a question and answer forum.....for the time being. All things change and become something else if there is growth even Olde Baggs.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

The Butterfly Effect Project

When I read about this project on faerwillow's blog ~serendipity~, I just knew I wanted to participate. I also know that there are so many of you talented folks out there who can take a moment in time and contribute your talents to this endeavor by making and sending a butterfly and perhaps help stop hatred and hope for peace.

The goal is to have 1,500,000 butterflies to represent the a million and a half children who died in the holocaust. Read the information for The Butterfly Effect here on Two Dresses Studio blog


This poem literally gave "wings" to the project...........
I Never Saw Another Butterfly
The last, the very last

So richly, brightly, dazzingly, yellow
Perhaps, if the suns tears would sing
against a white stone.....

Such, such a yellow
Is carried lightly 'way up high
It went away I'm sure
because it wished
to kiss the world goodbye.

For seven weeks I've lived in here
Penned up inside this ghetto
But I have found what I love here
The dandelions call to me.
And the White chesnut brnaches in the court.

Only I never saw another butterfly
That butterfly was the last one.
Butterflies do not live in here, in the ghetto.

Written by Pavel Friedman June 4, 1942

Born in Prague on January 7, 1921
Deported to the Terezin Concentration Camp April 26, 1942
Died in Aushchwitz on September 29, 1944

So far there have been 111 butterflies collected by Two Dresses Studio but that is not the only way to contribute your butterflies you can send it directly to the Holocast Museum in Houston, Texas if you want to send your butterfly direct. It is all on the website. Thanks for considering this.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Wanted to share this with you.........

I don't usually have much nice to say about my state government...inbred, high browed, low morals is usually the terms I would use but today I can honestly say.....wo hoot, there is at least one thinking human being in the government sector.

A northern New Mexican district attorney's office has started using a pet therapy dog as a companion for young children to make it easier for the abused kids to relate their stories at interview and then if need be in court. The dog is introduced to the child early in the reporting phase and accompanies the child to any and all occasions where they may have to calmly recount the abuse.

Who would have thought that the milk of human kindness would be dispensed by a lovely young black lab and give courage to the youngest victims of abuse? Yay for the thinking humans in "not my county" but in the northern part of the state. Maybe some of that compassion will rub off on others if this pilot program goes well. I can really see how having a warm, breathing, loving dog next to you would be a boon for a child in a terribly frightening situation.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Update on us.......

We're good. It is because of your prayers, candles, thoughts, concern and love.

Someone asked me today if I was worried and I honestly answered no. I am at peace. I so feel what all of you are doing is working. I can just concentrate on making things as normal as possible.

You deserve an update because you too are a part of what is going on. Only a little more time and we will be over that hurdle.

We are grateful and thankful.

Keep up the good works my friends.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Golden Girls Theme Song just for us........



Just sharing this because...........................

Thursday, January 20, 2011

For all the love..........

Thank you.

Our girl said she felt tucked in tight, all warm and secure with all the love and support you all sent to her.

I am just bowled over by the generosity of spirit and comfort offered up by you lovelies.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Quiet Moon comes.................

This has been a very interesting last two weeks. The beginning of the new year is always a tumultuous time for me. It's like facing a blank page with a new box of crayons. I know I will do something.......but I'm not sure which direction to take. New beginnings whether real or imagined are stressful. Stress can come from both positive and negative influences as we all know.

I made a decision to take the word MELD as my word for this year. I had no idea that so many necessary parts of my life would need attending to and need the melting and welding process that I have taken as my mantra. Every day I say to myself....one step at a time and by the time I fall into bed at night I wonder how it is that I have faced, completed, or been challenged by so many, many things. It is as if I've gone to a batting cage and the balls are just flying at me at a bazillion miles an hour.

Ya think if I had chosen disjointed or namby pamby as my word that I'd still be seated on my rotund rear doing my same old, same old? Nah me either. I am doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done. But lovelies, I am already at a full speed run. (I don't run by the way, my old knees won't let me but you get my point).

