New-York'alicious!!!

Today I'm grateful to live in a city which has so much going on and so many things to experience, and many of them for very little money. :)

Antibiotic cure 2.0

I've started another cure of Antibiotics to get rid of the pneumonia. My doc gave me a prescription and this time it'll "hit" both the lungs and the sinuses.... so hopefully I will be able to get well before the Christmas Holidays! (I am SO SO SO thankful for modern medicine!!!!)

In other news, tomorrow I'm going to head over to see them fill the air in the balloons in prep for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade with some friends! Pictures to come!!! This is a New York Tradition kind of like the parade itself... and New Years Eve in Times Square (though that one is one I have purposely skipped due to crowds, weather and lack of sanitation!!!) Last time I spent TG here in the city I didn't go to see them fill the balloons so I am glad I get to go this time. :)

For the beauty of the earth....

Thankful day... erm... (oops)

The little things in life, like a child looking at you and knowing you. Loving you for being... well YOU...

Good friends, friends that are like soul "twins" or kindred spirits... Friends that by a mere look or touch can uplift and sustain you.

The colour GREEN!!!!

Stories

Once upon a time... There once was a [fill in the blank].... East of the Sun and West of the Moon... In a Land far far away, in a time Long Long ago.... It is a truth universally acknowledged... It was the Best of Times, it was the Worst of Times.....

There are many ways to end a story... and even more ways to end them... but a good story captures your attention and holds it in it's grasp right until the last punctuation mark....

Today I am grateful for stories, great stories that are told, that last through time and place, that brings out emotions, Inspirational anecdotes, challenges our views and our opinions. Stories of love lost, love gained and eternal friendships. Swashbuckling Pirates, Brave Heroes, Sad Heroines, Comedic characters... you name it... :)

This posting was brought to you through inspiration from the latest movie version of Anna Karenina!

Fall Foliage

 While visiting a dear friend in Yonkers, I took the opportunity to get some pictures of the gorgeous fall colors and the gorgeous weather we had. We took the kids to the park and enjoyed the crisp and fresh air and the sunshine…

I am thankful for my five senses... though they're not all operating at full or perfect capacity... I am grateful that I have them, and thereby be able to enjoy life, and all the beauty in and of the earth... My taste-buds are slowly coming back, and it's been incredible to discover them again.. after six weeks of illness... another step on the uphill latter.. (if that's even the correct idiom... lol) 

Thankful Day 12

I am grateful for the friendliness of my neighbors. I met two new friends from Brazil at the Chinese place. The two guys just moved here, and asked my opinion on places to eat in the neighborhood.. places that didn't help them "put on the pounds" like the bodega's with their sandwiches... (*giggle*)

A little further down the road, I passed a cute little old lady (she looked like she'd grown out of the walls of the townhouses, like she was the neighborhood), and she walked me down the block. Or, I walked her down the block, (to tell the truth I am not sure which, *giggle*)

It is moments and encounters like this that colour and delight my little "world" here in Harlem.. and I am grateful for them... :) because they make my life rich and wonderful!!

Nursery lesson

Today was my turn to teach the lesson in Nursery. I wanted to do something out of the ordinary, because we have some really hyper kids who have issues sitting still and/or paying attention...so I decided to make up my own lesson. I based it on the song "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam" and here is my lesson: (though in actuality it got even more abbreviated)

 Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam

Doctrine and Covenants 88: 7 

This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.

The Lord helped make the sun. (show picture of the sun, let one child hold it, next to me)

This is a very important gift he has given us. Not only does the sun keep us warm, grow our food, and give us light it also gives our earth life. The sun gives allot of service to the earth. In this lesson we will learn some of the many ways the sun serves us.

The sun makes the seasons. (Show pix of the seasons)

Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall

The sun makes the rain. (show picture of rain, make "rain" hand gestures)

The sun sends out allot of heat, this heat helps the earth in many ways. The sun warms the water on the earth and makes rain.

The sun makes the wind and the waves. (show pix, make waves w hands)

The heat from the sun also warms the air around the earth and the ground of the earth. When the wind hits water it pushes the water in front of it, if the wind is large enough it can cause some beautiful waves.

The sun makes rainbows. (Show pic of Rainbow)

The sun gives us allot of gifts. All of these gifts are important to the earth. The sun helps the earth have seasons, wind, rain, rainbows, and many other things. I am thankful for all the gifts the sun gives to me.

