Fiestaware Holiday

My nearest and dearest know I love my Fiestaware.  They make sure my holidays are colorful and bright by giving me new pieces for my vast collection.  This year I was the luckiest Tempest in the world.  I got plates, bowls, and serving utensils in Fiestaware. 


9 inch buffet plates and a lemon grass hostess bowl

 Medium Lapis Sized Heart Bowl with Small Tangerine Heart Bowl

 



New Serving Utensils with Medium Lapis Heart Bowl and Tardis Teapot

 

 

Now to figure out where to put it all.




That's Where Jewelry Comes From

Recently, I have been obsessed with the sell of Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry in mid-December.  I had my eye on the Bulgari Diamond and Emerald necklace.  I was happy to hear that Bulgari bought the necklace back for $6.1 million.  However, can I just say OUCH, that is much bucks for your bling.  I kept teasing my friends that I wanted the necklace for Christmas and if they all went in together they could probably get me a parking space to the auction.

However, all that necklace lust went out in the universe and I got four new, beautiful necklaces, and a kit to knit my own sparkly bauble for Christmas.  I think I am so lucky to have friends who know and love me so well.  I cannot wait to wear my new pieces of jewelry, I am just perplexed on which one to wear first.

Happy Birthday to My Wife

Birthday Girl with Fried Cheese Cake Dessert

Today is my wife's birthday.  Unlike me, my wife does not like to be the center of attention.  She truly is a no fuss kind of person.  After having such an awesome birthday this year (http://tempestinapot.blogspot.com/2011/03/lucky-in-iowa-or-how-i-got-married.html), I was at a loss as to what to do to make her day special.  After much discussion we decided to just go out for sushi and invited anyone who wanted to join us to show up, keeping it very casual.  And show up they did; we even had to move up to a larger set of tables to accommodate the crowd.  Much sushi was ordered and consumed, much birthday love shared, and a few silly cards enjoyed.  I looked around and felt the love, I know she did too.  At the end of the meal I headed down to pick up the check and Knitter Man had swooped in and already taken care of business.  Shocked (it truly was much sushi), I can only say thank you to Knitter Man and thank you to everyone who made this birthday lunch so special.  We are lucky to be so loved.

 THE SUSHI (California Roll, Crabsticks, Salmon Roll, Scallops, Caterpillar Roll)

Fried Cheese Cake (So Yummy)

Count Cross Stitch Scooby Wall Hanging From the Kluesners

Handmade Thread Ornament from Lenore

I Don't Like Monday

In a nod to Bob Geldof, I don't like Mondays.  Not my A day of the week.  I think it is because the dream is over and I am back at the grind living by someone else's rules.  Today at work was the usual mundane stuff that just wears me down.  Once I was out the door at 5:15 the night was mine and things improved.  I improved.

I had dinner with a good friend and as always it was a good time.  We ate at Lulu's Seafood Restaurant  (http://www.luluseafood.com/) in University City.  Tonight the dinner was capped by the most awesome fortunes in my cookie.  I was so lucky I ended up with two fortunes.

My Monday was obviously looking better and with fortunes like these, I was smiling all the way to my car. 

Immediately, my fortunes started coming true.  My friend gave me a new pair of size 7 knitting needles and a hug before we said good-bye.  I stopped by another friends house on the way home and she gave me a gift she had seen on vacation and knew it had to be mine.  As soon as I saw the satin and sequined flamingo box, I was so touched.   Finally, the sweetest thank you card was waiting for me when I walked in the door.  So much good fortune on a Monday night might make me reassess my opinion on Monday, sorry Bob.

Wedding Bells and Old Friends

The Newlyweds

I have a trio of weddings coming up in the next weeks.  They run the gambit from old friends, family, and another trip to Iowa.  I went to the first weddings today.  I was lucky (my word for the year) to be invited to the nuptials of a woman who I have known since kindergarten.  In other words most of my life.  She has always had the prettiest hair of anyone have I known.  I can remember sitting behind her in class and always wanting to touch her hair. 

