Bratz Attack

These moments come and go.

Every so often Lydia gets into something that I am horrified by.

This isn't the "I'm horrified, but really sort of happy" moment like when your daughter begins to love salamanders and caterpillars and tries to kiss them or expresses interest in playing ice hockey.

It's more the "I want pom poms to be a real cheerleader" moments.

The Cinderella obsession of age three followed by the Princess period of age four were easy enough to deal with. I liked princesses as a kid and I agree it is fun to have a costume of every character down to Pocahontas (yes she is a princess be it a less popular one). I even feel like I am to blame for this Disney saturation in some ways. It's sweet and cute to see your little one in a baby blue sparkly ball gown, it makes them look like one of those weird paintings of a royal child in the 1500's.

It is a little upsetting that most Disney princesses are waiting to be rescued by princes and usually the only friends they have are animals. I won't even bring up the mother abandonment hang ups. But all of this I can blow off as theatrics and drama, it adds to the story. Lydia has never even mentioned a prince, she really doesn't seem bothered. The mother issue also went under the radar. She loves to talk to animals and is forever dressing her lions and rabbit's in tutu's and gowns, but this doesn't seem to be a precursor for adult hang ups. Of course the self absorbed mother in me would love to think, "she could care less about those Disney Diva's". But I've been trying to remember (and remember and remember...) that she has her own taste and this taste needs to be respected. And in most cases she has better taste than I do anyway.

Now enter the Bratz. You know them, the big head /little body, lips lined in dark purple, street walker ensemble dolls. I have avoided them at all cost. I will not even entertain the idea of buying one. I've used many excuses: "Santa doesn't make lady of the night dolls" and "those are way too expensive, it costs a lot to get a doll that looks that cheap".

It worked for a while. That is until Lydia got a $25.00 Target gift card to spend on her own and has begun to read prices. Now she has decided she wants Neveah (someone had to fill me in that this is Heaven spelled backwards) and Peyton, a set of twin good girl/ bad girl Bratz. Will these dolls destroy her body image or turn her into a tart (Steven's words not mine). I doubt it. Will she think that this is what women should look like? Probably not. So I let her order them online.

The irony of the situation is, the gift card is from my re-born christian uncle. Can't wait for him to get a picture of the toy in the thank you card.

x-mas and new years true love

It's not every Christmas that you can say that you really feel the love from someone close by the gift that they give you. Yes I realize that you should feel the love without a gift, and I do from these gift givers. It's just that sometimes when you give a gift or receive one you feel like the person whether it be yourself or someone else, has missed the mark.

Well this Christmas for our family was a winner in the "I feel the love" gift category.

I'll start with Lyd.
Without a shadow of a doubt she felt the love from Santa and now shares this love with Elizabeth Cole her A.G. doll. (A.G. is not getting any publicity from me they already swindled Santa out of $115.00 bucks). This doll was the constant topic of most conversations over the last 8 months since our first catalog arrived. And it was serious love at first sight in a way that only a five year old could feel about a doll. It doesn't hurt that Elizabeth is a colonial loyalist. God save the Queen!
I also experienced love when I opened my present from Allison. I've hinted a lot over the past year and my x-mas wish came true. I got the softest most stylish scarf a girl could want. And I got it in the most awesome color green. Check out my peeps in this photo a total match.

Whether Steven's Mum is sending Lydia sets of sweat pant track suits or pink camouflage coats she always knows exactly what she would love. I might cringe when Lydia opens the box, but never has she sent anything without Lydia's taste in mind. She made no mistake when sending us out family present.

The brits might be a little fashion kooky, but they know their sweets. Candy love.

I wasn't even sure that Steven would like this present. But when he unwrapped it he was in awe. The Mr. Fawlty in Steven could not suppress his glee. Not because he needs an autographed photo of Basil but because it was an item that he didn't know he ever wanted (or ever existed) but was something that is so fun to have.
I know that Christmas is not about what you get or what you give, but sometimes the things that you do get actually make you feel more of the love.

Oh, it was also great that our friend Jeremy at first glance, thought the Fawlty photo was a picture of someone in our family. That my friends is priceless.

Martha Stewart why do you always fail me?

Why does every Martha project that I try turn into something that looks like it was made by a mad man? Is it possible that Martha is setting me up for failure? In some not so passive but very aggressive way is she trying to make every inspiring crafty to fail miserably so they just continue to watch her in awe?


This theory began about ten years ago when Corinne and I set out to make x-mas cookies using a Martha recipe. They were cut out sugar cookies with icing. In hindsight I have no idea why we choose the Martha recipe for such a basic cookie, I think we figured it was the best. We were trying to impress. The cookies were a total disaster. They melted all over the pan turning our cookie cutter stars into lumpy blobs and our santas into turtles. But we pressed on continuing to make about 6 dozen super "crispy" oddly shaped cookies with runny sticky icing.

Now I do love to watch Martha especially her older show on Fine Living. Which brings me to my next Martha debacle. I'll just call them Martha's Balls. They are ornaments made with string that harden and then you coat them with glitter.

On the show they looked so easy to make. I thinks she might have even said "only a moron could fuck this project up". She blew up some small balloons and coated them with Pam. I didn't have Pam (this was my first mistake NEVER improvise with Martha) so I coated the balloons lightly with cooking oil. Then you wrap the balloons with string, after the string is secure coat with glue. Let dry and harden then pop the balloon and coat with glitter.

Now Martha dried her balls with a super intense ionic dryer of some sort for effect. But she said "if you don't have one of these fancy tools created at NASA especially for me, then let them dry for a few hours".