How can you be like the sun? (ask kids)

What gifts can you give to others? How can you help others? What are your talents? How can you share your talents with others? (this part might be too hard for the age-group)

I know you have a lot of ways you can help and give to others. I know that when you service you earn happiness back. I know that giving, helping others, and service is important. The more you give the more you will feel happy. Giving is a magic way of making everything better. Like the sun, everything around the sun is improved because of all it gives. You can be a sunbeam by giving to others like the sun gives to you.

Sing "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam"

Physical Activity: Color paper plates, adults cut out middle for little "masks" or "halo's" for kids to use as  they become little "suns"  :)

_________________________________________________________________________________

Mostly the lesson/activity went well... The kids did not sit much still, nor pay much attention... but it's a work in progress, and at least I think they felt like they were participating, and they all enjoyed being little
"suns". 

And my goal really was for the kids to remember this lesson when they got home, which I think they did... (I hope)

Season End

My poor little firescape garden took a bit of a whopping from the Frankenstorm we had here in NYC, I lost a couple of (mostly) dead plants, and many of the others wilted or drowned. And the squirrels have been back kicking up the soil and gnawing on the roots... (Grrrrrrr)

A few days ago however, I had a welcomed visitor!!! The guy below was too scared however and didn't sit still long enough for me to catch a picture, so I had to borrow this one.

So my mint is probably the only plant that will survive the winter, the elements and those nasty furries, but, that's okay I think!!

Update: I am thankful for nature, even just the tiny little piece of it that I have on my balcony, and the beauty and diversity of birds, animals and nature.

Thankful catch up! ;)

• A well stocked Public Library that provided me with enough books and dvd's to last me through the big storm! 
• The sun, after the storm that warms and reminds me that the clouds are only temporary... And the rain for bringing life giving water to plants and animals, and us humans... 
• my Crockpot!! It seriously is one of my favorite modern inventions... and it makes my apartment smell delicious all the while cooking me my delicious meal!! And a crockpot meal can stretch reeeeally far!!!! 
• Church, my belief, my faith... and my friends big and small... though the small ones are particularly special and dear to me when they come and give me BIG hugs (and/or slobbery kisses)
• DRUGS - the legal kind that comes from Doctors' offices... lol... I'm finally getting some help with the Bronchitis, and am grateful for it!!!
• my super awesome friend and VT whom I'm just getting to know, but is so generous and concerned for me that I can only humbly thank the Lord for having put her in my life (she's also the one who brought me the antibiotics)
• a winter coat ensemble for snowy cold NYC winters (especially on a cold-rain, snowy day like yesterday), my "ensemble" includes scarves, hats and gloves... 
• the internet which connects me to friends and family far and wide, provides me with entertainment, and  is a source of knowledge!

urch sickness

I have been sick with Bronchitis the past three weeks, preceded by a week or so with a horrid cold, it's not been a super fun past month for me, but these past few I've just had so many blessings and moments of divine touches in my life, so I thought I'd join the "flock" and do the whole "thankful-game" (or whatever one calls it)... I debated doing it on Facebook, but then I felt that it would be more personal for me to do it on the blog, in addition to giving me something to blog, so.... I've decided to do a daily "snippet" of "I am thankful for [fill in the blank]"
The rules I'm setting for myself is: I can only miss one day per week, and I will do it until Thanksgiving or the Sunday following.
Today I will post one longer "catch up" but from tomorrow it'll be daily.. (I hope!)

It can't hurt to be a little more grateful, and to be open about my gratitude... of course all the honor and glory goes to my Father in Heaven, and it is to Him I direct my thoughts and feelings more than any others.

apple picking fun!!

believe it or not, it WAS a fun trip!!!

Apple pickin' fun!!

Last Friday I went Apple picking with some of the kiddles and their moms from church... We went to a fantastic orchard an hour north of the city (which I call upstate, but someone from the "real" upstate corrected me and told me it wasn't... ha ha ha)

I ate so many apples I thought for sure I was going to either throw up or end up with a runny tummy.. neither actually happened, but I did react to whatever they use to spray the fruit with, because my tongue swelled up and my mouth felt "fuzzy" for about two days. However I've been eating two to three apples a day until the apples all were gone, and loved it! I am totally ready for another trip!!! :)

