Little Bird is Here!

So, I was supposed to write a post of St. Nicholas of Tolentino for today's edition of Saturdays with the Saints. This, obviously did not happen because my little sister decided she'd waited long enough and she was going to come, dang it, whether we liked it or not.

This means it's a very good thing I didn't go to St. Augustine today, though, given how long it took, I probably could have made it. Even so, I'm glad I didn't go because I'd have been a mess....well, more than I already was.

Despite saying that I was going to hide out at DQ, I actually did go. No, I did not watch, and no, I did not drink (though God knows I really wanted a whiskey!). What I did do was knit, pace, pray, cook, and clean.

I also got to dress my sister in her first outfit, which wasn't as awkward as I had thought it would be. It's been a long time since I dressed a baby, and I've never dressed a newborn before. I was 12 when P was born, and I think he was 3 or 4 months old before I helped change and dress him.

She was really tiny, Much tinier than I've ever held, being just shy of 6lbs, and so incredibly adorable.

The hat that I made to match her outfit did fit, but because she was nursing, it kept falling off.

Anyway, the birth went well, according to the midwife. Both mom and sister are doing good, and assuming I get to bed in the next hour or so, I'll still get to mass tomorrow.

Good night all!

Yours always,
Tara

Babies, blankets, and the fun of waiting

If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you know my mother is pregnant and ready to deliver any day now. This means a lot of waiting, and a lot of worrying. Because, you know, that's kind of what I do. Especially when family is involved. There's still no news on that front, but we're literally waiting for her to go any second now. Oh the joy.

In other news, I think I've just about finished the blanket that I started at the end of last month. I had hoped to finish it quickly, but I've been knitting non-stop since she found out she was pregnant and I'm having trouble slogging through projects. Even my socks, which I'm thrilled to be working on, aren't coming along as fast as they should be, even with me working on them sporadically. 

Adding to the problem is the fact that my knitting isn't done. One of my brother's requested a pocket watch for Christmas, so I abandoned the thought of knitting him socks in favor of the watch. That still leaves me with four pairs of socks, because my mom wants a pair, a baby dress, a shawl, a scarf, my socks, a large afghan (made in pieces) and a scarf that I've got rattling around in my brain. 

I've also got my eyes on some resin for jewelry making, more rosaries, and a knitted advent calender. 

Suffice to say, I'm a little anxious. 

I've also got my music boxes. 

The good news, I guess, is that I'm not going to St. Augustine this weekend. Like a lot of plans I try to make, it fell through. Aunt D won't be back from her home town until early in the morning, and she won't feel up to going all the way down to St. Augustine. 

This, truthfully, is probably a good thing. With Little Bird waiting in the wings for her grand entrance into the world, it's probably best I stay close to home. Even so, I am still a little disappointed. Instead, I figure I'll run into Savannah and do a little shopping, then get some craft projects hopefully knocked out, and see if I can't finally get the enormous box out of the middle of my room. 

My step-dad has a mini-fridge that he's going to let me have, so I also want to get a piece of vinyl or stone tile for it to sit on so it's not sitting on the carpet in my bedroom. This is fantastic because I'll finally be able to have a cold drink when I get home without having my alcohol in my grandmother's fridge. Given that she's a tee-to-taler, I generally prefer to keep my drinking to a minimum, and keep it out of her space. 

I might also stop by Goodwill, and see if I can't find any good jackets, cardigans, skirts, and jewelry that I can recycle and reuse. I've got a million ideas, and a million things I need for them, and very little money to spend on them. My hope is that, once I get the shop up and running, hopefully in late October/early November, just in time for the holidays, I'll be able to turn the money that comes in around and sink it into more crafts. Making things is almost addicting because there's always a new idea running through your head, a different way to color it, a different stitch pattern, or even a new technique that you're dying to try out. 

So yeah, hopefully, that's what I'll get out of it.

Yours always,

Tara

One step closer to "Home" and the great part about an Irish Catholic Store

First things first, as of today I am now officially a parishioner of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, Ga.  I'm incredibly pleased with this fact because I just feel so much more at home when I'm at the Cathedral than when I attend my mother's church and I feel like officially joining just makes that a bit more of a reality.

So, to recap my day. I started with (reluctantly) dragging my lazy bum out of bed and quickly getting dressed in long sleeves. (YES!) I was still cold even with the long sleeves, and had to make use of my sweater, but this is all a good thing because it means that I can start wearing my jackets and layers again and I LOVE that!

