Time to close this chapter.
I have made the leap into the great unknown. I have designed my own home on the Internet Superhighway.
Come visit me at Susansthoughtsfromtheedge.http://susansthoughtsfromtheedge.com/
By all means poke around here. There is so much good stuff on this blog. Then meet me over there... much more good stuff to come!
Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Friday, March 8, 2013
Moving Day!
I did it. I have moved. All the content here, stays here. Please if you are stopping by, do enjoy. To see all current content, please direct your attention this way!
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Things are changing all around me...
Well not exactly. I am changing them.
In the coming weeks I will be migrating this blog, to my own website. I bought the domain -- susansthoughtsfromtheedge.com. I am going to build my own website using WordPress. Changes are also coming to my business, which after a hiatus, is reemerging, slightly new and different focus.
This January I took Allison Lehman's WordPress class and I finally feel empowered and competent enough to build my own space. That is coming in March. I will likely shift my blogging focus a bit and my plan is to try and refocus my writing.
This blog is not going away. I will leave it up. Instead of trying to import nearly 7 years worth of posts into the new space, I will link to this blog, so that people can look back if they want to. Some of the really good posts, I will likely repost and many of my DIY projects may make a reappearance.
Why am I changing? Well, blogger has made some updates and honestly, for new bloggers or those who want to blog and go, I can 100% say Blogger's platform is the way to go. It is easy. This is why I have stayed here for 7 years. This last upgrade, in my opinion was actually a slight step backwards. My skills and blog aesthetic have outgrown Blogger and frankly all the cool kids are talking WordPress.
WordPress is really flexible and it has some neat bells and whistles. I have used the back end of WordPress for years-- carefully posting content for clients and hoping like hell, I didn't accidentally blow anything up. Well now, I am going to try building my own place, from the ground up.
My goal is to have this all finished by the end of the first quarter 2013. So hang tight... change is coming and soon.
In the coming weeks I will be migrating this blog, to my own website. I bought the domain -- susansthoughtsfromtheedge.com. I am going to build my own website using WordPress. Changes are also coming to my business, which after a hiatus, is reemerging, slightly new and different focus.
This January I took Allison Lehman's WordPress class and I finally feel empowered and competent enough to build my own space. That is coming in March. I will likely shift my blogging focus a bit and my plan is to try and refocus my writing.
This blog is not going away. I will leave it up. Instead of trying to import nearly 7 years worth of posts into the new space, I will link to this blog, so that people can look back if they want to. Some of the really good posts, I will likely repost and many of my DIY projects may make a reappearance.
Why am I changing? Well, blogger has made some updates and honestly, for new bloggers or those who want to blog and go, I can 100% say Blogger's platform is the way to go. It is easy. This is why I have stayed here for 7 years. This last upgrade, in my opinion was actually a slight step backwards. My skills and blog aesthetic have outgrown Blogger and frankly all the cool kids are talking WordPress.
WordPress is really flexible and it has some neat bells and whistles. I have used the back end of WordPress for years-- carefully posting content for clients and hoping like hell, I didn't accidentally blow anything up. Well now, I am going to try building my own place, from the ground up.
My goal is to have this all finished by the end of the first quarter 2013. So hang tight... change is coming and soon.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
The new Nationwide Children's Hospital
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| Lobby leading to Hospital Pharmacy and the Emergency Department |
We met in the underground parking lot on Saturday, June 2, 2012. I think there were about 18 bloggers in all. It was exciting to meet some of my twitter pals.
The MBA in me was totally impressed. This beautiful building, campus and total process overhaul took only 6 years to accomplish. From strategic plan to reality in 6 years. Amazing. Simply amazing. As on friend, who was Twitter timeline bombed by our hashtag #everythingmatters, said this hospital and their process, very well could change the face of health care delivery. I am inclined to agree.
On the tour our guide emphasized over and over that the process included all stakeholders. Doctors, nurses, staff, parents, kids, families, patient educators, architects, and construction professionals. #Everythingmatters and that included opinions and ideas from the stakeholders. They looked at what worked and more importantly what wasn't working in the existing hospital and processes and changed them for the better.
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| Corridor. Lots of forest botanical motifs in the new design |
After a brief stop in the main lobby, we began our tour in the ER. Let's face it, if we are likely to be at the hospital with our kiddos, the ER is a very likely stopping point. The new ER doubles the capacity of the existing ER and they have revised treatment plans and staff allocations to better serve the kiddos and parents. While I loved hearing about the process changes, I couldn't help being so surprised by just how beautiful the new hospital is.
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| Custom Fish Tank in the ER waiting area |
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| New ER trauma room. The pass through supply closet and efficient stock management is just on of the many processes being redesigned to ensure speed and accuracy. |
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| The little ER bed is sobering. While it is good we have hospital ready to care for the littlest patients it is heartbreaking to see the little beds. |
From the ER we went up to the 9th Floor, to take in the spectacular city views and see a standard room and explore the in patient rehab gym and therapy spaces.
