas (cross stitchers will know what this is) with plans to make a ghost on a black sweatshirt for Colton.

Do you know what the hard part of this project was? Finding a plain black sweatshirt in size 3T. Every shirt I saw in the store had graphics or words already on it. I found a source online and ordered one.

Here is the waste canvas basted onto the shirt and with the cross stitch started. Sorry the photo is small. I must have sent it from my phone in an odd format. Enlarging it makes it blurry.

Still a work in progress, but here I've clipped some of the waste canvas threads around the "Boo!" and pulled them out to show you the process.

The fiber is much heavier than embroidery floss and created a somewhat textured surface, I think due to the viscose wrap that is probably what allows it glow in the dark.

And lastly, another less than stellar photo, but here it is glowing in the dark. I sat the shirt under a lamp while we had dinner, then turned off the light to attempt to photograph it. My camera wanted to use the flash which of course negated the special effect. I finally settled on this shot but the color is off. The ghost is more white than this with only a touch of greenish glow.

I hope Colton has a ghoulish or ghastly good time this Halloween. He is still pretty young, but his mommy and daddy, and of course this grandma, will feature the fun side of Halloween for him.

Here is the little charmer last year.

September Birthdays

I refuse to write about being cold in September. It is still officially summer and I am hanging onto it with everything I have, even my toenails which I've been told are painted a summery color, not a fall one. Hello? Do you not see that we have another week of summer by the official calendar and when I rule the world, summer will last until December 1st, followed by 3 weeks of autumn, one of winter, three to four weeks of spring and then summer will return.

* Ahem *

September is my birthday month. I found some fun facts about September birthdays and am about to share them here. I plan to do this for following months through next August, so please check back when your birth month rolls around.

September's birthstone, the sapphire, was once thought to guard against evil and poisoning. It was believed that a venomous snake would die if placed in a vessel made of sapphire. Traditionally a favorite stone of priests and kings, the sapphire symbolizes purity and wisdom.

The birthstones we associate with certain months now are not necessarily the same ones as in ancient times. Once, color was the most important feature of a stone. Ancients did not distinguish between a ruby and a garnet, for example. The names used in history may not relate to the stone we think of with that name today. For example, a sapphire in the Bible was probably what we know today as lapis.

September's birth flower is the aster. Asters are mainly symbols of powerful love. The other September flower is the morning glory. Morning glories are simple symbols of affection. Asters were once burned to ward off serpents. The seeds of some morning glory varieties contain a hallucinogenic acid.

These facts could explain why I don't like snakes but do like to take trips (but not "acid" tripping flashbacks!)

If today, September 16th is your birthday, your tastes are simple but excellent. You are domestic and require only pleasant and harmonious surroundings and one to love and be loved by. Demonstrative, impulsive. and somewhat jealous, you are easy to please and should take care in choosing your mate.Your birthday is shared by producer Allen Funt (b. 1914), musician B. B. King (b.1925) and actor Ed Begley, Jr (b. 1949)

I won't tell you which date is my birthday, but this is what I found for my birthday fact: You are a dreamer, have a vivid imagination, and make elaborate plans, which you never carry out. Cultivate self-reliance, perseverance, and foresight. You are loving and lovable, gentle and attractive, a favorite among your friends, and popular with everyone. The first line is probably the most truthful and accounts for why I have so many unfinished projects. Good to know I can blame it on my birth date, right?

If you were born between August 23-September 22), your astrological sign is Virgo, The Virgin.
Ruling planet: Mercury.
Element: Earth.
Quality: Logical. Ability: To reason.
You are the organized thinkers of the zodiac. With a critical eye, you dissect and analyze all sorts of data. You seek perfection, and you are able to see instantly the flaw in any given situation. Loving information, you file and store it away for future retrieval. You understand computers intuitively, as your own brain functions in exactly the same manner. Incorporating a sense of humor into your personality keeps you from becoming overly serious. Dependable and responsible, you must guard against taking on the accountability of others. Once you have truly learned how to have fun, yours is an enviable life.

I do think that my brain functions much like a computer, especially when I have a virus or am slow to boot up. We won't discuss the issue of Trojans as this blog is rated PG.          

Most of today's information was taken from the Old Farmers Almanac, but this last bit was not

Embrace what applies and disregard the rest. That might be good advice for everything in life!

P.S. As a Virgo, prone to critical review, I would like to point out that the left side of the above sign should read "you are" or "you're" instead of "your". Obviously this was not written by someone born between August 23rd and September 22nd!

Web Cam 101 for Seniors

A couple from northwestern Oregon who are Internet newbies have found themselves the unwitting subjects of an instant viral video, thanks to a little help from a grandkid.

Bruce Huffman, 86, and his wife, Esther, 79, of the Hillside Retirement Community in McMinnville, recently purchased their first laptop computer –- an aqua colored beauty with a built-in webcam.