Having dragged myself out bed and gotten ready for the day, I went to mass, which was, as always, lovely. I like going to mass. It's a nice way to start the day.

After mass, I went down the road to the fancy Parker's and got breakfast and some change. I walked back to my truck, added a little more time to the meter, and then went and walked around the Colonial Park Cemetery for about half and hour. Then I took the long way back to the rectory office and officially joined the parish. (Yay!)

I then walked around Savannah for another 30 minutes, including briefly stopping in the SCAD shop  (waste of time that, and not in a good way) before heading to Saints and Shamrocks.

Have I mentioned how much I love this little shop? While it's certainly not the greatest Catholic book shop ever, it is actually really well stocked for it's small size. I bought a cross for my wall (it's celtic style and has St. Patrick on it.) as well as buying two books and a pack of two really pretty green pocket handkerchiefs with a lovely clover design embroidered on them. The books are St. Patrick: His Confession and Other Works and Three Irish Saints: A Guide to Finding Your Spiritual Style by Kevin Vost. I've already cracked both of them open to get an idea of what they'll be like.

Vost's book isn't really my normal reading style, but it sounded interesting, and I'm not one to turn down a chance to learn more about St. Patrick, so....I figured what the heck? It can't hurt to read it. I'm most excited about the first book though.

I love St. Patrick. I mean, I admire and respect a lot of saints, but I have a particular love for St. Patrick....even if he didn't drive any snakes out of Ireland.

Actually, I don't mind snakes all that much, and would much rather deal with snakes than rodents, but that's not the point here. My point is that I have a special place in my heart for the not-really-Irish Irishman (they claimed him, he's been adopted by the whole country for centuries, he's Irish.) Added to that is the fact that I'm pretty sure he's been working with Mother Mary to bring me to the Catholic church, and you can kind of understand why this book might be of particular interest to me.

I'm slowly getting used to the fact that most Catholics don't think I'm out of my mind when I say "I'm being (gently) dragged to the Catholic church by the Blessed Mother and St. Patrick." Yes, God's involved too, but I think the Good Lord understands that the gentle prodding of Mary, combined with St. Patrick's experience of being called on by generations of Irish Catholics (with their bad tempers and foul mouths) would get the best results. (That being excitement on my part.)

Plus, I'm pretty sure someone out there is the great wide wonder is laughing at me. Not sure who, but someone is laughing at me.

So, what's the great part about an Irish Catholic store? Easy. I can get a lot of my Catholic needs (books, tchotchkes, etc). And then, I can turn around and get lovely little Irish knick-knacks! Did I mention that I love tchotckes?

Seriously, I love kitsch. Shamelessly enjoy these sometimes over-the-top items. I also have a long-standing and deep-set love of the entire British Isles, Ireland and Scotland in particular.

I'm not sure what it says about me that I have this fascination with two groups of people known for having bad tempers, high alcohol tolerance, and a healthy appreciation for knock-down drag-out fights that end with every one having another beer, but there you have it. Proofs in the pudding, so to speak.

Actually, having re-read that paragraph, I think that says a lot about me. Except the alcohol tolerance. I've never actually tried to figure out what my tolerance level is.

Oh well.

Anyway, time for me to sign off for the evening. Take care all!

Yours always,
Tara

Long days and sitting on edge

Last night was a longer than usual night, which means that today has been a very long and tiring day. I have been tired and short tempered all day, and my vocabulary has sounded like a drunken sailors....sadly, no alcohol was imbibed to aid my colorful language. Nor will it be for a few days, at most, because my mother is expecting to go into labor either tonight or tomorrow.

Apparently, my little sister has decided that she's waited long enough, thank you very much, and she's quite tired of waiting. Mom hasn't gone into labor yet, but she's in the early stages, so she's expecting it to start up very soon.

I'm both excited, and terrified.

I like kids. I will swear up and down, left and right, that children are monsters and I want nothing to do with them, but the truth is a little more complicated.

Truth is, until my parent's got divorced, it literally never occurred to me that I might not get married and have kids. I certainly didn't plan on going out and settling with the first fellow I found and having a litter of little people, but I did think that, one day, I would find some one and have an undetermined number of kids.

