Archive for June, 2009
Dinner out and in
Yesterday afternoon the hubster and I were invited to dinner at our son and his girlfriend’s apartment. Our very first visit! It was delightful!
They live smack in the center of Philadelphia in what is popularly known as University City, which is where Drexel University and the University of Penn have their campuses. Their apartment is a restored and converted old Philadelphia home. The front porch is beautifully tiled. Inside the side walls are exposed brick. There is laminate flooring through out, a new kitchen with dishwasher, microwave and glass top stove. The living room and kitchen are one big room which they’ve sectioned out with a couch and table. They’ve decorated the bathroom in pirate style with skull and crossbone shower curtain, fishnetting with shells and a stuffed manta ray…all absolutely great!
They made Chicken Cordon Bleu with white cream sauce, mushroom couscous and fresh corn on the cob. Dessert was Breyer’s French Vanilla ice cream. Absolutely delish!!
They have no TV but our son is a Boston Red Sox fan like his Dad, so the game was on the iPhone/radio. We chatted all afternoon into early evening.
It was such fun to be with DS and his GF. They are hilarious together and clearly care for one another. I look forward to doing it again.
6 comments June 29, 2009
Being “Crafty”
Here are a couple of projects I started working on post-graduation.
This first one will eventually be a baby blanket, the last of 3. It is for my son’s best friend and his wife. I chose the popcorn stitch in baby green and white. There will be three green stripes of the same width and two stripes of white of the same width. I am pleased with how nicely it is turning out.
This photo is of the beginning crosstitch work on the white winding cloth my parish uses on the Cross at Easter. The design will be in the shape of a big “C”, the bottom of which will be small pink flowers, and the back will be Irises in two shades of purple. The pattern will then be repeated on the opposing side of the cloth in a backwards “C” so the openings of the design will face each other. The finished design will measure 7 inches wide by 9 inches high. I will keep posting photos as I progress. It will keep me moving to get the project done before Easter!
7 comments June 27, 2009
Sorrowful News
The news was full of sorrowful tales today. Sorrowful for a whole host of reasons.
It appears that the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson has died of cardiac arrest at the age of 50. Read about it here. He was an incredibly talented person and before all his plastic surgery, a nice looking man. His life as a reculse will, no doubt, be written about and speculated upon for quite some time. I enjoyed his early music.
Farrah Fawcett has also died. Read about it here. Her death has been replaced as a leading headline by that of Mr. Jackson’s death. Farrah’s death because of anal cancer is tragic. It must have been incredibly painful among other things.
According to Webmd, anal cancer “is usually curable,” is “an uncommon malignancy,” and is on the increase due to the number of persons practicing unsafe “receptive” anal sexual intercourse with multiple persons. According to Webmd, HPV infection is “strongly associated with anal cancer development.” You can read the entire article here.
There are no words Dear Readers, on any number of levels.
I can only say, may they rest in peace. May their families be comforted.
2 comments June 25, 2009
Old Believer Village
These are some of the most wonderful photos. The wizened faces which bear the lines of much work and laughter are beyond beautiful. The women’s hands, knotty and gnarled with blunted finger tips, show years of hard labor but also have an elegance and tenderness to them. They have diapered little ones, soothed a hurt, made meals, sewed clothing, fed livestock, weeded gardens. They are rough like sand paper. Yet can pick up a fine needle.
My life does not know work like that. My face will not have this beautiful elegance when I am old. My hands will be soft and uncalloused.
This makes me sad.
7 comments June 24, 2009
Phillies vs. Red Sox
The kids went to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia to watch the Boston Red Sox and the Phillies play ball. Unfortunately, the Phillies beat the Sox but it appears all had a good time anyway. (Yes Mimi, the kids were raised right – thanks to the hubster who has been a Sox fan since knee high to a grasshopper!) Enjoy the photos!
DD & her BF at the game!
What is a Phillies game without the Phanatic!
DD & DS sharing ‘a moment’. LOL!
6 comments June 14, 2009
Lecherous Letterman
Good on you Sarah Palin, for shooting down Letterman’s invite to show up on his sick show. David Letterman is an old man who thinks his brand of lecherous thoughts and sick jokes are funny. Not!
Though he made have admitted that his joke about Willow Palin was ‘in poor taste,‘ he should of thought of that before he said it. He got caught with his proverbial pants down and now is back pedalling. Sorry David. Too late.
I agree with Palin’s comment, “…that acceptance of inappropriate sexual comments about an underage girl, … contributes to the atrociously high rate of sexual exploitation of minors by older men who use and abuse others.’ ” Read the rest of the story here.
7 comments June 12, 2009
And the winners are….
Sincerest congratulations to all the winners! Be sure to check them out Dear Readers! I know I will. Also posted on the Eastern Christian New Media Awards are all those nominees. Be assured I will be checking them all out and adding them to my Google Reader!
