2/26/13

Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Do you think sex education should come from the parents, the school, or a mix of both?

Hmmm, this is a good one.  Ideally, I think it should come from parents.  I also know that, sadly, some parents can't or won't handle this stuff with their kids, whether it's because they are uncomfortable with it, or they just don't know how to handle it.  Hell, some really just don't have the information themselves!  So, in cases like that, I prefer the kids get something from school, instead of getting NO information.

As I sit here typing, there is a storm raging outside my kitchen window.  I LOVE it!!  We're supposed to get several inches of snow today.  Luckily, Stud didn't have class today (some kind of faculty meeting day) so at least he won't be driving around in this mess.  I just hope Magnum isn't outside right now, at his parents', trying to shovel.  There's no point in doing anything right now, since it's still coming down like crazy.

My sister and I were on the phone for a while today, trying to take care of some stuff for my daddy's party, which is a week from Sunday.  Man, that snuck up on us!  We still have to figure out what the hell we're doing for centerpieces and decorations.  We also want to put together some photos of my dad, probably in some kind of slide show, that we can play at the party. 

The sweet table is all taken care of, though, thanks to our awesome family.  (Italians can NOT have a party without a sweet table!)  My brother's girlfriend is going to be bringing her chocolate fountain, along with all the yummies to dip in it.  You may remember she did that for my niece's 18th birthday party. 

A couple of weeks ago, one of our cousins (on my dad's side) called to ask if she could basically take care of the sweet table as her gift to my dad.  Now, let me tell you, this particular cousin is the Cookie Queen in our family.  I could do an entire post about her mad skills, so suffice it to say, we were thrilled!  She's making about 5 or 6 different kinds of cookies.  She probably already started baking because the things she makes are very labor intensive.  Many of them are traditional Italian sweets, and all of them are definitely labors of love!  I've been stressing since she called because I'm terrified that I'm not going to be able to resist nibbling at least one of each of whatever she makes!  The things she makes are ONLY made by her, so we don't get to enjoy them very often.  She does NOT share recipes.  They are all his mother's, who also did NOT share recipes.  Well, except with her daughter!  If you asked my aunt for a recipe, she would just say, "Oh, you like those?  Oh, ok, I'll make you some!"  Next thing you know, you'd have several dozen treats at your door.  So, yeah, we're pretty damn excited that this will be her gift. =)

Yesterday, another cousin (this one on my mom's side) called to say she'd like to take care of the cake for the party.  What the hell?!  As it stands right now, we'll be enjoying a half yellow cake with cannoli filling/half chocolate cake with strawberry and/or banana filling, all frosted in whipped cream.  Well, I hope just the guests will be enjoying it, and that I'll be able to have some willpower.  Although, damn I love me some cannoli-filled cake! =(

While we were on the phone (for over an hour!) my sister sent me some pictures.  One is of my oldest niece in the outfit she'll probably be wearing to the party.  I think she looks pretty cute.  Then again, I may be a bit biased.  That's her puppy, Charlie, in her arms.  (And ignore the pile of towels waiting to be folded on my sister's couch!)

She also sent me a couple of "after" pictures of my other niece's bedroom.  I suppose they would be more interesting to you if I had "before" photos to go along with them, huh?  Well, I'm going to share them with you anyway, because my sister is uber talented and TOTALLY missed her calling as an interior decorator.  I've been trying to get her to pursue this as a career, but she just won't.  It's really annoying, quite frankly.  She has completely decorated/redecorated several of our family members' homes, as well as some friends' homes.  But, whatever, I can't make her become rich and famous, now can I?

Anyway, here are just a couple of shots of basically one corner of the room. 

She had this great idea to create a vanity out of a mirror and a decorative shelf a friend gave her.  She covered the top with decorative contact paper.  She also gave a facelift to some framed prints she had, so they would match.  You can see one there on the left.  I love the Princess decal on the wall, too!

Because my niece's bedroom is so tiny, my sister took out all the bulky furniture that used to be in there, and decided to put a big comfy chair in the room for my niece to lounge in while she does her homework, or reads, or whatever.  I love the funky little ottoman she found.  And, it opens for storage!

My sister found those wall decals at Menard's, and sort of used that as the jumping point for the decor.  My niece hasn't seen them yet, so I hope she likes them.  She did see the bedding and new curtains, though, and likes them. 

