Barack Obama

Normally, I would never mention religion or politics in my blog.

However, I have just read the transcript of a speech Barack Obama made in Philadelphia yesterday, and I cannot help but share it.

Please click and read here.

If the 10 people who read this blog take the time to read this whole speech (it is long, but worth it) and feel the swelling pride that I feel right now, it will be worth sharing.

If the 10 people who read this blog decide never to visit again, because they all love George Bush, well, so be it.

I have never felt so strongly that a candidate was exactly the person we need in the White House. In my voting history, my votes have always been against the other guy, rather than FOR someone.
In the Pennsylvania primary, I will be voting FOR Barack Obama.
And I fervently hope and pray that I will have the option of voting for him in the general election as well.

Trunk Show Flyer

Trunk Show Flyer, originally uploaded by stephgibson23.

Biting the bullet.
Doesn't "Trunk Show" sound sooooo much better than "home party"?

Click on the flickr link if you want to see the whole thing - I am much too lazy today to fix this photo.

REM, Pot Roast and Jennifer Garner: A Birthday Ramble

I celebrated my birthday a couple weeks ago. One of my Mom's gifts to me was to watch the kids while Geoff and I went to a movie (Juno) and then after the movie we all had dinner at her house. And the best part: pot roast! My mom makes the most fabulous pot roast with carrots and potatos and onions. Geoff does not eat red meat, so I never cook this sort of thing; it is a huge treat for me to have my mom's pot roast. I was going to share a photo, but sadly, though delicious, Mom's pot roast does not photograph well.
I know Juno has been criticized for being a fairy tale, but personally, I love fairy tales and really enjoyed the movie. The entire cast was terrific, but Jennifer Garner was just amazing. Her longing is palpable. It is difficult to believe that someone with dimples as cute as hers can be a good actress, but she is. Perhaps I am influenced by the fact that since the writers' strike we have been watching nothing but DVD's of "Alias" (DON'T spoil it - we are three episodes away from the series finale.) I am not sure how we missed this show when it was on the air. We are maniacs about it now. How did JJ Abrahms ever think he could find an actress who could play Sidney Bristow? No one but Jennifer Garner could do it, of that I am sure. And don't even get me started on Victor Garber! A little aside (and obnoxious name dropping): when Geoff and I worked for Circle Repertory in NY, we worked on a show with Ron Rifkin. Among other things, I ironed his socks. He is a sweet man and more than once took all the interns out for dinner after the show. But anytime he has a fight scene, Geoff and I nearly wet ourselves laughing.

Since my birthday, here are some things that have made me feel old:

1. Thing One is singing REM's "Stand" in music class.
2. Last week, I was running across the yard in my fake Uggs (these shoes should come with a "no running" warning) tripped, face planted, and actually SLID across the yard, ruining a new pair of jeans and my dignity in one go. But here is the part that made me feel old - when I stood up, every part of my body ached, and I had a sudden knowledge that it would be DAYS before my body felt normal again.
3. Facebook

You Must Check This Out

I love it when bloggers post weekly installments for me to look forward to. I highly recommend littleputbooks' Etsy success tips, fluffyflowers' craft fair suggestions, stilettoheights' wickedly funny celebrity letters, or her sassy web comic.

But the most unique, wet-your-pants laughing , marvel-at-the-creativity, holy-cow-they-must-have-spent-a-lot-of-time-on-this, series of posts, is Jenn Marushka's "Lake Resort Nurse" recaps. Jenn and her husband Josh, a photographer, recap and deconstruct chapters from a cheesy romance novel. The recaps are accompanied by photos of action figures reenacting choice scenes from the book. This week she posted the last chapter and promises a wrap-up and contest for next week.

To read all the posts, click here and scroll down to the beginning.

An Interview

My workspace: not as messy as it was after Christmas, not as neat as it was a week ago.

I took this photo to accompany an interview I did for EtsyCafe. Kim of SchroederSisters put this blog together to feature seller interviews and she posted several great ones today.
Have you ever wondered why I live in Amish country? Or what my most important piece of advice for crafters may be? Do you lay awake at night asking yourself - "What percentage of Stephanie's business comes from Etsy?" These answers and MORE can be found here.
And once you have perused my interview, and perhaps a couple of others, check out Kim's Etsy shop full of soft scuptural goodness and celebrity art brilliance!

Sigh

Friends, I have so many posts swirling in my head and just don't feel able to sit down and write about them.

Soon.

The Conversation

Daily, for the last seven years, basically since Thing One could speak, we have been having a variation on the following conversation:

Mommy?
Yes?
(long pause as Thing One stares absently into the middle distance.)
What?
Oh. Nothing.

Perhaps an hour passes:

Mommy?
Yes?
(long pause as Thing One stares...)
What?
Huh? Oh. I forget.

Later in the day:

Mommy?
Yes?
(long pause as Thing One stares...)
What?
Hmmm. Nevermind.
(short pause as I gather my inner resources.)
Are you sure you do not have something you need to talk about?
No. I just like to say your name.

You can imagine how annoyed one might become by this.

Well, today I called my mother and we had this interchange:

Hello?
Hi, Mom.
(long pause)
(I giggle self-consciously)
Um, I don't really have anything to say. I just wanted to say "hi."

:)

Nimli ?

Any other Etsy sellers get a convo from a website called Nimli recently?
I'd love to talk about it.
:)

Travel

As ridiculous as it is to think about travel plans when we have a leak in our roof, need to replace our siding, and need to regrade the backyard so that a pond does not form against the house, I have been thinking of the places I would love to take the kids before they grow up and decide they would rather travel with friends.

So here is a partial list (I will not include weekend trips - New York City, Jersey Shore, DC etc.):

Maine
Arizona
Colorado
Washington State
Hudson River Valley between NYC and Woodstock, NY

England
Ireland
Scotland
Spain
Italy
Germany
Norway or Sweden
Greece
Egypt
Belize
Peru
Japan
China

We only have 10 years to do this. And I have only been to a few of these places myself.

But, if you are going to dream, dream big, right?

Big Plans

I had so many big plans for the day:
actual HOUSE CLEANING
organizing my financials from 2007 so I could turn in my sales tax the month it was due (imagine!)
buying of birthday presents for the four (4!!!!!) birthday parties the little people are attending this weekend
buying of birthday presents for the world's sweetest husband
taking some photos in preparation for the Showcase I bought (that I am sure I will regret!)
jazzing up my FaceBook page

BUT........

Thing One is home from school with some mysterious illness that caused her to swoon and say "Oh, Mommy, everything is sparkly and black!" after her shower this morning.

What a shame that I now need to spend the day snuggled in bed reading Craft, Inc while she alternately sleeps, reads and nibbles crackers next to me.