My parents got divorced, forcing me to question pretty much everything I thought I knew about love and marriage, and I swore left, right, and center that I was never getting married and never having kids to any one who even remotely suggested that I might one day want that.

Honest truth. I want that. I want to get married and have kids. I want to have that. Especially now, as I'm entering the Catholic church, because there's so much that I would love to experience. Christening and first communion and all those lovely little milestones that parents prepare their kids for and that I'd like, God willing, to one day prepare my own kids for.

The thing is, it's been so long, and I've said it for so long, that I actually feel a little awkward around kids now. And I'm not willing to admit it out loud to my family that, yes, I would one day like to have kids. But I'm going to have a little sister and I'm torn between being excited and being scared out of my mind because I haven't taken care of a baby since P was born ten years ago, and yeah, I won't be taking care of her all the time, but I will take care of her occasionally.

I want her to grow up to be what I'm not. I want her to be strong, and confident, and easy-going, and to be the kind of person that people love to love. I want her to have every opportunity in life because there are so many things that I never got to try and I wish that I could have tried them.

I want her to be the person who always makes the world better.

I also don't want to step on my mother's toes any because we already have a slightly precarious relationship, largely because we just don't operate on the same wave-length. My mother is emotional, and I'm more logical, and the two do not always go well together.

All the fun.

In other news, tonight was the second night of RCIA classes. Monsignor O'Neal was teaching us tonight. It was actually really nice. The teaching bit was a bit dull, we were going over the order of mass, but not in a way that really helps me. What would help me is a comprehensive understanding of when to sit and when to stand. I've about got the standing and kneeling bit figured out completely. I don't always have to look at the people around me for that part, but the earlier part I haven't got a figured out. Anyway, it was more of a breakdown of the different parts of the mass. The best part was the Monsignor himself. He's an older Irish gentleman, and he's got a great sense of humor.

Anyway, I'll talk to ya'll again tomorrow.

Yours always,
Tara

Music Box, Stella Maris, and lots of excitement.

So I finished the music box Saturday afternoon and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. That's the outside. It's a fairly decent sized box that looks like a book.

I went into Photoshop and used some digital scrap-booking patterns and pictures to make the background, bought the little bird and the dragons at Michael's (a container with six dragons cost the same as one large dragon), and got the string lights and music box online. The cover that the bird is sitting on is just some cardboard that I covered with glittery scrapbook paper. Hot glue and staples were very helpful. I have some ideas of what I'm doing now, so the next one should look better.

I want to find a different way to secure the lights though. The staples stuck out and then had to be pushed in and it just....it works, but I'd like something better.

I'm also trying to figure out if I should try to illuminate the smaller ones. Yeah, I'm going to make some smaller ones. I've got an idea of how I want to go about it, so now I just have to give it a shot. I'm thinking something Phantom of the Opera-esque.

There's the inside of the bird's perch. Inside is the battery operated switch for the lights and music box movement itself. I bought the ones in the case because at the time when I bought them, I wasn't really sure what I was going to do with them.

I think, after mine, I'll just purchase the movements, sans cases, and make something for it myself. For one thing, this will save space, and for another, it won't be as difficult to work with.

Ha! It worked! Sorry, been having a little trouble with getting my pictures where I want them to be. That's the one thing I'm not fond of with most blogging sites. I know where I want my picture, just let me put it there!

Anyway, that's my terrible artwork you see to the right. I was trying to keep it within an oval shaped frame, like most of the medals you see, but um....well, I decided making our Blessed Mother look as good as my (really poor) skills would allow was bit more important. I tried.

There's a few things I like about this picture. The sea doesn't look as bad as I had thought it did. And I manages not to completely mess up the hands....I think.

Other than that, I think it's terrible. Really and truly terrible.

I'm a little disappointed at how little there is for Our Lady Star of the Sea. I mean, I know it's not the most popular title our Mother has, but still! It's one of the oldest Marian devotions there is! And it's a beautiful one too.

Although, I'll be honest, part of why I love it might be because I love nautical stuff, despite the fact that I'd sink like a rock.

Anyway, tomorrow is the start of RCIA classes. I'm so excited! I can't wait! I'm also vaguely terrified because *eek* people! but I'll survive. I'm meeting Aunt D for Morning mass, followed by breakfast and walking, then I'm running some errands for my mother, and then who knows what I'll do until time to leave for class.

Can you tell I'm excited? I'm thrilled!

I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!
Yours Always,
Tara