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| View from the 9th floor. The garden is built of special materials because they are built over the underground parking garage. |
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| More of the gardens. |
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| Across Campus view. The views are spectacular. |
The standard hospital room is anything but standard. One of the changes in this process, was to redesign the hospital rooms and standardize them. Every room is the same and the layouts are the same. This will help the staff when they have to float. Again, the planning team went to the staff and asked them about everything from lifting and turning practices to bathroom design. They redesigned the family chairs and couch/beds. They rethought infection control and how to make everything more homey. The LCD headboard and state of the art TVs, make sure the kids feel in control as well. Feeling blue? Change your head board. Orange your favorite color, no problem you can have that too... The magnetic paint on one wall, that means you can decorate your room with cards or pictures from home.
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| Our guide telling us about the many features of the room. The LCD variable color head board is awesome. |
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| All rooms have a standard dry erase board. I like that the pain scale is kid centered. |
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| View of the room from the hallway. |
The rehab gym and related areas make it possible for kiddos and their parents to practice a variety of life skills and make the transition from hospital to home easier. Honda even donated a car, which was airlifted in during construction, so kiddos and their parents can practice those ever important transfers in and out and stowing a wheel chair correctly and safely.
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| Honda Civic practice car. Airlifted in during the construction process. |
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| All common areas have a dishwasher, for washing toys. On each floor there are playrooms. |
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| "Butterflies eat with their feet" |
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| All of this interactive art is at kid eye level |
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| If I could have figured out a way to bring him home with me... so cute! |
The lobby is spectacular with its nature themed landscape. Something out of a fairy tale really.
The gardens are impressive and since they are built over the underground parking lot, they are a marvel of gardening talent and unique weight reducing materials.
The indoor imagination forest is lovely as well. Instead of sticking with dead space or generic lobby, the new hospital has a magical forest, which is just perfect for children and adults alike.
There is no question that the new hospital is beautiful and designed with both adults and children and mind. The attention to detail is amazing, but what I think is most exciting is this truly the intersection of public and private. This is OUR hospital, put together through the collaboration of corporations, hospital staff, and the community.
While we all hope that we will never be the ones sitting in the ER or spending the night on specially designed trundle futon, it is comforting to know, that in Columbus, Ohio-- a town well known for a Big 10 school and related medical center, that we ALSO have a world class and state of the art Children's hospital. A hospital that not only can provide top tier emergency care and treatments for a variety of diseases, and research and scholarship but also a hospital that is committed to community outreach and partnership.
June 10th is the Community Open House! Your chance to see and experience the new hospital in the way I did. There will be activities and tours all throughout the day.
Community Celebration Day
Sunday, June 10, 2012
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Main Campus
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Main Campus
It truly is our Nationwide Children's Hospital.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Is it a scarf or a necklace?
For the last few weeks I have been very busy with DIY projects. Some smaller than others in scope, nonetheless the creativity has been flowing in full force. Pinterest is the place I go when I am looking for a tutorial lately. There are so many wonderful DIY/craft bloggers out there... Pinterest makes it so easy to find them.
I have been experimenting with fabric necklaces/scarves on and off for a year. I had an old t-shirt I thought would make an interesting necklace/scarf. I found two tutorials for making one with braided lengths of fabric. I was drawn to this, because it creates a more scarf like weight to the necklace. It makes it more of an infinity like scarf.
The first tutorial was on this old dress and I liked it, but I was seeking more weight so I when I found this tutorial on tip junkie via nette, I broke out my scissors.
Since I was using cotton t-shirts, mixed with one poly blend tee, my braids have a very different feel to them. What appealed to me about nette's version is it has a weight and body to it. After my Pinterest post, a friend and I were tweeting back and forth and he accused me, in jest, of being a magpie.
I don't deny it. Sometimes I am inspired to try something and even verbatim based on a tutorial. More often than not, I like to use a variety of tutorials to shape my thinking. It is creative inspiration. I have accepted that for knowledge, I can read from a book or listen to a lecture. That works for me. If however, I am physically creating something, well then I learn best by doing. I don't seem to be able to translate something that should be in 3D form from a flat page.
But if I can walk through the steps or as in the case of french seams last year, if I can watch a video, I seem to pick up the new skill very quickly. (After watching the video like a million times.)
So after the back story, I know you are all wondering what I came up with.
So here it is...
After this photo, I have tweaked it a bit and cleaned up the edged just a touch.
My process:
First I cut the t-shirt strips. I used three shirts. The stripped one was a cotton long sleeved shirt from Old Navy and was over 6 years old. It was way stretched out. The purple, was a tank top, size 1X from my mom's closet. It was faded and had very little stretch left in it. The grey is a poly/cotton blend from my mom's closet. It was newish, but had a stain in the middle. I love the feel of this shirt and it curled beautifully when I cut my strips, something the other two did not do.