I hope she loves the new room, and appreciates her mother's hard work.  My sister's boyfriend has been teasing her since she finished the room this past weekend, and keeps calling the room her "new apartment."  He says she's not even going to let her daughter go in there, since it's all so pretty and cozy now.  She told him HE wasn't allowed in there, either! ;-)

I suppose I should go do something around here, since I won't be venturing out in this storm.  Maybe some laundry or something?  Don't be jealous of my glamorous life, now!  I did start a crockpot full of meatballs in tomato sauce before I sat down to post, and the kitchen is starting to smell yummy!  But, this blustery weather is kinda making me crave chili.  Maybe I'll make a pot of that, too.  Then I won't have to cook for a couple of days, right?  Yeah, right!  You've never seen Stud eat!  Gotta love a teenage boy's ability to pack it away. 

Oo, speaking of my Stud Muffin, I've been meaning to post this silly picture for a week now.  The other day he came home from class with this for his mommy.

It's probably hard to tell in this crappy picture from my phone, but it's a paper flower in a paper vase.  He's so silly!  I'm so glad he was able to take a couple of art classes this semester, so he can really stretch his creativity.

Ok, NOW I'm going to go do something.  See you tomorrow. =)

Ok, don't fall over...

...I know this is my THIRD post today.  I've been meaning to post this since last week, but I kept forgetting.  I supposed I could have waited til tomorrow, but with my old brain, I would forget again!

I haven't posted any of Stud's art lately.  Who am I kidding?  I haven't posted much of ANYTHING lately.  But, that's another story. 

Anyhoodles, this semester, Stud is taking 2 art classes that he's really enjoying so far.  One is Intro to Computer Art.  The first thing they've been working on is learning to use Photoshop.  Cool, right?  The first week of class, they had to bring in a picture of themselves, and then manipulate it with Photoshop.  This was his finished project.  He brought it home last week, and I fell in love with it.  Of course, he thinks it's crap, especially since it was the very first thing he did in the class.  Whatever.  I think it's awesome.  What do you think?

 

This scanned version doesn't do it justice.  And, yes, that's really his hair.  He added the "claw" hand, and did some things with the color, etc.  I just think it turned out so cool!  Naturally, I immediately framed it and added it to the gallery I have growing in my basement.  Yes, he DOES hate me, why do you ask?

I'm so forgetful...

Holy cow, I just found this post sitting here, unposted. I started it last week, but obviously never finished it. Last week was really a busy one (with Report Card Pick Up Day smack in the middle of it) so I guess I should cut myself some slack.

Stud had a big art project due last week. About a month and a half ago, the "honors" kids made plaster casts of their faces. They then had to take that mask and make something with it. They were given carte blanche, so it was a really great opportunity to show their creativity.

Stud decided that he was going to bring one of his drawings to life. His original idea was to make a 3D model of this guy:

However, as he started planning his project, he suddenly decided that, since the mask was actual size, why not make a life-sized model?

In order to keep the f-bombs to a minimum, I'll save you from the entire saga of this project, and simply share with you the finished product. (Try to ignore the complete and utter mess that is my garage!)


Buster needed to check out the stranger in the garage.




(His hair has really grown since St. Baldrick's, hasn't it?)

My dad had a BIG hand in helping Stud with this project, so thank you, Daddy! He had to design a way to make it in two pieces, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to get it to school! It is currently on display in the library at Stud's school. I wish I had taken some close-up shots, and some shots of the work in progress. It is actually pretty cool. They created a 'skeleton' from PVC pipes, then formed the body out of chicken wire. Black fabric pieces were then sewn onto the chicken wire. The sash was made out of black and yellow fabric, and the PVC legs are actually covered in drainage pipes. My dad came up with the idea to mount some kind of brackets to plywood that the pipes fit into, as well as making a second plywood/bracket base that goes in the middle of the body to hold the top and bottom together. (That base is very cleverly covered by the sash.) All told, this little project cost me around $150!!!

However, because the mask wasn't the main focus of this creation, he actually lost a few points on his grade. I think he was a little thrown by that, especially because he worked so hard on this "statue." But, it is what it is. I think it's kinda good that he got knocked down a few pegs, given that he was making some not-so-nice remarks about a few of his classmates' projects. A few kids simply painted their masks, and nothing else. But, in the windup, their projects were closer to what the teacher asked for than what Stud created. I know that his teacher really liked it, though (hence, the display in the library) but she's also very fair, and gave him the grade he deserved based on what he was assigned to do.

I have no idea what the hell we're going to do with this thing when he brings it home. I told him I would stand it in the corner, kinda like those dog butlers some people have, and hang my purse off of him. :) (Wait, are there any other Modern Family fans out there? Remember the episode where Gloria tries to get rid of Jay's dog butler? Too funny!!) Then, we decided that if we can get the other half of the damn garage cleaned out, he can stand out there as the Garage Guard. I just can't bear to throw it out after all the money it cost me!

