Saturday, December 30, 2006
Michael Barley Class in October
Christmas was a lot of fun this year. Devera had a fantastic time opening her gifts and playing with her new toys. She's been singing all the Christmas songs like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, & Here Comes Santa Claus constantly since the beginning of December.
My big surprise was from Toby. She signed me up for a class with Michael Barley in October. I've been wanting to take a class with Michael Barley for years now. I think he only teaches Intermediate and Advanced classes and I definitely consider him to be one of the Masters of Lampworking. I tried to get signed up last year but our schedules didn't allow for it. But now I'm all set....in October I'll be going up to Washington to take a 3-day class with him at Frantz Art Glass. Even know it is not until October I know it will go fast. It's always nice to get a fresh perspective on beadmaking. I'm also looking forward to seeing someone else's teaching style since I teach so many Beginning Lampworking classes myself. ...I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!
My big surprise was from Toby. She signed me up for a class with Michael Barley in October. I've been wanting to take a class with Michael Barley for years now. I think he only teaches Intermediate and Advanced classes and I definitely consider him to be one of the Masters of Lampworking. I tried to get signed up last year but our schedules didn't allow for it. But now I'm all set....in October I'll be going up to Washington to take a 3-day class with him at Frantz Art Glass. Even know it is not until October I know it will go fast. It's always nice to get a fresh perspective on beadmaking. I'm also looking forward to seeing someone else's teaching style since I teach so many Beginning Lampworking classes myself. ...I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Cookies for Santa!
Devera and I made cookies for Santa tonight. I think she enjoyed it, but in reality she enjoyed eating them the most. Snicker Doodles are so easy to make so they are great for kids to help with. However, I did make the error of using a glass measuring cup used for liquids for the flour - - I ended up having to throw the first mix out...how embarrassing. Oh well, it was still lots of fun. Good thing we had Mom around to make the catch! ...and to keep Devera busy when she got a little bored. The thing I've learned this Christmas is that Devera is about 1 year away from totally getting Christmas. ....at least she sings a mean tune of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!"
Happy Holidays Everyone!
Saturday, December 23, 2006
More Cupcakes....
I was sick today so Toby took Devera out for the afternoon so I could rest. They brought me back a super tasty cupcake....and of course some for them. I decided I'd snap a couple of pictures of the 2 of them. Now you see where Devera gets it from - those 2 love cupcakes!
Click here if you want to see some of the Halloween cupcake pictures from Toby's blog.
One last note, I think I'm going to take a week or two off from Ebay auctions just to have some time off. However, I've been going crazy on making beads this past week so there will be tons to look at in the new year.....stay tuned.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Santa or no Santa, that is the question?
So I had an interesting conversation with one of my friends from the office the other day. I asked him if his kids were into Santa Claus or not. He told me that they don't believe in Santa, that they've taught their kids that he's more like Mickey Mouse...make believe, but fun. He mentioned that he hated the idea of on one hand telling his kids "never lie" and on the other telling them that you've lied to them all of these years about Santa. So I thought about it a bit and I thought, that actually makes sense. While I like the idea of Santa Claus for other reasons, I could at least see his point. Who knows, maybe some day people won't tell their kids to believe in Santa because it's found to be harmful or something. It's not like the world stands still or anything. However, here a couple reasons I like the Santa story. (1) Tradition- isn't it great when things can be passed down from generation to generation? Both my sister and I buy 10 little presents for our kids to be opened one-at-a-time every day for the 10 days leading up to Christmas - - just like our Mom did with us when we were kids. The story of Santa Claus has been passed down for ages now right? (2) Imagination - a lot of the benefit of Santa Claus is that kids get to imagine what's going on, how the toys are being built, how the reindeer fly, etc....and in a world of TV and video games I'll take all the imagination I can get.
So I know what you are thinking, isn't being able to relate to the other kids important too? To me, this is a cruddy argument because there are so many different religions, beliefs, etc. - - kids are all exposed to a million different ideas and beliefs, many of which don't include Santa. And when are we going to stop trying so hard to be like everyone else anyway?
So there it is - - a little random thought on Santa. I appreciate my buddy telling me how they talk about Santa at their house. As a parent, it's pretty awesome to be able to talk to other parents about what they do with their kids. It's nice to hear some other ideas every once in awhile. ....and the thing I'm looking forward to most this year.....Devera and I are going to make some Snicker Doodles to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve. Devera loves talking about Santa and how he brings presents....super cute!
So I know what you are thinking, isn't being able to relate to the other kids important too? To me, this is a cruddy argument because there are so many different religions, beliefs, etc. - - kids are all exposed to a million different ideas and beliefs, many of which don't include Santa. And when are we going to stop trying so hard to be like everyone else anyway?