After I had the strips, I gathered them in a variety of groups, so I could braid them. I knotted then on one end and then using a pin, pinned them to the office chair, so that I could make nice tight braids. In total, I braided three ropes. (I did this the other night when the kids were having a sleep over. The girls jumped in and "helped." I let them make bracelets using scraps of fabric, similarly braiding the strips together. L even made a key chain with some of her braids for her backpack.)
I also used two wider strips of the grey shirt as a base.
Building the scarf was a bigger challenge than I thought. I tried a few methods and settled on making one rope out of the three braided sections. Then I used the two wider grey strips as my base and attached the rope using a smaller braid to wrap.
The result is a long infinite type scarf that I can them double over and arrange to suit myself.
While it is not as neat as Nette's version, it does have the weightiness I was hoping for and it fits nicely. I have a few more t-shirts on the pile, so I may try it again. I think L would like one too...
I have been experimenting with fabric necklaces/scarves on and off for a year. I had an old t-shirt I thought would make an interesting necklace/scarf. I found two tutorials for making one with braided lengths of fabric. I was drawn to this, because it creates a more scarf like weight to the necklace. It makes it more of an infinity like scarf.
The first tutorial was on this old dress and I liked it, but I was seeking more weight so I when I found this tutorial on tip junkie via nette, I broke out my scissors.
Since I was using cotton t-shirts, mixed with one poly blend tee, my braids have a very different feel to them. What appealed to me about nette's version is it has a weight and body to it. After my Pinterest post, a friend and I were tweeting back and forth and he accused me, in jest, of being a magpie.
I don't deny it. Sometimes I am inspired to try something and even verbatim based on a tutorial. More often than not, I like to use a variety of tutorials to shape my thinking. It is creative inspiration. I have accepted that for knowledge, I can read from a book or listen to a lecture. That works for me. If however, I am physically creating something, well then I learn best by doing. I don't seem to be able to translate something that should be in 3D form from a flat page.
But if I can walk through the steps or as in the case of french seams last year, if I can watch a video, I seem to pick up the new skill very quickly. (After watching the video like a million times.)
So after the back story, I know you are all wondering what I came up with.
So here it is...
My process:
First I cut the t-shirt strips. I used three shirts. The stripped one was a cotton long sleeved shirt from Old Navy and was over 6 years old. It was way stretched out. The purple, was a tank top, size 1X from my mom's closet. It was faded and had very little stretch left in it. The grey is a poly/cotton blend from my mom's closet. It was newish, but had a stain in the middle. I love the feel of this shirt and it curled beautifully when I cut my strips, something the other two did not do.
After I had the strips, I gathered them in a variety of groups, so I could braid them. I knotted then on one end and then using a pin, pinned them to the office chair, so that I could make nice tight braids. In total, I braided three ropes. (I did this the other night when the kids were having a sleep over. The girls jumped in and "helped." I let them make bracelets using scraps of fabric, similarly braiding the strips together. L even made a key chain with some of her braids for her backpack.)
I also used two wider strips of the grey shirt as a base.
Building the scarf was a bigger challenge than I thought. I tried a few methods and settled on making one rope out of the three braided sections. Then I used the two wider grey strips as my base and attached the rope using a smaller braid to wrap.
The result is a long infinite type scarf that I can them double over and arrange to suit myself.
While it is not as neat as Nette's version, it does have the weightiness I was hoping for and it fits nicely. I have a few more t-shirts on the pile, so I may try it again. I think L would like one too...
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
A new series
I am having a writers identity crisis. My writers block is never the absence of ideas, it is always an overwhelming abundance. I do write creatively, but I do not post those writings here. I used to post them to my VOX blog, but VOX as a platform shut down well over a year ago. I miss VOX a bit. It is where I got my blogging start. I have copies of all I had posted there, but I have not reposted much of that content. I could - I have a blog for my alter ego, but reposting can be a chore. Maybe I will give some of the good bits again, it couldn't hurt I suppose.
My creative work routinely appears in the Naked Sunfish. It is an honor to publish with that group of talented writers. In the last few years I have only missed on issue and that was the issue around the time my mother passed away, I was just not up for writing, much of anything at that point.
For awhile, I was writing and publishing over at Stiletto Woman. I actually like writing about business. I think business is interesting. (I know right, I have an MBA.) I am a business geek in many ways, less interested in actually do business but more interesting in understanding how other people do business. I am interested in what businesses say they do and comparing that to how they actually do it.
I am also flexing my creative muscles of late. I enjoy the creation process. I used to think I had no art talent. Let's face it, I can't draw. I really can't and in school, most of our art classes where drawing intensive. Honestly, there is so much more to art than drawing. In high school, I gave up on art because I was tired of being told I wasn't an artist because I couldn't draw.
I still can't draw, but my definition of art has expanded greatly. I am committed to exploring this creative side of me. (In case the photos on this blog haven't been a clue or anything.)