The kids had more fun playing on the playground I think, but the adults sure seemed to enjoy being out of the city and all it's nitty gritty gunk. I got reaffirmed once more that I am totally and absolutely a country girl, and almost cried on the way back into the city... ha ha ha, as the saying goes "you can take the girl out of the...etc."

we tried to get a group shot of the kids, that proved to be difficult, but here are some snapshots.... :)

cold

it finally got cold and "fall'ish" here in NY... and I got the first cold of the season. I find I make a very whiny and sad (pathetic) "patient" when sick... don't think I've always been this way, but oh well.... it's day three, and I'm going stir crazy... :S no bueno! Fortunately I have a lot of cold medicine and stuff, so I have some remedies... I do have some really kind visiting teachers however who brought me soup and promised me cookies... yay... :)  (atchooo)

Kid tending blues

Yesterday I babysat for a family right after church, mom and dad both had meetings in regards to their callings, and I was happy and willing.... that being said, they offered me free reign to their snack closet which included a BIG pack of Coca Cola Cans... of which I consumed two... which wouldn't have been so bad had I not already had a 20oz bottle on the way to Church that morning (trying to chase away a threatening Migraine)!!!!! That, in an additional 20oz bottle pretty much every day this past weekend, and I was in serious need of detox and pre-addiction intervention today.. (yes I just made up that term)

Today again I had a babysitting gig, and though I was expecting only the baby, getting the last minute addition of the elder brother (5) who was home from school sick, didn't really faze me.... that is until I got home... 

and, MAN,

I've forgotten how inquisitive and attention DEMANDING 5yr olds are!!!

This one is also exceptionally smart and that just adds a whole 'nother level to the game!!

I survived the day, but boy was I tempted to cast my weakness under a cloud of Caffeine in the form of a Coca Cola!!! 

Give me a grumpy elderly person any day!!!

(okay, not really!!!)

Jon hunting SUCKS!!! I absolutely DETEST it! And it's making me grouchy, grumpy and depressed!!

That's all...
The end!

Lobster Sunburn

I got the chance to go to a beach out on Long Island with two friends the Saturday before Labor Day.... I prepared for this by slathering myself with Waterproof HIGH SUNBLOCK Lotion, and made sure I brought it with me and applied throughout the day, but I still got really fried... Like a lobster... so from here on out... I'm going with full body bathing suits.... Three weeks later, I'm still itching, peeling and have skin that is more like leather than anything else...   :(

In these pictures you can see some white "stuff" on me, that is just cream my kind friend put on me to soothe the skin... In addition to the face, back and my chest area, the back of my legs also got burned as well as part of the bottom "cheeks"... I couldn't even sit!!! It was soooo painful!

I will say this though, being able to frolic in the ocean again almost made it worth it... I really do believe I am part mermaid, because once I got in the water, it felt like I was "whole" again...

Central Park Zoo

Today I met with a dear old friend whom I haven't seen for such a long time, and her two little boys. We went to the Central Park Zoo, and had a blast. The favorite I think was the Sea Lion Show, and the penguins, but we didn't walk through all of it, and we forgot the "petting-zoo" part of CPZ... but that's okay, that just gives us something for next time!!   :)

It was great to renew old friendships... though "renew" does not feel like the correct word in this instance... It's more like we left right off where we'd ended last we saw each other... This is how our friendship is...it exists through time and space, without any awkwardness or change with time passing. And I love it!!! Sure there is some time spent "catching up",  going over the latest "news" etc. but then it's just so free and relaxed....

The boys were little rascally angels... just how I adore them... and with another on the way, it's going to be a fun house!!! I can't wait to visit them and play with them some more.... :)

forgotten corner no more

Last summer Norway got a serious and horrific wake up call, when a man killed almost 80 people in two separate attacks, the majority of his victims kids and teenagers... This summer, again, Norway has learned that it is no longer the forgotten little corner of the world, by the disappearance of a 16 year old girl, and the following discovery that she was killed. "The world" with all it's technology, socio-economics and "forward thinking" has long since made it's mark on Norway and it's inhabitants.... but now we are seeing the backside of the coin as well.... The gritty and sometimes gruesome parts of a "modern" and "western" society.. Sure there have been a few other kidnappings, disappearances and even killings in Norway since WW2, but they have been sporadic and few between... it seems it's only in the last 5-10 years it has gotten truly brutal.

Perhaps the trial this year, of last years' mass murderer has put a spotlight on the need for stricter laws, better and "updated" police work (ie. investigation, reaction time, evidence gathering etc), and a much needed revamp of the Psychological practices in Norwegian Society. And maybe this will be the last of brutality in Norway.. though I doubt that.

