Zippy Wallet

The other day a dear friend on Facebook reminded me of this wonderful project from a great  tutorial.  Called the Zippy Wallet, 'Noodlehead' has created the classic little thing that actually has a chance of being made AND of being useful.


I implied to my friend that I would make her one so I got out the scraps from making the Girls' harnesses and this is what I came up with:

I don't think this little gem is going to my friend as it is just the right size to hold essential items like a little cash, a credit card and a driver's licence.  Also, this plays into my undeclared resolution to stop lugging a big purse everywhere I go and return to using my Car-go carrier for the just-in-case items I lug around on a daily basis.


Besides which, I don't think she would like one made out of scraps so I will dig out some virgin fabric for her.  Right?


I hope your Christmas was a good one.  Mine turned out a little differently than I thought it would because the smoked turkey from Sweet Sadie's that I had ordered got sold to someone else!!!  Paul and I ended up doing doing a Jewish Christmas with Chinese takeout food and movie watching.  After all, the day is not about killing  yourself over the stove but about enjoying family.


Alex and the Girls were very happy that Paul was home!

Milestones

When you have children in your life you are constantly preparing them for that day when they are independent and on their own. You feed them the best food you can, the safest home you can afford, the best medical care available, the safest neigborhood, .. the list goes on and on. You want them to be safe and happy. You never want their hearts broken, their toes stubbed or their dreams shattered. Santa Claus knows what they want, the Tooth Fairy always comes and their parents really do know everything.

Then they become teenagers.

You still want the best for them but you can't wait for them to take their whiny, hormonal selves out of your home and into their own homes. You still love them and cherish them and want nothing bad to ever happen to them but, one more slammed door or temper tantrum and you will be changing the locks on the doors or moving without a forwarding address.

Finally comes that big day when they step out on their own. They get that job they have always wanted, rented or bought their own place and they are finally out of your hair... and you want them back... just for a little while.

But you have prepared them well and can be a little smug that they are settled.

Then they turn your smugness upside down.

All that security you though they were looking for is out the window and they come to you with what they really want to do and its a shocker.

While you were thinking they were settling into a nice middle class life, they were thinking about OPENING A RESTAURANT!

Yup - Paul, my sweet, gentle boy is opening a restaurant in a few days. This has been in the works for so long that I really thought it would be another few months before it would happen.

I know it will be a great success, that he knows what he is doing, that the food will be great and that he and his partners will make a ton of money. I can provide book keepng services and lots of moral support but I really don't know how restaurants work except that I like to eat.

If you are around Spears Road and T.C. Jester on and after September 2, stop into Sweet Sadie's for some barbeque and wings. I know you will not be disappointed.

I will be the nervous wreck in the corner... like I was when he first stepped off the plane in America, when he went to his first day at school, when he played his first baseball game, had his first wrestling match, got his driver's license and all the other milestones we have shared together.

There will be many more milestones, I'm just lucky that they have been spaced out a bit.

Wish him luck!

Passages

Tomorrow, my boy, will celebrate his 30th brthday, a little more than 22 years after I first met him through photos and a description from an adoption agency. The agency, Love the Children, described Kim Hyo Yoel (his Korean name which we were told stands for Hot Brother Kim) as an earnest young man with great ability in Mathematics. The agency was considering several children for us, including incredibly precocius twins, and a young girl. Paul was placed with us because I was a banker; bankers use math; therefore, it would be a perfect placement.

From that green-faced skinny boy at JFK to the confident, handsome young man he has become, it has not always been a smooth path but the destination has made it all worth while.

So here's to you Paul, without you:

• your Friends, at your birthday parties, would never have gotten an early look at all the popular Christmas gifts for that year;
• your mother, would never have been introduced to the benefits of Rolaids and Tums after eating Kim Chee;
• your Grandpa S. would naver have had the pleasure of explaining to you that extravagant promises cannot be kept;
• you Grandpa A. would never have had the joy of teaching a non-English speaker the rules of Chess;
• you Father would never have swelled with pride when you donated a whiskey bottle full of pennies, that you had found, to a special elementay school charity
• Innumerable dogs and cats would never have known your healing touch and big heart.