So there it is - - a little random thought on Santa. I appreciate my buddy telling me how they talk about Santa at their house. As a parent, it's pretty awesome to be able to talk to other parents about what they do with their kids. It's nice to hear some other ideas every once in awhile. ....and the thing I'm looking forward to most this year.....Devera and I are going to make some Snicker Doodles to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve. Devera loves talking about Santa and how he brings presents....super cute!
Monday, December 11, 2006
"Here You Go"
The last couple of days have been fun around here....and super busy. We had our holiday dinner on Saturday night. Toby made turkey this year and everyone else brought something. Great food, spirits, and conversation - - you can't beat it. It was a big turnout...13 adults & 4 kids, which made it all the more fun. So I bought a DVD for Devera that I planned on playing at the party but didn't get to it - - it was The Grinch that Stole Christmas. However, we've played it for her a couple times since. As expected, Devera loved it. She's been going around the house pretending to give us stuff and saying, "here you go" - - just like the Grinch did when he gave back all the toys and his heart grew 3 sizes...which she also talks about constantly. This is such a fun time of year!
Friday, December 08, 2006
Holiday Season
There are always some nice things about the holiday season that you just don't think about that often. First, there are lots of parties to go to - - which is great to catch up with friends and have a nice meal with people you might not see every week. And the other thing that really gets taken for granted is the number of shortened days from work and/or days off that usually go along with December. I think I've mentioned before that I consult for a local financial services company 3 days a week and make beads around that work. So my schedule is pretty flexible. However, Toby's is not as much....she works the typically M-F, 8-5 schedule. But today is a good example of the holiday hours - - they are letting everyone off at noon today so we are going to spend the afternoon together and go Christmas shopping downtown! Then next week she's off on Thursday and Friday so that will be fun too. ....and of course she's off on Christmas day and the day after...so that's a lot of days off! ...definitely looking forward to it!
Saturday, December 02, 2006
What a Nice Surprise
Wow - was it ever sunny today! For many parts of the country this is no big deal. But sunny days from November - May in Portland can sometimes be far and few between. Devera and I went to see Santa this morning down the street at a Pancake Breakfast. She had one bite of pancake and wouldn't get near Santa. He did come by and pat her on the head but she wasn't impressed.....oh well, they'll be lots more chances to see Santa....this year and next!
I also managed to put up another Special on my site. The beads are really spectacular - - super shiny. If you are interested in the beads just send me a quick email.
Hope you are enjoying the weekend as much as we are!
I also managed to put up another Special on my site. The beads are really spectacular - - super shiny. If you are interested in the beads just send me a quick email.
Hope you are enjoying the weekend as much as we are!
Borat, the Movie
Tonight Toby and I had date night - - super fun as always! Our daycare is so great - - about once a month they will keep the children until 10:30pm at night and let the parents go out. Now of course you have to pay (the same price as a babysitter - $8 per hour), but it's so great because the kids love their teachers and they usually get to do something special that they don't get to do during the day. On my way home with Devera tonight I asked her what she did and she said, "I watched a movie...Barney". Before tonight I think I was actually more familiar with who Barney was then her.....but she seemed pretty excited to have seen it.
Anyway, Toby and I saw the movie, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. If you are easily offended then this is definitely not the movie for you. ....but Toby and I thought it was pretty funny. It's basically a mockumentory about a guy who pretends he's from the country of Kazakhstan and talks to everyday Americans in his pursuit to meet Pamela Anderson. Some of the scenes are super uncomfortable but that's kind of the gyst of the movie....that while it's always easy to point out what's wrong in other countries it's just as obvious to other countries that America has it's own issues....and the people aren't all good here either.
There were plenty of funny scenes that actually had me laughing so hard I was crying, the one that comes to mind is when he is learning to drive a car and his drivers education teacher tells him, "you can't just marry any woman you desire in America....they have to like you too - - that's a good thing right?" And Borat answers, "that's not good for me!" So I give the movie an A if you like satirical movies ala Roger and Me, Best in Show, etc. I give it an F if you like summer blockbusters or romance movies ala Independance Day or Pretty Woman. There you have it....watch at your own risk.
Anyway, Toby and I saw the movie, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. If you are easily offended then this is definitely not the movie for you. ....but Toby and I thought it was pretty funny. It's basically a mockumentory about a guy who pretends he's from the country of Kazakhstan and talks to everyday Americans in his pursuit to meet Pamela Anderson. Some of the scenes are super uncomfortable but that's kind of the gyst of the movie....that while it's always easy to point out what's wrong in other countries it's just as obvious to other countries that America has it's own issues....and the people aren't all good here either.
There were plenty of funny scenes that actually had me laughing so hard I was crying, the one that comes to mind is when he is learning to drive a car and his drivers education teacher tells him, "you can't just marry any woman you desire in America....they have to like you too - - that's a good thing right?" And Borat answers, "that's not good for me!" So I give the movie an A if you like satirical movies ala Roger and Me, Best in Show, etc. I give it an F if you like summer blockbusters or romance movies ala Independance Day or Pretty Woman. There you have it....watch at your own risk.