Museum Exhibit: Vivo

These are the photos from a trip to the Oakland Museum, on December 2nd. I wanted to see an exhibit I helped my brother in law write a paper on, called Vivo: The Day of the Dead. The installments intrigued me before I saw them, I read about the glass children who were created to remember the casualties in Juarez, Mexico, of a femicide that has been plaguing the city and leaving children motherless. I read about a ten by ten by ten pyramid in old Aztec style with each side colored and painted to represent a different one of the four sacred directions. About halfway through correcting the paper I knew I had to go see the exhibit myself.

Happy Daddy and baby!!!

The podium-esque box in front of the no-touch zone is filled with letters to dead loved ones. I wrote one too.

Three figures of girl-children made of shards of glass and illuminated from within.

The artist spoke of the orphans as being as fragile as glass, but as hostile as the broken shards they were made of.

I believe this exhibit represents the healing after losing someone, the flowers grow over the skeletons; the good memories over the pain of separation.

Shrine to the memory of the wildlife lost to the Gulf oil spill.

Myra was so excited to see all the art with Ammi!!

Interactive installment with notes to loved ones on it. One reads, in a child's handwriting, "I really miss you, mom".

Dolls decorated by under-privileged children in memory of someone why touched their lives.

Dead doll. Shadows cast by dolls above standing on a glass surface, looking down at their fallen friend.

Aztec pyramid, the white side is Plexiglas, showing traditional medicines in baskets in the center of the pyramid.

That's where daddy came from!

Welcome, Daddy and Ammi!!

Beautiful mural at the exhibit entrance.

We had a great time, and Myra took her first trip to the museum. Definitely not her last!!!!

2010 Junior Cricketer of the Year - Saqib Saleem

2010 Radiant Info USA Cricket Awards: Junior Cricketer of the Year - Saqib Saleem - Dreamcricket News

I'm so proud to have such an awesome brother in law! He got selected the 2010 Radiant Info Junior Cricketer of the Year!!!!!!

The thing I love the most about him, no matter what happens, he always has time to make serial killer faces and pose with cats.

Yay, Saqib!!!!!

All I want for Christmas.......

Myra got one of her bottom front teeth last night, and screamed and screamed. It's been working it's way in for weeks, and I deluded myself into thinking the pain would be less when it finally poked through. Boy, was I wrong. She's been all drugged up with oragel since it surfaced last night, and since I stupidly tried to feed her quiet when we first discovered it. CHOMP. Oh, I won't do that again. Here she is working on them:

Gotta love them keys.

Another accomplishment of hers within the past twenty-four hours was pulling up in her crib. I knew she could pull herself up, because when we sit together while we're out and about I let her pull up (with a considerable amount of hovering and fretting) on the stroller, while sitting in my lap.

I put her in her crib, in her Boppy so I know she won't fall and smash her head on something. Then I went about updating this very blog and checking my facebook, not really worried since I could hear her ooo-ing and baabaa-ing happily behind me. I finished with the computer, turned around, and lo and behold Myra was standing there grinning away!! (alternating between standing and kneeling really, since her sleeper onesie was caught under her feet). I grabbed my camera and snapped a few photos before she realized she couldn't get down.

So proud!!

"So, how do I sit back down?"

She'll be six months on Wednesday, who knows what she'll accomplish by then!

After the Party

Thanksgiving went off without a hitch. We invited my in-laws over this year and as usual, they got lost. I do live ten miles behind enemy lines in a fancy-pants rich, hilly neighborhood (well, in my mother's fancy-pants rich, hilly neighborhood) but you'd think if someone had already been to your house several times they'd find their way back, relatively easily. Not the case.

Here's Me, Myra, and Great-Grandma!

While we waited for showtime, my husband took photos of us around the house, getting ready-Freddy.

Yes, I did fold all of them. WITHOUT IRONING. blast!

 It was a pain in the patudie to set this all up, since I changed the plates three times. THREE TIMES! I was going to put out the really nice, fancy, grandmother's grandmother's china, but then I thought: oh, shoot, I don't want anyone breaking my plates! so I set out my not-so-classy floral ones, and oops... I only had nine or them, because the tenth is at my mother-in-laws after traveling there with some chocolate-chip cookies. So I laid out the plain white chunky ones and hid them under some napkin art. (it's the bishop's hat fold) All in all, I'd say it was well worth it.

Starting at the obvious fruit salad going clockwise, we had: Fruit salad, Yams, Ikea's Sparkling Pear Juice (classy!), Champagne Basted Turkey, Gravy, Home-cooked Rice Pilaf, and Cranberry-Apple Chutney. Delicious!

Delicious food = Happy family!