Toothy Grins Were the Accessory of the Day

With my family in tow we went en mass to Ozark Outdoors (http://www.ozarkoutdoors.net/) for a very simple, but lovely afternoon wedding.  The bride was radiant, her dress perfect, and those gorgeous tresses of hers beautifully arranged.  I saw my friend smile like I have never seen her smile, she truly glowed with love.  Her new husband beamed with happiness as well.  I can only wish the two them the best in their new life.

Two of My Favorite People

I spent the late afternoon surrounded by my family, and other guests, basking in the celebration of two lives.  Other then the beautiful dresses and happy couple, I think the thing I liked best was the fact that everyone brought their dogs with them and with the doors open the canines came in and out of the reception enjoying the festivities as well.  I left the party feeling happy for my friend and glad to have had such a wonderful afternoon with my family. 

One down two weddings to go.

Three Days Off

I feel a deep sigh of relief as I sit here on my futon with my feet up, blogging, and watching Top Gear.  I have three whole days off.  No library, no crabby customers, or annoying phone beeping in my ear.  I will spend the next three days knitting, hanging out with friends, sleeping late, drinking ice tea, and starting to feel like my real self again.  I have really only a few goals.  I will do laundry, take out the trash, update my checkbook, and organize my knitting patterns.  Yes you heard me right.  I will drag out a stack of patterns organize them into neat little categories and file them in color coded notebooks.  Yup, lucky me, I am living large.   Don't envy me too much.

Yarn Crawling

1 Yarn Crawl, 2 Women, 4 Days, 12 Shops...Epic, Absolutely, Epic.  Each day we picked an area and focused on those yarn shops,  With 80s rock in the CD player we brought along the Garmin for help locating some of the shops (you really do need to update those things occasionally).  We put almost 200 miles on the car and did our best to help kick start the fiber economy,

We meet so many wonderful fiber enthusiast and shop owners.  I was surprised by all the cool things I saw.  I promised myself this year to focus on notions and not be seduced by green sock yarn.  At Loopy Ewe I was sorely tested, but held on to my goal and bought sock blockers, pattern tamers, and a cute notion bag.  At Meyer House I got an adorable pair of tiny scissors shaped like a puppy.  Today at the Bead Store in Fairview Heights, IL I even got a hairpin lace loom.  Okay, as much as I tried to resist, yarn was purchased.  Just for the record I did not buy any green sock yarn.

After 4 days and much debit card abuse, I am reflecting on my what was the best part of the yarn crawl.  I like all my new fiber stuff, but the time I got to spend with Natalie was my favorite part.  I always love doing things with her and this weekend was perfect.  We talked, we laughed, we ate pie, and just enjoyed having a good time.  The word lucky comes to mind, damn lucky.

I needed yoga socks because...

So I went to one of the local yarn stores and fell in love with this pattern for Twisted Rib Yoga Socks that was free with purchase of Plymouth Earth Oceanside Organic cotton yarn.  Free pattern, awesomely soft cotton yarn, and the desire for socks without toes and I was suddenly driven to make them even though I have never, ever done yoga.  I get that way sometimes, driven to do something that has no purpose.  At least in this case the mistake of knitting something totally frivolous and pointless made me smile.  So though these socks will never see any yoga classes, I will see them warming my feet and making me amused for months maybe years to come.  I am so lucky, I may not do yoga, but I know how to knit myself into happiness.

Quilting Bee, Or Lucky Me

I know I keep pushing the luck thing, but you know I have been especially lucky since my birthday.  Not only did I get a beautiful wife, but my wonderful mother gave me one of her freshly minted quilts.  I spent the last year seeing this quilt lay around in various stages and then to see it in a big bag with the word "birthday" printed on the side, I was dumbstruck.  I know the hours and thought that went into such a lovely creation.  I could describe the quilt, but a photo is truly worth a thousand words.

Birthday Quilt



The blocks of flowers set with the pinks is so lovely and sooooo my mother.  The oval printed fabric in with the pinks and the flowers sooooo not my mother.  She in not an abstract oval print person, but she told me this fabric just jumped out at her and she thought it would be a good contrast to the pinks.  I say, and you can quote me on this, mom was right.  The quilt is a stunner. 

My mom has been working on quilts for years. She is actually what she calls a topper. She loves the process of finding a pattern, picking out the fabric, tweaking the pattern, and doing all the piece work.  Once she has the top pieced she usually sends it out to be machine quilted.  I love watching her as she goes through the stages of putting together a quilt.  She can hand quilt, but says for her the magic is in the piecework.  I don't care how we get to the end product I just love the results. 