Well I let them dry overnight, but when I popped the balloon the string just collapsed into itself and turned into a sticky lumpy mess. Recognize a pattern here.

I will not give up on this project. I am buying Pam today and if that doesn't work I'm calling NASA.

What do you do when you have some extra time? Obviously not blog.

Maybe I've been feeling a little less than secure or maybe I am just a chronic procrastinator, but I have been avoiding the blog.

I have gotten a few things done. I finally finished the curtains that I have been planning for the better part of a year.



I think that they are rather snazzy. I need to find a solution for the under layer to get rid of the lace. Maybe a sheer or a roman shade. I'm not sure.

I also actually made a present for one of Lyd's friends. A cute little sparkly apron. Which I whipped together in under an hour with no pattern. If only I could say focused and motivated, I might be able to get more things done. My creative inspiration Allison may be able to help me with the hat I started to knit in 2003.

New motto: More creative projects Yes! More "Gavin and Stacey" No!

I should say that I also have been going to the gym religiously (four a week that's as religious as I get). And I have some noticed a few (small as they may be) positive changes. Now that I'm up to 3 miles, I want to get on some sort of 5k road race circuit for the spring with my exercise inspiration Corinne.

You know meet up in Poughkeepsie or some other random place for the weekend, run 3 miles then go for dinner and drinks. Sounds like motivation to me.

What do you do when you get fired from your dream job?

So I started my new job about a month ago, (mercury was in retrograde at the time). This astronomical fact was noted by my new employer. I should have run for the hills but I was too excited.

This was my dream job. My employers were sucessful authors/ visionaries/ personal restructurers. The setting was a beautiful location of Vermont, overlooking rolling hills in a refurbished 1830's farmhouse, with a boss who wears Couture. The anticipated projects were exciting. I would be an event planner/ copy editor/ administrative assistant/ production queen/ the overall go to girl. I was up for the task and rearing to go. I felt like finally everything was in line and I would get to do the job I always dreamed I was capable of doing.

These are but a few of the assignments I was given:

I planned an organic menu of four meals for forty people with the personal chef.

I trademarked a phrase and a book title.

I drove with one of my employers to Boston to pick up his car. And used my mad Boston skills to find the car shop that was hidden down a back alley. He is the craziest driver. I have driven with some crazy drivers, The Netherlands, Italy, Budapest and Liz Caulfield etc. I know crazy drivers when I see them. So I also got to see my life flashing before my eyes several times while on the time clock.

I picked up a deceased dogs ashes from a creepy pet funeral home.

I picked up one of my employers MRI.

Unfortunately my car broke down so I wasn't able to drive one of my employers to the dentist for a cleaning while she was on Valium to calm her nerves.

I edited a website daily.

I responded to a months worth of e-mails.

I made an appointment for the cat of my employers daughter who was suffering from an undisclosed illness. I have never seen nor know the age of this feline. When I called, the vet rightfully thought I was on crack.

I read and proofed 30 + stories about Transcendence from people all over the world. A very transcendent experience.

I drove an amazing Jaguar (to get inspected).

I was positive. I liked it. I was always busy and really felt like everything was going great.

Then I'm not sure what happened.

I forgot to turn the answering machine on when I left on Thursday.

I said that I couldn't drive to Boston on Sunday morning to drop one of the employers off at the airport.

Or maybe I am completely oblivious and just sucked.

But on Friday I got the can, I left graciously with one weeks extra pay and a boulder in my stomach. I cried like a baby on the way home.

And now I'm back to ground zero.

The worst part of all of this is I really wanted this to be great.

Tag a Tree

For the first time in a while I feel slightly ahead of the game. I started a job last week that I actually enjoy. I've been going to the gym. And for the first time ever I've managed to actually tag a tree pre-holiday rush. Never have I felt so organized.
It doesn't take much.

This is Steven and Lydia with our x-mas tree 2008.
I think we are more excited about Christmas this year because for the first time we will celebrate at our home. We will get to wake up Christmas morning and sit in our PJ's, opening presents and drinking coffee with Baily's. We won't have to rush around like lunatics in a mad frenzy to get to RI in time and we will get to plan the day on our terms. This means mostly eating, drinking and being merry without feeling the compulsion to clean for five hours of the day.


This is Lydia with our tree 2014, I really could not see getting it today, since the trees were a flat rate of $32.00. Steven humor went undetected when he asked the woman whose was manning the information table, "do you have any Canadian Trees?"

When we pick up our tree, December 14th I can only hope that the road is this clear.
Gorgeous little x-mas tree gumdrops.

Yes, it seems that the Lord himself has blessed our tree. We will have a joyous Christmas after all.

Welcome Naomi !!!!!

I could not have been more excited today when I opened my e-mail and realized that Liz and Ivano had a baby girl yesterday. I had a dream a few months ago and in it I knew if they were having a boy or girl. I told Liz, but now I have no idea what I dreamt. It doesn't matter, after seeing these pictures it seems like I've known forever that Naomi was coming.


I'm so happy for Liz and Ivano. I'm so excited that Naomi is going to have the luxury of a rockin' mom and a super hero of a dad. I'm also just so proud of my dear friend because she has followed her dreams unrelentingly. She has had more adventures, lived in more places and befriended more people than most people will in their lifetimes. (can you tell I dig this girl?)
I have always said that I want to raise Lydia to be like Liz. To have great confidence in herself and her friends and to take giant risks in order to fulfill her dreams. I do hope that Lydia doesn't break as many bones as Liz has in this pursuit. I wish the Daniele family all the happiness and adventures that they can handle. And take your time kids, it will be five years later before you know it.