So I must remember for next Thanksgiving not to freak out too badly about table arangements, people are going to sit where they can and eat regardless. To pick out my clothes the day before so I don't try on everything and bore my husband to tears with the phrase "does this look okay?". And most importantly: to consolidate shopping lists with my mother so we don't buy so many freakin' yams.

Turkey Time

Getting ready for Thanksgiving is no small deal for us. In our house we clean like crazy until most of everything is put away and then we wax the floors. However, I'm stuck on the first part.

While Myra is charming as always, she is very distracting. I have yet to finish quilting the back of her "Big Girl" blanket (I'm going to give it to her when she graduates to a single or toddler bed). Her dad and I had a day off this last Thursday and went to the zoo! We could have gotten home sooner, it was a really long trip!!

Getting ready with an early morning nap!

Daddy's first time using the Ergo.

Posing like a pro.

Leap frog, anyone?

Gators!!

At the end of the day Myra was pooped! Afterward, we went to visit grandma and grandpa, which was a little much, but daddy really missed them. Now we're working on getting our ducks, or should I say turkeys, in a row. Back to work!

Shoe Fetish

Myra has a shoe fetish these days, just like a puppy she chews and chews on them.

Inspecting a delicious treat...

Yum, yum yum yum!

Poor little girl is getting her teeth in soon, they're showing as little white bumps through her gums. It must be very uncomfortable. We're home all day today, trying to make her comfy and secure since we've been going out late at night to visit family and stressing her out with shopping trips. So it comes down to Star Trek, shoe chewing, and laundry.

Reversible Apron

Walmart is my new favorite store, since they carry fabric for $1.50 a yard. A DOLLAR FIFTY! I didn't know. I bought a bunch thinking I'd make some blankets for Myra and Christmas presents, in any and all colors that appealed to me! When I got home, I decided to make some aprons fro gifts. Here's one I made that's reversible:

I cut it in the shape of another apron I already had, which was just a flat, non fitted apron. I attached the pockets, sewed the ribbons on, and attached the ties. Putting the rights sides together, I sewed them together leaving a small space at the bottom to turn it. Turning it right side out I ironed the seams flat and set another 1/2'' seam all the way around because it just wouldn't lay flat without it. The white side has a bow at the top, and the blue side has bows on the pockets, both sides have lace at the top ♥.

I also did a little bit of Mehndi on my friend Alex:

As for Myra, she's got her very own salwar kameez now, complete with a little scarf she tried on the other night.

She loved her new suit so much she tried to eat it. Speaking of new suits, she also has a little bear jacket that fits her now that she's big enough.

Myra loves her new snuggley bear coat.

She tried to show it to daddy, ...

...But he was sleeping!!

We're going back to Walmart today to get more fabric, we just can't get enough! We're all set on this lovely day to sew and explore the Delta Quadrant.

P90x and Pooping

I'm working on getting back in shape after my pregnancy, and I don't want to mess around with diets because I eat pretty healthy already and I'm breastfeeding. My husband and I are going to start the p90x workout program!!! He bought it in the spring and I wasn't able to do it for a while even after the baby because of my c-section, but now I decree: BRING IT ON.

We invested in a pull up bar which we thought was the one from the program, but lo-and-behold it's a knock off. That's what you get for using craig's list to try to snag a deal. I'm sure we'll make it work anyways! The bolts are all the wrong length, and the nuts don't screw on enough. It seems sturdy enough though, once we acquire better suited nuts and bolts. I still doubt I'll be strong enough to actually do one once it's put together.

Myra is asleep in my lap after some pretty rough poops, poor little girl. Must be really hard transitioning from liquid food to solid food. Here's my precious baby girl fussing her little bum off.

And then she let loose. I'm waiting anxiously for tomorrow, Saturday, we're going to Walmart with ammi, Myra's dad's mom. I've written a list of things I really don't need but am going to buy anyways. Two of these silly items are thick legging-like tights (the old style child ones that weren't so damned thin), and a miniature Santa hat for Myra's Christmas cards. Hopefully with the next post I'll have some cutie pictures of her there!

Sitting Pretty

I've been baking and cooking up a storm while waiting anxiously for the holidays, trying to pass the time and yet also trying to finish everything I have to do each day before I run out of steam. Here are the better late than never photos of Myra in her Halloween costume!!

Bzz Bzz Bzzz!

 

She really liked everyone Bzzz-ing at her all day!

 She's finally able to sit up unaided (though getting to that position and maintaining interest in it are a little tricky) Here's some shots of her sitting pretty:

Great cord for teething, says Myra, thanks ma!

Though this chirpy chick is delicious as well.