I know I mentioned a while back that this semester, Stud's class was going to do some pottery work. He finally brought the finished project home last week, and it blew me away. I LOVE IT! I took a bunch of pictures for you the day he brought it home, but I'm going to give it it's own post later. After all, I'm going to have some free time now that I'M ON VACATION!!! WOO HOO!

I'm off to do a whole lot of nothing while I wait to pick up Stud from school. He's taking his ACT this morning. I'm sure he's not as nervous as I am about it.

It's finished...

I wanted to show you how Stud Muffin's 'big' project turned out. His somewhat creative mother convinced him to change the matting again. You may remember that the last time I wrote about this project, he wanted it to look something like this:Well, long story short, something happened to the red poster board. Since we had to go out and get more poster board, we started to think of other options. I decided to cut up the "ruined" red board just to see how it would look as another layer of matting. Stud liked it, thankfully. Then, he couldn't decide if he liked the pictures mounted on white or black poster board. He decided on the black.
Here's the picture that most of you said was your favorite. Stud decided that he would do the writing he wanted to do on the red matte.
Here's the finished project. I know you can't really see the writing. It isn't exactly what he originally had in mind, but he's pleased with it, nonetheless. He decided to add a new piece, there in the middle, with the key bible verse written on it.
I think it beautifully ties it all together.
He was VERY excited when he came home yesterday. Besides bringing this project to school, he also brought another drawing (which I'm beating myself up over not taking a picture of!!!), that he basically did for fun, to his art teacher. It was a drawing of a Crusader (their school mascot) in the style of the drawings of his other characters from "The Game." Apparently, she liked it so much, she immediately hung it on display in the art room. But, what got him really excited was that she took his poster board and put it on display in the main entrance of the school, in the main display case. All of this happened before school started, as he went to school early yesterday, so he didn't know about the display case until later in the day when several of his teachers commented on his project. I'm so proud of him.

Next semester, the class is moving on to ceramics. I'm not really sure how he feels about that, since his 'thing' is drawing. I'm sure he'll do just great. I just hope he gives it some real effort. He's always been the kind of brat, I mean kid, who wants to do what HE wants to do, and if it's something he doesn't really want to do, he doesn't give it his full effort. This can be so exacerbating! That's all I'm going to say about that, lest I put some kind of jinx on him. :(

Visual Miscellany, Part 2

I started to share some of this stuff the other day. I intended to share a little everyday, but quite frankly, I've been feeling like stir-fried shit lately. The past couple of days, I've been baking and candy making, which isn't really helping with the exhaustion I've been feeling. But, it needs to be done, so what can I do?

Anyway, I wanted to share some more with my Bloggy Buddies. This is one of the Christmas presents I bought myself this year.

Oh, yes, I did! I've been wanting one for a very long time. Then, last week, while shopping at Sam's Club, I came upon a display of these beauties. (Apparently, I just missed the samples. Poop.) The price was WAY too good to pass up, so I finally bit the bullet, and bought it. Before I share all the details, and make you all jealous, let me tell you a funny little story.

After I bought it, I called my sister to tell her all about my awesome score, and she immediately became exasperated with me. Um, yeah...apparently she has already bought me one!! Like I said, I've been wanting one forever, and being the awesome sister that she is, she took note. When a different model went on sale at the store where she works, she snatched it up for me for Christmas from her and my mom.

She was even more annoyed because this isn't the first time this has happened. See, here's the thing. I realized years ago, after being on my own for quite some time, that the only one I need to depend on is myself. And, as part of that realization, I decided that from that point on, if there was something I wanted, I could just get it for myself, and it would be ok. There was no husband/boyfriend who was going to swoop in and surprise me with the perfect gift (which, on some level, is a gift in and of itself!). So, for the past few years, I've been getting my own Christmas presents for myself. And, surprise, surprise, I always get myself the perfect thing! tee hee!

So, back to my thoughtful sister. She's very attuned to the things I want/like, and makes mental notes to herself. Then, when she sees something she knows I would like, she picks it up. She's like that with all of us, not just me. Unfortunately, the last couple of 'big' things that she's picked up have been things I've already picked up for myself. Then, she gets stuck having to return those things, which really annoys her. Which would explain why she was so ticked when I told her about my newest toy. I convinced her that the one I bought was a better deal, since it was a nicer model, and came with a 'bonus.' (In the windup, a friend of ours actually wanted to get one of these for her daughter for Christmas, so she bought it from my sister. It was a win-win, since my sister didn't have to take it back, and our friend got it for a really great sale price.)