Happy Birthday kiddo! Now go clean your house so your Mom can visit without her dust allergy causing wheezing (just kidding, honest!)!

Trouble Over

The floor is completely installed and I really do love it. The flooring I chose is very rustic looking and should hide any problems that may come up with wear and tear. Heck, you can even see the pretend floor sander marks that I had on the floor of a 100+ year old house I owned may years ago. I have not moved back in all the furniture yet as I think I need to re-paint the trim. No matter how careful you are with this kind of installation you will get nicks and rubs on the trim. That should not take too long and I hope to get it done this weekend. What do you think?Until my knees are ready for the trim painting, I will be making Morsbags for Sew Crafty Houston to give away. There is a different 'Craft for a Cause' every month and these bags are ideal for using up spare fat quaters. This is an easy sew and the instructions are by someone who knows how to sew. I happen to have a lot of Texas themed fabric just looking for a new purpose than sitting in my stash.

Have a great weekend!!

Sunday

I love Sunday. Although I do not attend religious services on a any regular basis, I do practice the biblical injunction to rest on the seventh day. So, on Sunday, I tend to rest. I also see my son on many Sundays. This past Sunday was no different than many others. The only difference was that I took a few pictures.

Here is one of my son, Paul and his girlfriend ,Sandy. Its not the best picture of him as he is in the middle of telling me that he doesn't show his teeth when he smiles. I guess I wasted a lot on money on the dentist as he was growing up!

Its also fun to play with the dogs on Sunday. Here is Alex getting some help showing off his very big ears. Alex is on Paul's lap and has fought for space there with Kelis and Kimora, Paul's dogs. For some reason when Paul is in the house all three dogs forget that I exist and compete for his attention continuously. I find it relaxing as, when I have them with me all week, I get this kind of competitive behavior a lot of the time.

While Paul is here I usually put him to work. This time he installed a couple of light fixtures I bought to replace the builder's grade junk that had been in front hall. In my walks around the neighborhood I see many instances where the owners have continued to use the lights the builder installed when the homes were built about 20 years ago. How can they stand it! On the other hand, I have been here about five years and I only switched out the original lights this week. Pot calling the kettle black?

What Sunday is primarily for is napping. Here are Kimora, Kelis and Sandy taking advantage of the time when Paul was installing the lights. This may look posed but they really were napping.

Now that I have retired, Sundays have become even more relaxing. I still plan my week on Sunday but the sense of urgency is not the same. I hope all your Sundays are as relaxing as mine was on this past Sunday.

Happy Mother's Day

I always get a little maudlin on Mother's Day. Not that I do not have the most perfect child ( and I do) but that it was a completly arbitrary decision that added him to my life. My husband (now ex-husband) and I had applied to adopt a child from South Korea. When our name came up on the list there were four children to be placed - a set of four year old twin boys, a nine month old girl and a six year-old boy. The six year old, who later proved to be eight years old, liked arithmetic and was performing spectacularly at the orphanage by adding three digit numbers. I worked at a bank and the social worker thought it would be a good mix - mathemetician and banker - its all numbers right?

We did have our adjustment problems and on one memorable occasion he decided to walk back to South Korea. Some how I convinced him that we were stuck with each other and we would just have to work harder to figure out this mother/son business. He agreed to try and I promised that I would always give him a reason for my decisions even if he thought it wasn't fair. He tried very hard and I became very creative so I wouldn't have to say 'because I said so'.

I can't take much credit for how Paul turned into the incredible man he is today as his basic character was formed well before we met. I know I have benefitted immensely from our relationship and I believe we will continue to grow together as the years go on. So here's to you, Paul , but for you I would be spending Mother's Day remembering my mother rather than enjoying your company.