Focus has been an issue for me and over the coming months, you may see some changes to the blog. (This may include a move to Word Press - I am undecided - but there are so many cool plug ins and gadgets. The cool kids often say they are on WP, I will let other cooler people decide that.) I never set out to have any focus, it was random, is random and in many ways that is its edge, it is very much where I am in the moment, I am on the edge... the edge of something great, the edge of writing something I am very proud, the edge of my parenting sanity, the edge of a project, on the edge of an idea... it really is hard to say. Sometimes the world around me, particularly popular media, news or what have you will push me to my edge.
All of that has its place. At least in my head and this is my struggle. Do I write this blog to please me or am I writing it for a given readership.
The answer is I don't know. I don't know which master I want to serve. Do I want this space to be a place where I can write what pleases me or should I become more focused for the sake of my readers (if I even have any readers.) I will admit, sometimes of late I have been testing out various social media ideas, in part to satisfy my curiosity and in part to just see what will happen. This blog is not and will not be about commanding an audience or achieving any type of social media rank. I am not looking of advertisers, not here. This is my own playground.
And sometimes I am unfaithful to this blog. I keep other blogs elsewhere. One is private and the other one is sporadic at best. That is how I have been focused in the past - I segmented in order to be focused. Weird I know...
For now, I will commit to my faithful readers and new readers and to the guy who is reading this because he got here by accident while googling Post Cards from the Edge for his mother in law, to the following reasonably regular feature. I say reasonably regular because my schedule is fluid and I do not want to tied down to a schedule.
1. Music Monday. This may not be every Monday, but I like this feature and it is fun to write.
2. Social Media - I am becoming increasing obsessed with social media and I am thinking of doing a round up on articles or providing some sort of comment about social media.
3. My DIY and Craft features. I like writing these. I like sharing my creative process.
4. Travel bits. I still owe you all some pictures of Iceland and I aim to deliver, soon.
5. Gluten free and cooking tips. This is an on an off again offering.
6. Reviews when and if I have something I want to share. I shop in sporadic bursts, there is no telling about my shopping mood.
This is the working list for now. I also think there will be another category - like other... sometimes I just have things on my mind and I am going to share it.
My creative work routinely appears in the Naked Sunfish. It is an honor to publish with that group of talented writers. In the last few years I have only missed on issue and that was the issue around the time my mother passed away, I was just not up for writing, much of anything at that point.
For awhile, I was writing and publishing over at Stiletto Woman. I actually like writing about business. I think business is interesting. (I know right, I have an MBA.) I am a business geek in many ways, less interested in actually do business but more interesting in understanding how other people do business. I am interested in what businesses say they do and comparing that to how they actually do it.
I am also flexing my creative muscles of late. I enjoy the creation process. I used to think I had no art talent. Let's face it, I can't draw. I really can't and in school, most of our art classes where drawing intensive. Honestly, there is so much more to art than drawing. In high school, I gave up on art because I was tired of being told I wasn't an artist because I couldn't draw.
I still can't draw, but my definition of art has expanded greatly. I am committed to exploring this creative side of me. (In case the photos on this blog haven't been a clue or anything.)
Focus has been an issue for me and over the coming months, you may see some changes to the blog. (This may include a move to Word Press - I am undecided - but there are so many cool plug ins and gadgets. The cool kids often say they are on WP, I will let other cooler people decide that.) I never set out to have any focus, it was random, is random and in many ways that is its edge, it is very much where I am in the moment, I am on the edge... the edge of something great, the edge of writing something I am very proud, the edge of my parenting sanity, the edge of a project, on the edge of an idea... it really is hard to say. Sometimes the world around me, particularly popular media, news or what have you will push me to my edge.
All of that has its place. At least in my head and this is my struggle. Do I write this blog to please me or am I writing it for a given readership.
The answer is I don't know. I don't know which master I want to serve. Do I want this space to be a place where I can write what pleases me or should I become more focused for the sake of my readers (if I even have any readers.) I will admit, sometimes of late I have been testing out various social media ideas, in part to satisfy my curiosity and in part to just see what will happen. This blog is not and will not be about commanding an audience or achieving any type of social media rank. I am not looking of advertisers, not here. This is my own playground.
And sometimes I am unfaithful to this blog. I keep other blogs elsewhere. One is private and the other one is sporadic at best. That is how I have been focused in the past - I segmented in order to be focused. Weird I know...
For now, I will commit to my faithful readers and new readers and to the guy who is reading this because he got here by accident while googling Post Cards from the Edge for his mother in law, to the following reasonably regular feature. I say reasonably regular because my schedule is fluid and I do not want to tied down to a schedule.
1. Music Monday. This may not be every Monday, but I like this feature and it is fun to write.
2. Social Media - I am becoming increasing obsessed with social media and I am thinking of doing a round up on articles or providing some sort of comment about social media.