I finally opened the box on Monday. (I was waiting to find out if my sister returned the one she bought before I opened the one I bought. It was an excruciatingly long couple of days!)
Here's what was in the bonus pack.
I'm REALLY excited about the reusable filter cup that came in the bonus pack. That means I won't have to buy the coffee cups if I don't want to, which I probably won't very often, because they're a little expensive. Although, when you compare the cost of the cups to buying coffee through the drive-thru every morning, it's pretty comparable. I figured out that by the time I use the 60 cups that came in my bonus pack, it will have saved me more money (by NOT going to the drive-thru) than I spent on the machine. And, just yesterday, while at Target, I checked out the price of the reusable filter, and it was nearly $20! So, yeah, bonus pack, indeed! I came out ahead in this deal.

After unpacking the coffee, I removed this from the box.
It was a cute little folder with all the manuals inside.
My beautiful machine!
I was so psyched to try it out. The manual says to use filtered water so you don't get a build up of minerals in the machine. That is seriously the only downside I see for this new toy. I used those water bottles the first time I used the machine because it was all I had in the house, but I bought a 2 1/2 gallon dispenser bottle of filtered water at Target yesterday just for the machine.
I decided to try hazelnut first, since it's my favorite coffee flavor.
The model I have brews 3 different cup sizes. The "small mug" setting was perfect. It left the perfect amount of room for my extra cream.
I couldn't wait to drink some before taking the next picture. Ah, it was delish!!
One of the boxes was a variety pack. Being the nerd that I am, I'm keeping notes on every cup I try from this box, so I'll have an idea of which cups to buy later. So far, they've all been yummy.
This machine can also be used to make iced drinks, which I'm really excited about. I LOVE iced coffee, and I start my day with some most days. Two of the boxes that came in the bonus pack have coffee that is labeled 'bold,' which worried me a little, since I don't really like my coffee super strong. But, then it occurred to me that those would be perfect for making iced coffee, since the ice will dilute it just enough. Yay! I can't wait to try it.

Here's the other Christmas present I bought myself.
I've always wanted a Le Creuset dutch oven. However, the $300 price tag has been laughing in my face for a very long time. Imagine my delight when I saw this little beauty at Sam's Club for less than $40! It's enameled cast iron, just like a Le Creuset, so I imagine it should work just about the same, no? I'll let you know.

Ok, some more random nonsense. I've been meaning to share this for over 6 months now. I can NOT believe I found this shirt for my darling son. I literally laughed out loud in the middle of the store!
This photo doesn't do this drawing justice. This was Stud's first attempt at creating with pastels. It's a landscape of an Italian seashore. I think he did a great job, even if he doesn't like it.
Ok, I know this is a totally crappy, blurry photo. It's a picture of me and my oldest & dearest friend. We met when I was in kindergarten! Her daughter was my first goddaughter. We were in high school in this picture. The reason I tried to take a picture of this picture (which hangs on my living room wall) is because the day I took it, Dec. 13, was her birthday, and I had planned to wish her a happy birthday here. Yeah, well, you can see that didn't happen. Better late than never, I suppose.
While I was trying to take the picture above, I realized that some of my favorite pictures of Stud were in a frame directly below it on the wall. Luckily, this one turned out. How cute is this kid?! I especially love the one on the right of him with the giant mug. To this day, he still uses those mugs for everything. It cracks me up that the mug is as big as his head in this picture. Now, it look like a teacup in his hands.
Wow, can you tell I'm on vacation? This is one long-ass post! I've been sitting her for nearly two hours now! My apologies to those of you who are still with me. I guess I'll hold off on the rest until tomorrow. THAT'S how much I love you guys! ;-)

Sunday Sketches (and other stuff)

I haven't posted any of Stud Muffin's art lately. I know I posted about this project he's been working on in the past. I never came back and shared the last 3 sins. I haven't scanned them yet, but when I do, I'll show you them individually. In the meantime, I'll show you these shots.

He had asked for my input on how to put the final project together. He wanted to just mount them on a piece of white poster board.I suggested he use red poster board, as I thought it would make the red in the drawings pop. We took these two photos and emailed them to his teacher. Gee...guess which one she liked.... And he thinks I don't have a creative bone in my body. HA!

He was trying to decide what to 'frame' the drawings with, and decided on a totally cool idea. He's going to write various Bible passages that are relevant to each Deadly Sin, scrolling the writing around each drawing.

I thought it would be really cool to trim the drawings, leaving a small border of white, and then mounting them on a black background. I thought it would look really cool on the red background. He ran the idea past his teacher, and she wholeheartedly agreed.