As you can see, she needs something to chew if she's going to stay upright, because otherwise she topples forward in search of things to eat. Like these delicious Eggnog Spritz I made yesterday!

Really, they taste just like Eggnog. Amazing.

 I ate way too much dough - as usual - and didn't really want to chow down on the finished product, but they're tasty-shmastey. The cookie is spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger and the drizzled with vanilla-rum icing.

You can make them too! Here's the recipe:

Dancing, Today

Myra was listening to Shakira's Esto Es Africa on repeat, laughing at the start of the chorus and waving her arms in the air all morning. I've been trying to decide how I'm going to design my mom's place mats, which I intend to have finished by thanksgiving or before so that there will be a full set of eight for our giant family get-together (well, there's probably going to be more people, but I'm not making more than eight!!).

Here's a list of things I've decided I need to make our holidays (and ordinary ones too) easier:

Matching tablecloth and napkins, preferably in a color other than white (easy to bleach, but stupidly plain)
A clear tablecloth protector for everyday use, so I can relax instead of jumping at every droplet of water
An ice cream maker
A matching tea set in elegant floral china, preferably brightly colored (not china blue, blah) or Victorian styled.
An easy to assemble centerpiece (because I'm tired of desperately grabbing all the candles in the house)

and, like always MORE FABRIC!!! I use it up like crazy, saving even the little bits and stuffing them into the toys I make for Myra. Waste not, want not!! 

we were very hungry this afternoon and didn't know what to eat, so we cooked up some Spanish Rice by Near East, which was actually quite good for box-dehydrated-safeway rice. Myra thought so too.

 Anything she can pick up goes into the hole in her face lickity-split. Which includes keys, hair, blankets, boxes, junk-mail, toys, and lemons. She's got her eye on the clip for the bag of flour, which is a brilliant yellow and stands a measly five inches away from her grasping hands when she's prowling the first floor in her walker.

Jack-o-Lanterns

Today was the walkathon at the school by my house, (which I attended as a child) so Myra and I had a wonderful two mile walk, which is equal to four laps. She hooted at flowers and laughed at the children's faces as they passed her. We went largely unnoticed amongst the cliques of parents: Some PTA, some neighbors, some carpool buddies. Only a few people acknowledged our presence (usually when Myra was being particularly charming) but only for a short time, they were so into themselves. I don't remember it being like that when I went there, but a child under ten has a different perspective at these events. We got bumped, cut off, and passed quite a few times. I spoke to Myra about everything from the weather to politics to discipline; I mean, why not chat it up with a almost-five-month-old? She was the only one listening.

I'm almost finished with the quilt! I have the front made and attached to it's batting, now I just have to sew a simple pattern into the backing as well, something I can accomplish on a Kenmore 10 from the 80's (something straight or very, very slightly curvy. Here is a picture of what I have so far:

It's my pride and joy, since I started it a very long time ago, before I could even cut squares roughly the same size (boy, that took some fixing). There's no pattern, they're all just sweet lace-y, fuzzy, or sparkly representations of my love for my baby girl. I wanted to get a simple sweetie feeling from this quilt, which I think I have accomplished.

As for my pumpkin, it's just as haphazard and adorable:

It's a cupcake, done without a stencil, without much of a plan, during nap time. The lines of the wrapper kept breaking off, and they weren't showing up well so I peeled the ones that fell off to give it more contrast. Same goes for the "cake" part, which is lighter but not cut out. I don't know if you can see it, (I need to photograph during the day, these night shots are terrible!!) but in the middle of the frosting blob, there is a little heart cut out. Of course, I had to add a cherry on top because it was screaming for more decoration, and that didn't show up too well. All in all, I'm excited for next year, when I intend to do a heart themed one with the help of a pre-planned pattern.

 The days are, if not easier, at least more fun. Myra is such a sweetie who loves to play with Mommy. I'm excited for her to be old enough to help with the crafts I do, I have so much to teach her! ♥

Halloween

It's the Friday before Halloween and I've been trying to get in the spirit of things. Finishing my first quilt (first one finished, not first one made!) has been a priority, but keeps getting bumped by projects like baking these pumpkin-ginger cupcakes with rose frosting:

or laying out new patterns for quilts I have in mind. (I think I'm going to merge an idea for a tree I saw in Disdressed's archive for February 2008 with the ever popular owl quilts available at Target).

Myra is getting bigger and is starting to recognize exactly who she wants to be with. Last night her dad was holding her after she awoke crying in her crib, but when she caught sight of me she leaned out perilously towards me, extending one arm in a reach while using the other to push against my husbands chest. needless to say, he was a little hurt at the sudden appearance of this preference.