Again, my sincerest thanks to whomever nominated Lost in-Elegant Cogitations and to whomever may have voted for this little blog.
Best Church News Blog
Best Individual Blog
Best Group Blog
Best Theology Blog
Best Domestic Church Blog
Most Visually Attractive Blog – (Tie!)
Funniest Blog
Best Forum
Best Podcast or Internet Radio Show
2 comments June 11, 2009
New toys
Monday evening I spent a joyful hour wandering around our local craft store, A. C. Moore shopping for new toys thanks to some graduation gifts. I love that store!
For sometime I have been eyeing a stitch craft called Punch Needle Embroidery. Apparently it is an old technique used by Russians to decorate their clothing. The design is worked from the back of the fabric with a special hollow needle that has been threaded with floss. It is a bit complicated for me to explain since this is a new style of needlework for me.
I purchased a little kit and a punch needle so I could experiment. I am thinking about using this technique to embroider a Russian design on the white cloth we use at the parish for the shroud we drape over the cross Pascha through Ascension. I purchased a pattern book called Russian Punchneedle Embroidery by Gail Bird. If I am not pleased with the results of my little experiment, no harm done. I will find a suitable design to crosstitch on the shroud. I may call upon Mrs. Mutton for pattern ideas.
Another little ‘toy’ I purchased was a tapestry crochet hook case to store all of my hooks in. That’s better than rubberbanding them together!
I spent a good bit of time in the yarn aisle but did not come away with anything new. I am currently working on baby blanket number 3 which I hope to get done in the next 30 to 45 days. I am doing a popcorn stitch on an open weave. Five popcorn rows of pastel baby green. Ten popcorn rows of soft white. Repeat five times for the green and three for the white. Then I’ll do a simple border stitch to finish it off.
Of course, what is a trip to the craft store without pawing through the discount shelves?! There I came away with a very simple and small crosstitch for “new baby”; one of those little kits that came with a pink heart shaped frame for $1.00. Also another crosstitch kit of bird houses for $5.00.
I was excited! Heck, I still am! Wish I didn’t have to go to work so I could stay home and play with my new toys all day!
3 comments June 11, 2009
What ‘haven’t’ you done?
I was reading Mom to the Screaming Masses, and she had a neat little post listing things that she’s never done that might make you go – Really?!?! Naturally, being the person that I am, I filched the idea and made my own little list.
- I’ve never had my legs or face or arms or eyebrows waxed (and don’t intend to!)
- I’ve never had a professional manicure or pedicure or massage.
- I’ve never watched Grey’s Anatomy or Desperate Housewives.
- I’ve never gone sky diving.
- I’ve never gone scuba diving.
- I’ve never driven a motor home.
- I’ve never had any plastic surgery.
- I’ve never been to Las Vegas.
- I’ve never used an iPod or iPhone
What’s funny to me is that I’ve done lots of things that are on some people’s list, like been to NYC, eaten lobster and Indian food, attended a professional sporting event, been to a prom, gone skiing, and been to Disney World – a place I never want to go again.
What’s on your list of “never done”?
10 comments June 7, 2009
Women and heart attacks
Lady Readers, this is for us. Heart attack warning signs for women can be different than they are for men. One of the first signs is denial. “Me? Having a heart attack? Not me!” Uh….yes, YOU!
Tuesday my mother had a mild heart attack. She had been feeling discomfort in her left arm, left hand numbness, and pain in her upper back. While it is true she is in constant pain from her osteo-arthritis, she did not isolate these as being warning signs —- for 7 days! Not until she called her cardiologist to make an appointment who told her, “Get thee to an ER” which was after having received a pain injection from her pain management doctor earlier in the day and after waking up from a nap with the same pains and now chest pain included in the mix did she go.
Once at the hospital she was whisked into the cath lab where 3 arteries were cleared of blockage and 5 stents inserted. There she remains “feeling great” and hoping to go home soon.
The denial is real ladies. How do I know? Been there. Done that. Once with the hubster. And when I was having a terrible bout of heart burn, the nurse at the doc’s office had to talk me into going to the ER because it could have been a heart attack. And what was I doing? Arguing with her!! “No, I know it is not a heart attack!!” I kept saying. Geesh. I went. I was right. But…what if I had been wrong?!
So I offer you the following information Lady Readers.
“They wish that they had known that symptoms such as neck and shoulder pain, abdominal discomfort that was easy to mistake for indigestion, or unusual fatigue could signal a heart problem,” she said. “They often said that TV doesn’t show examples of the symptoms they experienced. If they knew, they would have responded to the symptoms sooner.”
Read more: “Women Less Likely to Spot Heart Attack Warning Signs” – http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/05/women_heart_attacks.html#ixzz0HOr6Z1dx&A
5 comments June 4, 2009