3. My DIY and Craft features. I like writing these. I like sharing my creative process.
4. Travel bits. I still owe you all some pictures of Iceland and I aim to deliver, soon.
5. Gluten free and cooking tips. This is an on an off again offering.
6. Reviews when and if I have something I want to share. I shop in sporadic bursts, there is no telling about my shopping mood.
This is the working list for now. I also think there will be another category - like other... sometimes I just have things on my mind and I am going to share it.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
30-Day Photo Challenge
I am doing something fun and creative this September. A Photo Challenge. I know I am a writer, not a photographer but I love the idea and I need something to jump start my creativity! (Maybe I will write some poems to go with the photos. Who knows.)
Allison over at Show &Tell is sponsoring/hosting the challenge.
I will be posting daily photos on this blog. She also has a open flikr set up, the 411 on that route is here.
So hang on and let the clicking begin.
Allison over at Show &Tell is sponsoring/hosting the challenge.
I will be posting daily photos on this blog. She also has a open flikr set up, the 411 on that route is here.
So hang on and let the clicking begin.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
What's in a name?
I recently discovered that others, who feel the same way about protecting their online identities and exercising their right to choose, how much, when, to whom and under what circumstances they will allow online intimacy to occur have started a new website to share their stories.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about my relationship with what has become known as pseudonymity. I referenced the Ting-Ting's songs - That's Not My Name. That post by the way was one of my most read posts in the history of this blog.
I urge you to go check out the website My Name is Me. There are some amazing stories being told. It is important for all of us to have the right to choose, when and how we choose to build intimacy in our day to day lives, both in person and online. Our world is very different now and it is not impossible to have a friend across the globe you have never met before. It is not impossible to build virtual communities.
For some people letting it all hang out makes sense to them, to others, like me, we are cautious for a variety of reasons. As I said before, it really is up to the person disclosing, where they choose to draw the line.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about my relationship with what has become known as pseudonymity. I referenced the Ting-Ting's songs - That's Not My Name. That post by the way was one of my most read posts in the history of this blog.
I urge you to go check out the website My Name is Me. There are some amazing stories being told. It is important for all of us to have the right to choose, when and how we choose to build intimacy in our day to day lives, both in person and online. Our world is very different now and it is not impossible to have a friend across the globe you have never met before. It is not impossible to build virtual communities.
For some people letting it all hang out makes sense to them, to others, like me, we are cautious for a variety of reasons. As I said before, it really is up to the person disclosing, where they choose to draw the line.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Sewing 201: Reversable Cape
When I was surfing during the holidays for sewing tutorials, I came across the blog, Lia's Crafty Journey and this tutorial. After making the gift bags, I felt like I could do just about anything.
And I did!
I made this cape with some fantastic fabric I found on sale at JoAnn's before Christmas. I have enough left over to make a dress with a short skirt or a skirt with an above the knee length. I am pretty happy with the results.
This is the back view. I made the cape slightly wider and longer than the patter calls for, as I am tall and my arms are longish. I wanted it to hit just about the waist of my pants.
The sleeves hit just below the elbow, which is perfect, I am glad I added a bit of length.
You can adjust the cape using the buttons, it has endless possibilities.
I used very flat pewter buttons, so that they would lay flat, since you sew buttons back to back on either side of the fabric. This project had me re-learning how to use the button hole presser foot and I still had a few false starts (hint: practice a few first on scrap fabric.) but all in all it worked out well.
I would sat all in it took me an hour and a half, but I never to work straight through on these projects, so I have been 15 minutes here and there.
Lia's down-under so her pattern is in metric measurements, but you can adjust to Imperial measurements or JoAnn's can cut in metrics if you ask. I have both sets of rulers and just worked in metrics.
Happy sewing!
(photo credits go to L, my sewing and creative partner in crime. At 8, she is all about crafting and photography.)
And I did!
I made this cape with some fantastic fabric I found on sale at JoAnn's before Christmas. I have enough left over to make a dress with a short skirt or a skirt with an above the knee length. I am pretty happy with the results.
The sleeves hit just below the elbow, which is perfect, I am glad I added a bit of length.
You can adjust the cape using the buttons, it has endless possibilities.
I would sat all in it took me an hour and a half, but I never to work straight through on these projects, so I have been 15 minutes here and there.
Lia's down-under so her pattern is in metric measurements, but you can adjust to Imperial measurements or JoAnn's can cut in metrics if you ask. I have both sets of rulers and just worked in metrics.
Happy sewing!
(photo credits go to L, my sewing and creative partner in crime. At 8, she is all about crafting and photography.)
Friday, November 26, 2010
This is not a craft or cooking blog.
I know, I have been posting alot of entries which have to do with cooking and crafting and this may be causing many of you to think that I am morphing into a Domestic Diva and while it is true, I am no longer fighting the economy and have embraced enjoying motherhood and writing creatively and to suit myself, I am not gunning for the Martha Stewart homemaker of the year award. (not that I have a chance of getting it, the house is cluttered and the laundry is frequently in piles and the kitchen gets torn up routinely.)
