Let me start off with two pieces of random information that are relevant to this quote.

1. Moira receives a weekly allowance. We debated about how to do it, when to do it, and how to explain it to her. Ultimately we quit debating and just did it. Much like many decisions in parenthood, we wanted to make sure we did the best we could by our kids. And since Moira is the oldest, she’s also the guinea pig. Long story short – she receives her age X $1 per week with no strings attached. Presently her allowance is $6 a week. Seems like a lot to old folks like me, but the point of her receiving allowance is to help her begin to understand how money works, how to save it, how to spend it, etc. If her allowance was so small she could do nothing with it (thanks inflation!), then really what was the point?

2. Moira has Citizen of The Household chores. She does these weekly because she is a member of the family. See – you thought we just gave her allowance and expected nothing in return eh? We opted not to tie the two directly mostly because I didn’t want to hear “That’s okay – I have enough money – I don’t want to do my chores this week.” She’s smart like that. The newest chore in Moira’s repertoire is emptying the dishwasher. This was Alan’s bright idea…I cringed thinking she was too young and having visions of shattered ceramic ware lying on our ceramic tile floor (trust me – when those babies break – they shatter spectacularly). I was dead wrong. Not only is she careful and attentive – she loves it!

The other night Alan let her know that the dishwasher was clean and ready to be emptied. He also mentioned that we owed her allowance and did she want it then or later?

Her exuberant response was this: “You mean I get my allowance AND I get to empty the dishwasher??” (said with a HUGE smile plastered on her face)

Even typing the words now – I think that has got to be the best thing to have ever come out of her mouth. Well, maybe besides “I love you Mommy!”

Et voilà! The photo I promised to post! As always if you want a bigger version… just click!

…And please leave a comment, I love to hear from you!

We’re eating dinner and talking about seeds that are in some fruits. Moira is eating purple grapes that claim to be seedless. She says that they have seeds in them. Alan tries one to see if the seeds are big enough to detect. Then we explain to Moira that all seedless fruits actually have seeds, they are just too small to taste or feel with your tongue.

Alan goes on to say that you just poop the seeds out. Jokingly I say “they only turn into plants sometimes”.

Moira immediately turns to me and says “it will if you eat dirt.”

OK, the suggestions page is actually up now.  Man, I’m beat.  Actually hanging out with people really sucks the life out of me.  I don’t know if either of these characters will come up again, but maybe.

Ok, first I’ll get the Ebay stuff out of the way…

Last night I listed this WaterBearer bead, it’s been awhile since I last made one! I really love these rich colors. They’re perfect for Fall, don’t cha think? ;O)

“Desert Queen”

Now on to other stuff…

I’m trying to wait patiently for several glass related orders that I’ve placed during the past few weeks. I’ve got a ton of shards coming, a few presses (I know, how strange is that!), and lots of glass. I can’t wait to play! Some of it should arrive today. My head is full of things I want to try when it arrives.

I’ve spent some time over the weekend with my watercolors and colored pencils, just doodling some of the ideas I mentioned. Sometimes you just have to get things out of your head before it explodes…at least that’s how it feels. For me, putting it down on paper helps to release some of that pressure and helps to bring the vision more firmly into focus.

In other news…

I finally finished my Noro Silk Garden scarf. I didn’t follow the intended design, I started to but the colors weren’t jiving, so instead I just knit straight from the ball of yarn. I love the results. This scarf is so colorful, without being gaudy. The colors are not quite as bright in person and the blending from one color to the next is so subtle. The photo sucks I know, but I find that getting good photos of knitted objects is actually harder than photographing beads. After about 200 photo attempts, in all kinds of light, this is the best I could do. I did try to get a bit artsy with the Gimp Blur Tool, it didn’t work so well…

Anyway, I love this scarf, the yarn is 45% silk 45% kid mohair and 10% lambs wool, so incredible <sigh>… I want snow and cold weather just so I can wear it. I wish I had more disposable income, I’d buy enough to make some matching mittens or Toasties, but this yarn is not cheap.

And here’s Moira… she’s growing like a weed!  She loves to lounge at the computer with me…I’ll admit, it does make typing a challenge at times. Esme, our older calico, still hates her, but as the weather gets colder, she is beginning to see the wisdom in taking a more tolerant stance. She’s discovering for example, that it’s much more enjoyable to curl up beside a nice toasty woodstove, as opposed to say, sleeping on a cold and frozen piece of carpeting in a cardboard box out on the front porch. ;O) I swear, I’ve never known a bitchier, more stubborn cat in my entire life…having worked as a vet tech for 12 years… I’ve met some REALLY bitchy cats, believe me.

Ok, I guess that’s about it for today!

]]> http://eliterinkers.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/peter-pan/ Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:06:16 +0000 eliterinkers http://eliterinkers.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/peter-pan/

“Peter Pan came one night and invited me to Neverland where I can never grow old. I was about to go but I refused cause I thought of something better to do.

That is to grow old with you.”

Peter Pan and Wendy

Cheesy? What will you think if you’ll receive that quote from someone who doesn’t really forward text quotes from time to time? From someone whom you know there’s something unnamed that exists between the two of you? And what if days or maybe a week after receiving that text quote, you’ll find out that he just had a girlfriend?

I received that text quote April 2005 from someone who doesn’t really forward text quotes maybe because we use different networks and yes, there is something unnamed between the two of us, we used to be an item way back our younger years but more than that I can say that we have a “what’s between the two of us is between the two of us” situation. Sadly, days or maybe a week after receiving that text quote he told me that he already have a girlfriend.

My fairy tales, my fantasies we’re shattered. I’ll be honest to admit that I was happy receiving that message no matter how cheesy it is. It felt like finally after holding back for so long, he now has gathered the strength to tell me that “he wants to grow old with me”, that he loves me.