The physicality of the days is amped up by the emotionality of where I am right now and where my darlings are in our dealings with the real world with the abuse issue. I am Sancho to my daughter's Don Quixote, but the windmills are beginning to take form.

I wish I could go into more details with all of you so that you could have a better understanding of what is happening right now, but alas since I am being stalked on all my blogs, it is not safe to go into details.

And so, I am looking forward to celebrating the Quiet Moon....the first full moon of the year and taking advantage of resting in the fullness of her glow. And I am asking any of you who feel like you could give my grands some prayers, some energy, some healing, some protection, they need your assistance, as do I. Email me and I will give you particulars if you are able to help.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Self doubt thy name is...............

me. Or at least was until the last few years. And occasionally comes for a quick put down visit (like my Mom used to) every once in a while.

Yet another dear bloggie buddy has admitted to the fatal flaw of self doubt. That makes 4 buddies in the last 2 weeks who have fallen to the admittance of the opposite of arrogance.

Hey I don't think there is anyone who doesn't suffer from self doubt at some point in their life but for some of us it is a way of life. A mantra. A ball and chain that keeps us from beginning, or finishing (which is my particular disorder) or even trying. It's not like you can call up Snow White and ask the boys to come over and whistle a happy tune and it just goes away. First you have to know from whence it cometh.

I was a pretty precocious toddler. Full of all things wondrous to me. A regular kid or so I have gathered from family banter, some vague memories and pictures from that time in my life. There was a light in my eyes that went missing for a long time. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I have shared with you in the past about my school age encounters with the "nuns" and how I wasn't prepared to be the only non catholic child in an all girl catholic school. I always imagined that my being ostracized because of my lack of obeying the "eat all your food, there are children dying in India" thing and Sister Mary Geraldine telling the girls not to play with me because I was evil was what began my trip down the self doubt highway. But I now know that it was the abuse at home which I blocked out of my mind for almost 5 decades that really sent me into a downward spiral. But I didn't know the whole truth in my authentic self so....the nuns were the bad guys. I apologize to the nuns at St. Vincent's Academy for girls for the bad mouth all those years. But they do still owe me on the making me eat green beans everyday for a month thing and the spankings.

The effect of self doubt took me from light to darkness. I wouldn't wait for someone else to demean me. I was first in line. I never let anyone make fun of me, I did it first. But in all the darkness there were little spurts of creativity that got me the attention I craved and needed. A wonderful chorus teacher in 7th grade who had me sing in front of the whole school, a neighbor lady who let me ask her questions say anything to her on any subject and told me how funny and charming I was, an art history professor in college who said I had potential, a man who loves me no matter how nutz I act, a beautiful, caring daughter, grands who look at me with eyes filled with wonder and amazement at what I can do for and with them, friends who love me back and let me love them have all taken me a lifetime to come to, cherish and hold me together.

But when I read about someone else's doubts and pain I ache for them. I want to fix it so they don't wander in that darkness, but I can't. The only path to self acceptance comes from self awareness. My wish is that they won't spend 50 years not knowing, 8 years forgiving themselves for not knowing and not have enough days left in the rest of their life to do all that is possible. That's my sorrow and my joy. For you see at least I have today to accomplish something.

Celebrate your authentic self NOW.....ya never know.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Okay let's get with it, times a wasting here.............

Ya know, I'm tired of being sick. I'm tired of being tired. Hell I'm tired of hearing me talk about being tired.....but alas and alack....that's the way it is. For some unknown reason to me, my immune system has just stuck out it's tongue and said AWHHHHHH for any an all little germy things that float by. I'm tempted to start gargling with anti-bacterial hand sanitizer.

I mean it's 10 days past the starting gun and I'm still sitting here waiting for my legs to listen to my brain, which is in neutral. I guess. I was on meds until Thurs. last and as soon as I quit taking the silly, foul tasting things....yep, achoo, ick and sniff, blow came back. The kids haven't even been in school long enough to bring any fresh germies in. WTH. It's not like I've been anywhere. It's not like I went out and licked the handle on the cart at Walmart to see if I could come down with some dreaded something. I've been minding my own business taking pictures of cute little witches, toys, destash trash and making valentines.