What I am doing is enjoying my children, who are 8 and 5 years old. I am home to get them off to school in the morning and I am home to hear about their days in the afternoon after school. I can afford to devote many weekends to taking them here and there. I organize trips to the library and the conservatory. I waited well into my late twenties and early thirties to have children and for a good portion of their toddler years I fought the notion of being a stay at home mom. I worked sometimes 3 jobs to put myself through the finally two years of college. I worked hard to complete that MBA. I wanted to put all that work to use and then it dawned on me - I am. I am focusing on my children and my family and my writing and I am showing my children, that I define success on my own terms.
I thought about applying for a job or two this fall, but the reality is H is now based back at home, after a long stint in NYC and if I adopt a traditional 9 to 5 M-F work schedule, we would never see each other. Also, E was sick a week or so ago and it was totally on me, H was traveling and E was home 2.5 days, one only gets so much sick time. (I was sick the following week, totally unrelated, but still.)
I feel like, while I am busy, it is all manageable. I can make time to write. I can make time to cook, I can make time to make dolls with L and not feel like I am trying to keep the damn from bursting. I can roast a whole pumpkin, puree and make ginger pumpkin bread and homemade pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. I can spend time with friends and love ones and not constantly feel as if I am behind and overwhelmed.
So while this is not a cooking nor craft blog, it is my blog and for now, during this season of my life, I am cooking, crafting and writing and that is exactly what I should be doing.
What I am doing is enjoying my children, who are 8 and 5 years old. I am home to get them off to school in the morning and I am home to hear about their days in the afternoon after school. I can afford to devote many weekends to taking them here and there. I organize trips to the library and the conservatory. I waited well into my late twenties and early thirties to have children and for a good portion of their toddler years I fought the notion of being a stay at home mom. I worked sometimes 3 jobs to put myself through the finally two years of college. I worked hard to complete that MBA. I wanted to put all that work to use and then it dawned on me - I am. I am focusing on my children and my family and my writing and I am showing my children, that I define success on my own terms.
I thought about applying for a job or two this fall, but the reality is H is now based back at home, after a long stint in NYC and if I adopt a traditional 9 to 5 M-F work schedule, we would never see each other. Also, E was sick a week or so ago and it was totally on me, H was traveling and E was home 2.5 days, one only gets so much sick time. (I was sick the following week, totally unrelated, but still.)
I feel like, while I am busy, it is all manageable. I can make time to write. I can make time to cook, I can make time to make dolls with L and not feel like I am trying to keep the damn from bursting. I can roast a whole pumpkin, puree and make ginger pumpkin bread and homemade pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. I can spend time with friends and love ones and not constantly feel as if I am behind and overwhelmed.
So while this is not a cooking nor craft blog, it is my blog and for now, during this season of my life, I am cooking, crafting and writing and that is exactly what I should be doing.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Cooking Up a Storm
So first off, I want to introduce myself - Hi, I am Susan and I have been long absent. Whew, I feel better. Between school, which ended in February and H moving to NYC for work in March, I have just not been blogging much. I know I breeze by somewhat infrequently, posting something about what I have been reading or some such.
A writer writes, this is for certain and I am writing, but as I have expanded my writing skills, I find I am writing in a vast number of places these days. Where I once mainly wrote here and one other place, I am now covering a wider swatch of the World Wide Web.
I am also on Twitter. After a year, I can totally see why those who love Twitter, really love Twitter. If done correctly, it is an online community. Which brings me to the point of this post. I tried a new recipe this evening, making a number of adaptations for my dietary needs and I discovered it here, and I discovered @TheSpicedLife, via Twitter, through a friend who bakes fantastic cookies, through his online friendship with @TheSpicedLife's sister.
I digressed and fair warning I am going to do it again.
I like Indian Food. More importantly, Indian Food likes me. Much of it is vegetarian, nutrient rich and delightfully spiced. All good, when one is avoiding wheat, corn, dairy, eggs and large amounts of soy. Good for me, safe for me to eat, and tastes good too. Win. Win. Win.
With the help of some friends, a fantastic new pressure cooker, and a few great cook books and blogs, I am opening some amazing culinary doors.
Tonight I made a ME version of Kheema with Spring Greens. I made Kheema with Spin
ach. I substituted the dairy yogurt with Sheep's Milk Yogurt,I used half ground turkey thighs and half ground lamb for the beef and I used garlic paste and ginger paste instead of the minced garlic and ginger. I also used jaggery instead of brown sugar and a healthy handful of chives, as I did not have green garlic or scallions.
Having just eaten a small bowl - up yeah, that is some pretty fantastic food!
A writer writes, this is for certain and I am writing, but as I have expanded my writing skills, I find I am writing in a vast number of places these days. Where I once mainly wrote here and one other place, I am now covering a wider swatch of the World Wide Web.