We both know that there is something special that exists between the two of us. He says things that makes me feel that way whenever we’re burning phone lines and exchanging messages in cyberspace. There is something special the way he looks at me and I’m not the only one who can attest to that. We never went out together ‘though we go to parties as a group. We never did what people in relationships usually do. We only hold each other’s hand when the situation calls for such as, dances. It’s an open secret that I like him, really like him but it’s also a secret what happens whenever it’s just the two of us.

I somehow understand why he chose that kind of situation for us, he’s afraid of gossips, he doesn’t like us to be in the campus limelight as couple, I understand that very well. ‘Though if you ask me, I really don’t care about the gossips and with the campus limelight thing, we’re already there as unofficial couples so what is left to be afraid of, but a teenage girl who believes and conforms with decorum can do nothing but wait for her guy to make the first move for things to be official. But that didn’t happen or maybe will never happen.

More than being who we are to each other, we’re friends. He has that gift of wisdom that enlightens me each time I need some burst of sunshine. So even after finding out that he has a girlfriend, I remained to be his friend but I need to put some distance, of course. I didn’t know, why despite of how bad I was hurt, I still managed to find the strength to face the truth. Maybe, because the truth is right in front of me and I’ve got no choice or maybe I chose to believe that I just assumed things, I was just day dreaming, there was really nothing special to begin with. I don’t have any right to know what’s behind all the innuendos because those were nothing but mere overrated actions. I chose to believe that there was nothing so that, I can just be numb.

But just a month ago, he made his presence actively felt once again. Thanks, because he was really a friend with the perfect timing, as always, to share his gift of wisdom. But we’re back to where we were before and things are more complicated now that we’re older. He is and will still be that special person who was generous enough to share his friendship with me but, he will also be that person who hurt me.

Things changed, I’ve changed maybe he also changed. I know, I shouldn’t be affected anymore because I don’t like him now but, it’s the questions left unanswered, the what if’s and feelings left unsaid. I was left hanging and maybe I will wonder all my life what could have been? ‘Though it wouldn’t matter now, whether it’s a yes or a no but closure is all I’m asking for.

It could be he wants to ask for a chance now, maybe he’s ready now, I don’t know I don’t want to assume, again. But all I know is no matter how beautiful Peter Pan and Wendy’s story is, no matter what they had to go through still…Wendy didn’t end up marrying Peter Pan, because he refused to grow while Wendy chose to grow and just move on. I am still his Wendy, and I also chose to be brave, grow and move on but I still think about him at times, he’ll always be a part of me. My Peter Pan might have been afraid of the consequences of growing old with me but just in case he finally decided, he is a bit late now to be honest but who knows, maybe in time, I can transform as Moira.

I’m really satisfied of the result of this one! I was really inspired working on it…
The only thing missing here is the title…
I’m not sure for now…

Any suggestions?

Ps: As always, if you want to see a bigger version just click on the photo!

EDIT: I finally find a title for this one… “Mind’s prison”

Moira got her ears pierced this last weekend. It suddenly became the big thing at school and Moira (who has infinite style) realized it was another opportunity for demonstration of said style. Shazam!

So she asked and we discussed and then ultimately agreed. I made her watch a video on aftercare and warned her that it would hurt. Her response: “I know Mom!”

To be fair – she is my kid who barely cried for immunizations. Her pain threshold seems to be pretty high. And sure enough – while she sat there in “the chair” and they punched holes in her ears, she didn’t even bat an eye.

She’s super proud of herself and seems downright enchanted that she actually has earrings IN her ears!

While we were walking back through the mall to return to our car – she walked up next to me, grabbed my hand, and smiled up at me. And it struck me that she won’t always look up at me like that. She won’t even want to walk near me, let alone hold my hand.

And my heart hurt just a little bit.

Who knew parenting would be such a bittersweet experience? I had plenty of folks regaling me with tales of sleep deprivation, dirty diapers, and picky eating. But not one single person mentioned that for every step your child takes forward you’re both deliriously proud and a little sad. Because you’ll never be there again and kids really do grow up too fast.

It sucks when cliches are true.

True to her word, Moira patiently lets me clean her ears the required three times daily. And at least once a day, she proudly says: “I can’t believe I pierced my ears!”

I can’t wait to see what earrings she picks out when she’s allowed to remove the piercing studs.

Sparkly purple dolphins anyone?

This is another photo from the photoshoot I had with my bestfriend Moira some time ago.

I’m not convinced of the result for now, I’m not satisfied 100% yet… I think I will put aside and return to work on this piece soon…

For now I’m working on on something totally different… A Logo! For now I can’t tell anything about that so I have to leave you with curiosity for a little bit !

Moira and Kenna are both taking a once-a-week dance class through our local Parks and Rec. The classes are located in one of the buildings at a community park that’s close (but not super close) to our house. Yesterday we headed down a bit early and brought a picnic dinner. The park has a really great playground in addition to about a million miles of grassy play area (which is a big deal in Arizona!) Our thought was to eat dinner and play, then have Alan and Moira head over to dance class while Kenna and I kept playing.

On the drive down, Moira loudly asked me if she could ask a question. I said yes and she paused. Alan and I laughed because the look on her face combined with the waiting period for the question to pop out was pretty substantial. She really seemed to be processing something deep so I couldn’t wait to hear what this was all about.

Finally she looks up at me and says:

“Mom, why they be called artichokes? They don’t choke anything.”

I snorted and started laughing – loudly. Alan chuckled. We weren’t talking about anything related to artichokes, vegetables, or even food for that matter. And why did my child suddenly sound Jamaican? We’ll never know.

Sadly we had no good answer for her – why the heck ARE they called artichokes?