This quilt is the second one of her creation I have blogged about ( http://tempestinapot.blogspot.com/2009/11/day-twenty-seven-gratitude.html ).  To be the recipient of another quilt is as I have said before, humbling.  All the time, money, and labor to hand something so precious over to another is a gift which has no price tag. 

Mom's signature on the back

As much as I love the top of my quilt; my favorite part is on the back.  My mother has started to "sign" her quilts.  I love that she is so ingenious to put her unique hallmark on the back of something I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Lucky in Iowa, Or How I got Married.

I never thought I would be legally married, never.  But I am in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, District of Columbia, and Iowa.  How you might ask did such a thing happen?  Well sit back and let me tell you a story.  A good story about love, luck, and a trip to the great state of Iowa.

Wednesday my much beleaguered life partner, Natalie, called from Washington D C and said, "Since we both have Friday off, what do you want to do?"  Granted it wasn't just any old Friday but Friday, March 4, which has the distinction of being my birthday.  My 45th birthday if you are counting.  And if you are counting, the last two years my birthdays have been days marked by grief.  I wanted to do something special, something memorable, something to mark the change of luck in my life.  I really can't fully explain why, but as soon as I heard this question I only had one answer.

"Let's go to Iowa and get married,"  I said.

I heard Natalie say, "B...b...B..."  Silence and then, "We will talk about this later."

Later came and after much discussion (we are lesbians after all and nothing is ever decided without much processing), reflection, and a text message at 4:50 am eastern standard time that read, "Yes.  Why don't we go to Iowa and get married?  I love you." We decide to do the deed. 

But sometimes it takes a village or in this case a very persistent co-worker to make a wedding happen in 48 hours.  The great state of Iowa has rules for a marriage certificate and some counties are not as compliant as others.  Hurdle number one is the need for a justice of the peace in Iowa to do the joining.  Hurdle number two is the need for a witness that knows both parties.  Hurdle number three the three day waiting period before you can get married (so not giving Natalie the opportunity to change her mind).

Hurdle number two was easy my mom was enlisted to be our witness.  Hurdles one and three were a little more significant.  Thanks to the powers of google and fellow library assistant, Kim, it can be done.  After failing with one county to get the desired answers, she and I looked until we found my new favorite county in Iowa, Johnson County.  In the county seat of Iowa City, Iowa we found a Recorder of Deeds who had a great web page and the helpful suggestion of how to get pass the three day rule plus a list of judges and phone numbers.  A few calls and a few squeals later a plan was laid.  It was Iowa or bust.

 Friday morning with my mother (and her white mini-van) in tow we hopped on highway 61 and headed north.  I will admit to you my friends, I was positively simmering over with excitement.  I know my two favorite ladies in the world (mom and Natalie) were ready to make me ride on the roof to get me to shut up.  However, happiness brooks no deterrent, so they suffered my gushing patter on the four and half hour drive to Iowa City with no incident. 



The very awesome Carrie



We hit the administrative building at about 11:30 am central standard time like kids hitting the gate at Disneyland.  Our clerk's name was Carrie and she was everything you don't expect from a civil servant.  She was cheerful, helpful, and downright giddy to help us achieve the goal of getting us married on my birthday.  The day truly was a group effort with the employees of Johnson County doing most of the work.  Every time we showed up at the recorders office (a total of three times) Carrie was there to make our dream come true. 

This trip also required three trips to the county court house too, an awesome old building with old woodwork, vintage tile,  beautiful stained glass, and stairs, lots of stairs.  We met an amazing bailiff named Sue who made sure everyone knew we needed extra attention.  Sue kept the machinery of county bureaucracy moving for us.  By 2:00 pm central standard time Natalie and I were spouse and spouse. 

Judge Karen performed a beautiful and simple service, which I cried through.  We exchanged our wedding rings we bought for each other in 1992 and kissed in front of Judge Karen, Sue, and my mother.  Hugs went all the way around the court room and there it was we were after so many years MARRIED.  On our last trip to the Recorder's Office we picked up the actual Marriage Certificate and I said to Carrie, "I am so excited."