I am also on Twitter. After a year, I can totally see why those who love Twitter, really love Twitter. If done correctly, it is an online community. Which brings me to the point of this post. I tried a new recipe this evening, making a number of adaptations for my dietary needs and I discovered it here, and I discovered @TheSpicedLife, via Twitter, through a friend who bakes fantastic cookies, through his online friendship with @TheSpicedLife's sister.
I digressed and fair warning I am going to do it again.
I like Indian Food. More importantly, Indian Food likes me. Much of it is vegetarian, nutrient rich and delightfully spiced. All good, when one is avoiding wheat, corn, dairy, eggs and large amounts of soy. Good for me, safe for me to eat, and tastes good too. Win. Win. Win.
With the help of some friends, a fantastic new pressure cooker, and a few great cook books and blogs, I am opening some amazing culinary doors.
Tonight I made a ME version of Kheema with Spring Greens. I made Kheema with Spin
ach. I substituted the dairy yogurt with Sheep's Milk Yogurt,I used half ground turkey thighs and half ground lamb for the beef and I used garlic paste and ginger paste instead of the minced garlic and ginger. I also used jaggery instead of brown sugar and a healthy handful of chives, as I did not have green garlic or scallions.Having just eaten a small bowl - up yeah, that is some pretty fantastic food!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
I just don't know what is wrong with alot of people...
This is the weekend where I have to wonder... in less than two days two of my favorite bloggers have announced they are stopping. One becasue her baby is getting older and she worries what he might read on the blog some day. Recently she has gotten alot of hate speech on her blog her beautiful work has inspired hate filled blog posts - why? Cuz she is a single mama, who speaks up, who shares her story. Cuz she is a beautiful writer with alot of courage and determination.
Another is a blogger with alt leanings. Someone decided to out her to her boss. Seriously. This woman has taken great pains to shield herself and still someone went to the trouble of uncovering her true identity and then outed her. Criminal in my opinion. Her writing is beautiful, soul searching and amazing. I have read her words and been changed. She can make you feel and think with simple and complex sentences.
Last time I checked, this is a free country. We have in that aging and brittle document certain rights. The big one is FREE SPEECH. You don't have to agree with me or anyone for that matter, but neither do you have the right to attack me (slander and libel do apply in the blogshere.) You can dissent, please, dissent away. Write your little heart out - ON YOUR OWN BLOG. Thoughtful dissenting comments welcome, grammar and spelling appreciated and noted.
Ms. Singlemama and GrayLily were simply exercising their creative muscles and offering us all something of value. If it does not interest you, move it along nothing to see, no need to shred or slander or out. No comment bombs. A simple Google search will find you plenty of other reading material more to your liking. Seriously - sky is the limit folks.
I rather dislike certain TV programs, talk shows and books, but you know what- I do not have to read them, watch them, or think about them... my choice.
I am reasonably anonymous here. Not that anything I say here I would not say to anyone's face or be shocked to find on the front of the New York Times (oh please, please run this in the Times...) I keep some other blogs where I have taken some pains to disguise my identity. More for my safety and privacy. Those stories on the front page of the New York Times, while slightly shocking, would ultimately be ok too. (Again, if they like them, please run them, my normal fees would apply...)
It is my choices being taken away which is a central issue. Do not try to limit my freedom to SPEAK by trampling on my words or being hateful.
I am not on these blogs or anywhere I write telling you what you should believe, or what is universally true, or how you should behave, I do not need you to be my lap dog or "mini me." I am simply telling you WHAT I BELIEVE to be true. I title my Facebook page, "I cannot tell you what you want to know, only what I know." Feel free to POLITELY disagree.
Dissenting is a crucial part of democracy. The RIGHT to dissent is crucial. The ART of DISSENT, clearly needs a little work contemporary American culture.
I am very sorry to see both these women leave the blogshere, for however long they choose to be away - we are the poorer for it.
Another is a blogger with alt leanings. Someone decided to out her to her boss. Seriously. This woman has taken great pains to shield herself and still someone went to the trouble of uncovering her true identity and then outed her. Criminal in my opinion. Her writing is beautiful, soul searching and amazing. I have read her words and been changed. She can make you feel and think with simple and complex sentences.
Last time I checked, this is a free country. We have in that aging and brittle document certain rights. The big one is FREE SPEECH. You don't have to agree with me or anyone for that matter, but neither do you have the right to attack me (slander and libel do apply in the blogshere.) You can dissent, please, dissent away. Write your little heart out - ON YOUR OWN BLOG. Thoughtful dissenting comments welcome, grammar and spelling appreciated and noted.
Ms. Singlemama and GrayLily were simply exercising their creative muscles and offering us all something of value. If it does not interest you, move it along nothing to see, no need to shred or slander or out. No comment bombs. A simple Google search will find you plenty of other reading material more to your liking. Seriously - sky is the limit folks.
I rather dislike certain TV programs, talk shows and books, but you know what- I do not have to read them, watch them, or think about them... my choice.