That must be it...it's the Valentines that did this. Yeah, thinking happy thoughts and doing goodie things is so contrary to my evil nature that I made myself sick. Nah, I'm not swallowing that either, with my tea and lemon and honey.

Kid update: GK fell down, went boom, spent some time in the ER and got another x-ray on the other wrist this time. Bad sprain (wrist imobilizer, sling), she was very disappointed that there was no casting involved. Yeah she would have loved it about hour 3. Ry went for some evaluations and came home raving about his new good friend the chubby lady who looks like Oma who let him play with dinosaurs. I swear he is a trip to Disneyland every day.

Adult update: same old (%^$ for both Shelley and Joe. Poor workers of the world. But at least their working. Me, I'm gonna make a fortune on the cure for the common bitch and moan woman over 60.

Good things right around the corner, just another day in paradise my dears.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

A Wizard of OZ celebration is coming soon to a blog near you......

I posed a question about having a blog party to Celebrate OZ after our Halloween party extravaganza this fall, especially since the grands and I had such a super exciting and enlightening time, writing our story, doing the decos, setting the stage for the enactment of the tale and then the Halloween party at the Royal Spiders abode. The story of two journeyors and their trials to find the missing spider was so fun and turned into a three day do. We were ready for another challenge. And since we are dyed in the wool WOZ aholics......That's Wizard of Oz to those uninitiated in ways of the crazies....we are having a WOZ blog party.

Whether you're a fan of the books (which I have read since I asked the question and wow what a difference), the screen plays (so many, who knew) the movie (that also has an interesting back story), the good witch Glinda and the bad witch Elphaba, the Broadway play Wicked, or just a love of all things Ozzie and not the English mumbler married to the little mouthy broad. And to my great surprise and amazement, almost to the last lovely, the answer was yes. So.....the date of the event is March 19, 2011, Celebrate OZ just before the spring equinox.

I will have the button to link back on OmaLinda's Olde Baggs n Stuft Shirts and you'll be able to add your blog to the WOZ party roll tomorrow. My only request would be that you pass the information along.

Visions of munchkins, yellow brick roads and flying monkeys dance in your heads.

So my pretties, til we melt the bad and ding dong the good........

Monday, January 3, 2011

Introduction of the poopy doos............

Odin has been well since we brought him home. Thanks for your concern.

So we were baking the other day and GK wanted to know if she could make dinner. I said sure what would you like to fix? She said she would like some pinto beans and tortillas. She brought tears to my eyes. REally??????, you want to fix NM food. Sure she said, then I can have burritos later on.

So, without further ado, she goes to the pantry pulls out the bean canister and begins to sort, wash and put the beans with a frozen ham bone in the pot to boil, let stand for an hour and then put the top on the pressure cooker and fire it up for 20 minutes. I guess this means she has been watching. She wouldn't let me help her.

Then on to the tortillas. We saw a recipe online that was for tortillas in a bag. I had it printed out because it looked interesting. Not traditional but interesting. GK asked if she could do that one because it looked easier than the way I usually do it. Sure says I and she was off in a flash to measure all the dry ingredients with the lard. She followed the directions to the letter and we had some hot, good flavor tortillas for dinner. But I am getting ahead of myself. 

She then wanted to make a quick dessert. I didn't have any ideas and she asked if she could make up a recipe. Ummmmm okay. And this is what she came up with: poopy doos also known in 10 year old circles as Snowman poo.
The scary thing is, it was pretty good....so long as I didn't think about the name. Mini marshmallows, milk chocolate chips, drizzled with chocolate almond bark and topped with big chunk clear sprinkles for frost on the poo.

Dinner was wonderful and now she wants to make sloppy joes tonight, I asked for left over cookies for dessert.....no use pushing the creative process too far eh?