Late last month, the couple sat down together and tried to figure out how to make a video with the webcam, something a granddaughter had painstakingly attempted to teach Esther a few days beforehand.

"I was trying to figure out how to do the videos and didn't know the thing was actually running," Esther told The Huffington Post. "All the while, Bruce was kind of amusing himself because he was bored. He was being quite an actor."

The nearly three minute video captures Bruce making funny faces, singing, burping and at one point, during a moment of levity, he got a little flirtatious with his wife. "See how pretty your hair is?" he said. "Just drop your dress a little bit and see your boobies."

Esther, focused on the task at hand, shot down the request. "Come on stop it. No, no, no," she laughed.
When the couple's granddaughter later saw the video,  she titled it "Web Cam 101 for Seniors" and uploaded it on YouTube.

"I did not know anything about YouTube, but apparently, it is spreading like wildfire," Esther said.

While the accidental celebrities are surprised by the amount of attention the video is garnering, they said they are happy that people are enjoying it.

"We certainly didn't plan it, but there is so much bad news out there. We are glad we could put something fun out there. We like to have a good time and if it makes people laugh, that's ok," Esther said.

There is, however, one thing she would change going back.

"I wouldn't have looked that way," she said. "I guess I have to quit chewing gum. I look like a cow chewing gum so quickly."

While their candid video is endearing the modest couple to the World Wide Web, they have no immediate plans of making another video.

"We're still trying to figure out how to work it," Bruce said. "But we're having fun trying."

Last days of Summer

I have some slightly crazy friends who love autumn. I can see the appeal of early autumn. The colors are pretty. On a good weather day, warm sunshine in the afternoon followed by a pleasant evening requiring a sweater or sweatshirt while outside is nice. Apple picking can be fun. Pumpkin pies, soups, stews and tailgate party food is all tasty. And I  LOVE Halloween!

I have certifiably insane friends who claim to love winter and even use the "S" word without flinching. Medical science is working on a cure for that kind of crazy.

 

Getting back to fall, my problem is that the good part of autumn doesn't last long enough. I'm not talking about the official date. If official dates were our only concerns, winter would be over by the 20th of March, give or take a day or two. If you live in a northern state, you know that Mother Nature doesn't read calendars.

Leaves changing colors and dropping are all too soon replaced by naked tree limbs against cold, gray skies. How can anyone be happy about long hours of darkness, icy pavement and cold dandruff falling from clouds? If a political candidate would promise sunshine all the time, he or she would have my vote. Do I truly believe they could deliver? Heck no, but at least it would be a different false promise during campaign season. Hey, if summer lasted as long as campaign season, I wouldn't have a complaint at all! Campaigning is something like 471 days per year, isn't it?

 

Until I am given control over the universe, we have ten days to enjoy summer. My birthday is on the last day of summer this year and I do plan to ask for climate control as my present. So what if it hard to wrap? Just think how happy it will make me! Louie the Labrador in Chip Dunham's Overboard comic is my kindred spirit. If the last panel is partially obscured by my sidebar, Louie is asking "What fantasy world is he living in?"

Let's hear it for the dreamers of this world, especially those who dream in the warmth of the sun with a little umbrella in their drink!

A little cheer

I've had a rough week. I slipped into what my some call 'borrowing trouble'. We all have worries from time to time, but realistically we should examine them, determine if there is something we can do to create our desired outcome, pray and let go.

Everything is ok now, but I'm still fighting a sluggish blech feeling. I have decided it is the result of too many days of gray, rainy weather (how I wish I could send this to Texas where they need rain) and too much TV coverage of the anniversary of 9-11 and possible threats this weekend.

I mean no disrespect to those who feel differently, especially those who lost a loved one ten years ago. I suspect more than a few are like me though, and don't want to review the photos and news coverage again. No one old enough to have experienced the horror is likely to forget. Ever.

The news media, in my opinion, has been guilty for a long time of overdoing a story. We don't get a weather forecast of possible snow in January here in Michigan, we get WARNINGS! of SNOW!, perhaps 4-6 INCHES! Run Chicken Little! The sky is falling!!  Do I think the stations are serious, humble and respectful in their programming for the anniversary of 9-11? Honestly, I think they are more concerned with out-doing one another.

But enough about that because it is all negative and that is what I am shaking off. Good news abounds, but we often overlook the value of small bits of good news and take medium size good news for granted.

Long time wonderful friends are in town from South Carolina and we spent yesterday afternoon with them. Good news for us. They are in Michigan to attend a wedding. Good news for everyone who loves the bride and groom.

We will be going to a birthday party for a niece's two year old son this afternoon. Good news (albeit loud news) for us.

I still enjoy learning new things and am learning more about HTML, CSS and photo manipulation. Probably only good news for me, but when I know enough to help someone else, it will be good for them too.