I am reasonably anonymous here. Not that anything I say here I would not say to anyone's face or be shocked to find on the front of the New York Times (oh please, please run this in the Times...) I keep some other blogs where I have taken some pains to disguise my identity. More for my safety and privacy. Those stories on the front page of the New York Times, while slightly shocking, would ultimately be ok too. (Again, if they like them, please run them, my normal fees would apply...)
It is my choices being taken away which is a central issue. Do not try to limit my freedom to SPEAK by trampling on my words or being hateful.
I am not on these blogs or anywhere I write telling you what you should believe, or what is universally true, or how you should behave, I do not need you to be my lap dog or "mini me." I am simply telling you WHAT I BELIEVE to be true. I title my Facebook page, "I cannot tell you what you want to know, only what I know." Feel free to POLITELY disagree.
Dissenting is a crucial part of democracy. The RIGHT to dissent is crucial. The ART of DISSENT, clearly needs a little work contemporary American culture.
I am very sorry to see both these women leave the blogshere, for however long they choose to be away - we are the poorer for it.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Blog...
I decided to shake things up again. Change the template and all that and well - opps! That messed up my label cloud, so I had to spend sometime recoding and the like, but all is well now. I may be adding some new widgets in the next few days.
I am not sure why I decided I needed to change things up - but I did and well... now it is done.
I am not sure why I decided I needed to change things up - but I did and well... now it is done.
Monday, January 21, 2008
It is not easy being green...
I decided to make some changes to the blog - most notably a color change. Also I am now looking over the edge from the right side of the blog verses the left - change of scenery is good every now and again. (Make no mistake the change of scenery is in no way an indication of political sentiment change - oh no - we are still LEFT over here!)
Also - please welcome Felix my new tree frog, he was in need of a place to stay and well he is GREEN - so we have reached an arrangement - whereby he can stay for awhile.
I am also looking for some new items for my sidebar - I would like to find an achieve randomizer or something similar where you - my Beloved readers- can hop around and read some of my previous posts. Now that I have been blogging for over a year, there is a wealth of information on the blog and I would like to be able to highlight or spotlight some of my better blogs. Always trying to save my lovely readers time.
I also monkeyed with the comment options - It is even easier to make comments here on the Edge!
My pet Moji is also still with us - at the very bottom of the page. She is a sweetheart - my little emotional barometer of sorts!
So Welcome to our Newly spruced up and redecorated Home on the Web - glad you could stop by!
Also - please welcome Felix my new tree frog, he was in need of a place to stay and well he is GREEN - so we have reached an arrangement - whereby he can stay for awhile.
I am also looking for some new items for my sidebar - I would like to find an achieve randomizer or something similar where you - my Beloved readers- can hop around and read some of my previous posts. Now that I have been blogging for over a year, there is a wealth of information on the blog and I would like to be able to highlight or spotlight some of my better blogs. Always trying to save my lovely readers time.
I also monkeyed with the comment options - It is even easier to make comments here on the Edge!
My pet Moji is also still with us - at the very bottom of the page. She is a sweetheart - my little emotional barometer of sorts!
So Welcome to our Newly spruced up and redecorated Home on the Web - glad you could stop by!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Just note...
I keep a blog and I read a fair number of blogs and 2008 is all about being more productive to maximizing the time I have for writing. So clicking around to see if one of my favorite bloggers has updated their blog is not the most productive use of my time.
So I investigated and then asked a few friends and a friend suggested SAGE - which is an add on to Firefox. Love it! It is exactly what I was looking for. You can read the blogs in the consolidated format or you can click the link and go to the page - your call. I like it because - you click and the feeds update and you can tell in an instant who has updated. Saves a ton of time. In some cases you can opt for a comment feed as well - which I have done for some of the really active blogs.
The downside is - since this is an add on - it is computer specific - so I had to set it up on my desktop and my laptop, which can be a pain, but really that is a small price to pay for the ease of surfing.
This is like TiVo but for your blogs. While I do not have TiVo - which would be silly since I do not watch TV - I do have SAGE and it works like a charm. There are many more choices out there and I am sure they work just as well - but this one felt right to me and it works and I am running with it.
So I investigated and then asked a few friends and a friend suggested SAGE - which is an add on to Firefox. Love it! It is exactly what I was looking for. You can read the blogs in the consolidated format or you can click the link and go to the page - your call. I like it because - you click and the feeds update and you can tell in an instant who has updated. Saves a ton of time. In some cases you can opt for a comment feed as well - which I have done for some of the really active blogs.
The downside is - since this is an add on - it is computer specific - so I had to set it up on my desktop and my laptop, which can be a pain, but really that is a small price to pay for the ease of surfing.
This is like TiVo but for your blogs. While I do not have TiVo - which would be silly since I do not watch TV - I do have SAGE and it works like a charm. There are many more choices out there and I am sure they work just as well - but this one felt right to me and it works and I am running with it.
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