I helped Stud trim the drawings and mount them on black mats that I cut from a poster board. Maybe you can click on it to enlarge it and see the three pictures I haven't posted yet.

This is how I would arrange them on the poster board.
This is how Stud is going to mount them.
He has almost all the passages picked out of the Bible, and he's going to start writing them tomorrow. He is going to do something really cool with the writing. Many moons ago, he invented a special kind of writing, like a code, that he uses in some of his game designing. He told his teacher that he wants to write the passages in both English and his own 'language.' Surprisingly, she thought it was a good idea. I'm really curious to see how it turns out in the end.

I actually got something accomplished today besides helping Stud with his art. This is 'his' tree in the basement. I wish you could enlarge it enough to see the ornaments. These are all ornaments he's received as gifts since birth. He's got quite a collection already. Obviously, he has enough to decorate a whole tree! (Every year, my mother, sister and I give him a personalized ornament. My grandmother always gave him an ornament, as well.)
This is 'my' tree upstairs. I had intended to decorate it exclusively with my penguin ornaments. (I have enough to decorate at least two trees!) However, I was feeling far too lazy to dig the boxes out of the garage, so I only used the ornaments I already had in the house from last Christmas. It's a combination of a few penguins, and all of my 'teacher ornaments.' Again, too bad you can see them. Maybe I'll get a burst of energy this week, and I'll dig those other boxes out and add the penguins to the tree.
Wow, it's WAY past my bedtime. It was so glorious to have these past 4 days off. And, hey, I only have to get through the next 2 weeks before we go on Christmas Break. Woo-freakin'-hoo!!! I'll be off from Dec. 10-Jan. 3. I can NOT wait!!!! Maybe between now and then I'll find a way to not go back. (Yeah, it's gotten THAT bad!) Maybe I'll find another job. Or, I'll win the lottery. Or, as my uncle suggested last night, maybe I'll find a rich boyfriend. HA! Like I told him, it wouldn't be worth the hassle!!

Sunday Sketches (Sins #1-4)

These are the drawings I mentioned the other day. Stud used the Latin name for each drawing, so I put both, mostly for my benefit. (It sucks when your kid is smarter than you!) I hope you can click on and enlarge them, especially Lust, to see the details.

Superbia

(Pride)Stud explained that in this drawing, there is only one 'man.' The one of the right (Regret) is what he really looks like, and the one on the left (Recklessness) is what he thinks he looks like. Regret and Recklessness represents the 'before and after' of Pride. Also, he's the only character with eyes, because he's only looking at himself. There was also some connection to the fact that tragic heroes always kill themselves with pride. The actual explanation was too deep for me to fully understand, but I think that's what he meant.

Ira
(Wrath)

I think Stud's favorite part of this drawing is how the apple head that is being hit explodes out the back of his head and there are bits of apple flying everywhere. He said that they are two apples up in a tree. Another element of this drawing is sibling rivalry. "They're like Cain and Apple!" Yeah, Stud cracked himself up with that one!

Luxuria
(Lust)

This is Stud's favorite. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about this one when he was working on it. The first time I saw it, it was basically just the figure, as none of the background stuff was done. He explained why she doesn't have a head. He said that if she had a head, it wouldn't exactly be about lust. He said his art teacher particularly liked this one. At first, she suggested he make her breasts out of apples, but he thought that would be too much. Once it was all drawn in and shaded, it lost much of it's inappropriately provocative feel. I think it actually turned out better than I expected.

Gula
(Gluttony)

The body of this 'creature' is supposed to be like a sack of apples. See the outlines of the apples, and the stems? He has gorged himself on apples (duh! He's gluttonous!) Also, his head is an apple that is split open. If you imagine the two halves pushed together, you'll see the apple and the tongue becomes the stem. Pretty cool, right?

I love the single red apple in each drawing. I'm anxious to see the last 3 drawings in the series. It's amazing to me that he can so easily switch between his different styles of drawing. These are a bit cartoonish, but then he can switch and draw that awesome self-portrait.

Speaking of which...here's the new version:He added more people to the background, and defined the lines a bit. The band-aid on the nose is killing me, though! The little circle is what got wet and ruined. You can actually see the light coming through it in this next close up, because I held it up to take the picture.
I'm curious to see what his art teacher has to say tomorrow when he shows her. I'm trying to convince him to just do it again, just for me, but so far, he's not interested. Poop.....

***Update-7:56pm***
Ok, Stud just brought this upstairs. It's the finished product. I hope his teacher likes it.