And last, but certainly not least, my constant source of good news and amusement is our grandson. How lucky we are that live close enough to both sons, and that one of them married a wonderful woman and together they have produced a child of many names. Peanut. Bug. Bean. Prince of Sweetness. And oh yeah, his given name, Colton. Here he is wearing the shirt that Grandpa picked out for him. The man who hates to shop.

Not the clearest of photos, but you see the happiness that this child exudes. He is 18 months old, is 36 inches tall and weighs 36 pounds! He is NOT a little bundle of happiness!

The sun has peaked through the gray clouds as I near the end of this post. Another reason to be happy and an affirmation that I am doing the right thing by changing my focus.

Peace and joy to everyone!

Back to school state of mind

It has been a long time since I've had to deal with back to school supplies or clothes shopping. Don't tell my sons, but I sort of miss it.

There is something so hopeful and exciting about the start of a new school year. New things to learn, new friends to be made, and new experiences await. I miss their elementary days the most. Not because they were truly excited to go back, not because they shared their days with me when they got home after 3:00, and not because I could stay a step ahead of them on their math homework. What was it about elementary days? Crayons! Crayola crayons to be exact. As far as I am concerned, there aren't any other brands.

The colors! The smell! The built in sharpener on the 64 pack!!! It doesn't take much to make me happy.

To be completely honest about this back to school business, I don't miss filling out forms, writing checks for six different clubs/activities/security deposits all due by Friday, and most of all I don't miss packing lunches or encouraging older kids to spend their lunch money on lunch...you know, something an adult would consider lunch, not candy and soft drinks as were readily available when my kids were in middle school and high school.

But the crayons! Oh, be still my Radical Red heart! To go shopping on an August afternoon with a Lemon Yellow sun in Cornflower Blue sky and spend a few Fern Green dollars on boxes of waxy happiness!

* Sigh *

Kind of makes you wonder how many crayons I sniffed in my formative years, doesn't it?  Just think if I had an affinity for school paste! Which reminds me, did all of you grow up with little jars of paste in your desk while in elementary school?

Was there an unwritten rule that each class would have one child, usually a boy in my experience, that ate paste? Billy L from Mrs Weatherly's class, if you're reading this, I hope you grew up healthy despite the amount of this stuff you consumed that year.

My grandson won't be going to school for a few years yet but he does have crayons here, both jumbo sized for little hands and triangular ones that won't roll all over. I can't wait for him to be ready for coloring books!

I just noticed how beautiful the sun is today. And the sky is a very pretty blue.  I have a few singles in my wallet from last week's garage sale and need to go to Target for a few things. I just might need to get myself a new box of crayons, maybe the 96 count pack!

See you at recess!

Love is in the air!

That would have been a perfect sign in Motown once upon a time. I grew up loving the Supremes. I liked their music, but I really liked their sparkly outfits. The closest I ever came to such an outfit was a sequined top that I bought to wear on a cruise around 15 years ago. I wore it to the captain's dinner on the ship, to a holiday party and to a wedding that winter but never had occasion to wear it again. Surprisingly, it did not improve my singing voice at all. I bet Diana and the girls shopped somewhere else.

Love is in the air, along with some ridiculous heat and humidity. The good news is that the 95 actual degree with an index of 99 will lessen, and the better news is that love will last. I've been reading Blondie's Journal about the wedding of her son and new daughter-in-law. Such a lovely, happy event! My son and daughter-in-law's first anniversary is a month away and reading Blondie's posts that led up to and through the wedding had me reminiscing.

My newly weds are celebrating their anniversary early and are on the other side of Michigan this weekend, revisiting the area they went to on their honeymoon last fall. This means that Bill and I are enjoying some round-the-clock time with our grandson. Grandparental love (if that isn't a legitimate word, I trust you to understand it) is so much more than I expected. It re-awakened feelings we had when our boys were born and brought newness and happiness to our lives in ways that defy explanation. It even makes us smile when we are tired, but to be truthful, it also makes us appreciate sleeping in or watching something other than Sprout TV when Colton goes home.

Another type of love is that of long time friends. A man having good buddies and a woman having great gal pals is wonderful, but when you find other couples that you and your partner equally and thoroughly enjoy, it is a case of 1 + 1 = 3 at least. Bill and I are fortunate to have a few couples in our lives that fit into this equation, and one of those couples visited us last week to tell us about their upcoming travel plans and asked if we were interested in booking the same trip. If the travel agency had been open 24/7, I would have booked the trip before they left our house! During possibly the coldest time in Michigan this coming winter, the four of us are going to Hawaii!

 

This trip will come months after our actual anniversary, but I don't think I'll mind.Our anniversary falls on Labor Day this year. It will be our 36th. If it weren't for our tall, handsome babies that are now full grown men, I would swear it has only been a few years since Bill and I tied the knot.