Don't forget the information and sign up for Celebrate OZ is coming to http://lindaomasoldebaggnstuftshirts.blogspot.com/ this Friday 

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Interesting beginning to the New Year.....

Hope you all survived your New Year's eve celebrations. We lived it up and celebrated with New York at 10 our time cuz SM had to be at work at 5:30am this morning. We did however toast in the new year with sparkling cider, silly hats, noisemakers and those little bottle shaped pop thingies that have a cap in them and make a mess everywhere.

Then this morning, when I finally drug myself out of bed at 8am, GK came in and told me that her Mom had gone to get us breakfast. Yeah, I can get up pretty quickly when I don't have to cook. GK also told me that Odin (my chubacabra grand dog, who we rescued from Espanola, NM 6 years ago) had had another one of his seizures.

Odin has mild seizure about twice a month. He acts like Don Knotts in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken about 80% of the time. He is a mess. He is so obsessive/compulsive and nervous that he won't step on certain 18" tiles in my great room. He skips some of them and slips and then looks all wide eyed and well..............Odin. Crazy dog. But he has always been that way. When the pound in Espanola got him, he had mange, he was malnourished, was icky beyound belief and my lovely and kind hearted child fell in love with him from a picture of the little waif creature on the internet (Pet Finder). So we drove up and plucked him from the pound. This smelly, tiny, shaking bundle slept in my arms as we brought him home cleaned him up and hoped for the best. Needless to say his immune system as well as his physiology was compromised by his rough beginnings. So when I say we are used to his odd behavior it is because we love him so very much.

Last year this time when my beautiful Willow (St. Bernard) began having her seizures, Odin was our first line of knowing. He would alert us to her before she even started her terrible ordeals. And when we had no choice but to put her out of her misery, he really missed his big, little sister.

And when Shelley got back home with breakfast, Odin had what I would say was a life altering attack. Not like Willows shaking, jerking, drooling and going to another reality, he was lucid the entire time and in pain. It was as though he was having a giant "charlie horse" cramp over his entire body. It continued for almost an hour even after we used valium on him. So off to the emergency vet he was taken.

Shelley and I talked our options for him over and prepared ourselves and the children for what might have to happen. It was one helluva morning, waiting, worrying and waiting some more. But you know during that time GK and I (after she stopped crying, which was a lengthy process) discussed the positives (blessings) of the situation: her Mom had today off of work and was home to take care of him and I could stay with them, he lived longer than any of us hoped he might have, he was the best dog in the world, she could always say he was her protector dog and that when we cross over the rainbow bridge he would be there waiting for us with Willow and the other furry children we have loved. All of this in preparation of the worst because that's what we grown ups thought.

The vet could find nothing wrong with him. Nothing showed up in the blood work that would indicate a reason for the seizure. So against their advice (because they wanted to keep him for observation, we (all four of us) went to get Odin who had not had another seizure all day. While at the vets office we saw life played out in some very bizarre ways. Pets getting into prescription meds, a little dog having difficulty birthing her pups, cat taking out her own stitches, a puppy chewing part of it's foot off along with the bandages, and a couple who brought in their 16 year old dog to put her to sleep. Not exactly what I had planned to do today but taking the high road. I was an observer today. Except for the lady who was putting down her dog. While her husband had to take care of their dog, I had to go up and give her a hug and tell her I knew how she felt and then hold her while she cried. Afterwards, she seemed to have more strength to do what she had to do.

We are going to take this day by day. But I must say that the blessing of today for me was the watching the fabulous job of mothering my daughter did by being so tender, taking time to explain, being honest with and honoring her children by letting them express themselves in a time of real stress, inspite of her own feelings of worry. It was a time of love, respect and truth shared. I am so very proud of the 3 of them. I am a wreck. But my pride in them served as my support today and I am seeing this not as a terrible beginning to 2011 but rather a really special day shared by 3 generations.

Odin is resting comfortably on Shelley's bed with the 3 of them, as they go about the night's snuggle time.

Good night friends.