Carrie gave me a smile and said, "Do you think?"  I just can't thank the wonderful civil servants of Johnson County enough for all the help and attention, they truly were my heroes on my wedding day.



Judge Karen, Mom, and the newlyweds



On the four and half hour drive home my beautiful wife (and I mean that when I say it) asked, "Do you feel different?"

I could only say, "Yes, I feel empowered!"  What I didn't say then and I will say now, I feel lucky.  Lucky Natalie would have me.  Lucky my mother was with me.  And very lucky we live close enough to make it to Iowa in a day to get married.  I wish all non-traditional couple could be this lucky.

Texting Catapillar,R Slacking on Youtube

I can get lost in youtube for hours watching videos.  Today I was in a Disney mood.  This clip is one of my favorites from Alice in Wonderland.  I love the smoke letter blowing caterpillar.  I was surprised by how similar to texting some of those smoke missives were. I also adore his little, pointy-toed, slippers and the elaborate hookah pipe; the items are just too decadent.  I am sure there are parents who might be offended by him blowing smoke letters in her face, but I love how the "C" becomes a bracelet on Alice's wrist.  When I first saw this movie I loved the multi-colored smoke and felt very smart that I recognized he was singing out vowels.  I can remember wanting to sit through the movie twice just to see this scene again.  Today a few clicks on youtube or with a DVD player and I can watch the wonderful philosophical exchange between a caterpillar and a little girl ad nauseum.  On a day that is so cold and snowy, I am very lucky to be able to do just that.

Putting Away 2010

This time last year my life was very full of those things none of us like to confront.  Watching my dad's life slipping away, I just could not be bothered to worry about the growing stack of papers with 2010 printed on them accumulating on my desk.  Somewhere in late April I noticed the mess, but by then I just did not even care that the stack was growing larger and starting to take over.  By October I was starting to care about the size of the stack, but I thought I would just put it off until the end of the year.  The end of the year came and I was looking at an organizational mess.  I dreaded even looking in the general direction of my desk. 

This weekend was one of those amazing longed for 4 day weekends.  I set my mind to it and with much determination set about getting this paper monster tamed.  On some level, it was filing bank statements and receipts, boring, but not emotional.  On another level it was almost as painful as reliving the last year.  Sandwiched in between phone bills and pay stubs were condolence cards and photos of my dad.  Little emotional hand grenades making me tear up and  sometimes cry. I stayed resolute and soldiered on.

I also found stacks of birthday cards and notes from my friends. Colorful little missives that I could hardly bring myself to open let alone read when they arrived.  I threw them into the stack of papers and forgot them.  This weekend with time and distance the thoughts of love and good wishes actually could seep through and warm my soul.  They made me feel really lucky (my word for 2011) to have such wonderful friends. 

Project: see the surface of my desk and be able to start organizing my life again is a success.  I have a clean surface, Files are boxed up, given a disposal date, and neatly stacked in the basement.  It is a small start, but a start.  I can control the space around my desk and from here I will be able to start putting the other pieces of my life together.  Things are improving, my desk is all the proof I need.

Lucky in Love

So my resolution to be luckier in 2011 is off to a great start.  I got to spend the beginning  of the year with one of my favorite godsons (OK my only godson), Jase, up from Florida.  Jase is such an amazing godson, he is a world traveler full of love and energy.  His passion for life is infectious and I always feel so alive when he is around.  I have watched him grow from an energetic young adult to a compassion man out to make a difference in his life and the lives of those he touches.  I always get excited when I get the opportunity to spend time with him. 

This trip we ate at some of our favorite restaurants.  We shopped, bar-hopped, saw the city, and just enjoyed the comfort of spending time with someone you truly love.  I talked about how difficult 2010 was and about the loss of my father.  I was surprised by how patiently he listened, and how I kept my tears to a minimum.  He talked about his job and his new passion for marathon running.  We shared pieces of ourselves without fear of judgement or disdain.  I needed that and I hope he did too.

Today we left our beautiful boy, now a man, at the airport this evening.  I felt a little twinge, not knowing when we will see each other again.  However, I feel lucky for having been given the gift of these last few days with Jase and Natalie.  Resolutely, I remain lucky.