However, it is time Norway realize that this is now part of the "normal" modern society, whether we like it or not, it's come to stay. And hopefully this will lead to hasty revamping of the Police and  Psychiatric departments, to at least stem this unfortunate reality somewhat.. and give help to those who truly need it. In a country where preventive measures are at the forefront, this should be attended to quickly!!

Norway is the world's forgotten corner no more...

a welcomed visitor to my little garden...

my "Edenscape"

splendid... simply splendid...

Every now and again comes a movie that moves, thrills, and just generally makes one happy... this week I caught up with two such great and wonderful movies... The Oscar's had it right, The Artist and My Week with Marilyn are two movies that are just... well... splendid...

I saw Marilyn first, and just felt the joy of an era gone by as well as a little sadness of what could have been a spectacular life, but within the bittersweet is a gem.. a sparkling little diamond. The actors all perform within an inch of perfection... and I have to say Michelle Williams is so smashing as Marilyn, you'd think they were clones!! Eddie Redmayne, "new", so to speak to the world, but not to me (I know him from British TV series Tess D'Urberville and Elizabeth I). FANTASTIC!!! No matter what, this is a movie worth seeing!

The Second, The Artist, is just an homage to the old era of the silent films.. When movies were Pictures... and everything was Romantic. This story is not told through the dialogue, it's told through gestures, facial expressions and body language. and it is marvelous!!! I mean, really, truly marvelous. It's a movie within a movie, within a lost art form.... and I LOVED it!!!!

Loki Tote

I am currently making a tote for a fellow geek and friend, she is particularly excited about the character Loki who features in Marvel's Thor and Avengers, as well as in the movies....


This character is from Norse Mythology, and the actor who has portrayed Loki in the latest movies, is one Tom Hiddleston, a fine young British actor who has a voice that can melt a stone! (I am also a fan of his, in case you didn't catch that already... lol...)

One day as we were talking, I mentioned to her that I was making myself a Doctor Who Patchwork tote, showed her a picture of a sample of it and before you knew it we got talking and throwing out ideas... and that was the conception of the Loki-bag... lol....

I've been working on the patches for a while now, and am just finishing putting it all together. It's been really really fun, and this project has certainly challenged my creative juices!! But I think I have succeeded in making something that is pretty cool, and as long as Kat (the future owner) is happy.... I am happy.

The finishing touches have not been captured on film (so to speak) as of yet, but as soon as I get it done I will post it.... At any rate, it's been a fun project and I've learned many things about the creative process, what works for me, how I work creating things... it's been really interesting. And I'll admit it's been not all "smooth sailing"... But that's all part of the journey I suppose! 

one of the side panels

the inside pocket

Days....

Some days are better than others... some start out good and go "south" into a deep ravine by the end of it... others start out rather "grey" and end up on happy notes...

Today is definitely one of the latter for me... As I write this I am sitting in a Starbucks, in Manhattan, with a dear friend as we geek out over our favorite show... (Doctor Who)

Having not seen each other for about a week or so, we went and saw "The Bourne Legacy" this morning, starring one of my quickly growing favorite leading men; Jeremy Renner....

Then we relocated to a Starbucks and have been here for about five hours now... :) Comfortably so. They have almost everything we need... lol... and it's nice to just "hang out" together like this. For my part at least, I need my Areum "fix" every so often!

So here's me raising my glass (figuratively) to friendship and "Geek-dom"

thought's on filming...

...On Movie Sets:


Now people might think movie sets are exciting fascinating places... even fun... but I am here to tell you different!! It is a LOT of sitting around waiting, getting the scenes ready FOR shooting, the actual filming takes only a few minutes, (depending on how good and prepared the actors are) and then all the excitement is over...


To shoot even a minute of a film there is so much prep work and "build up" the actors really only shows up, portray the correct emotions, say their lines and that is it for them... The REAL work is done before and after, and a little "during"... The grips and riggers, the props department, the set assistants, Costume and Wardrobe, the engineers, electricians etc THEY are the ones who do all the work and gets little of the credit. (I mean come on, honestly how many of us sit through the credits all the way to the end!!!)

Then of course it depends on what kind of film it is, period pieces may have a TON more crew on say props and wardrobe than for instance a comedy or a thriller, or a Sci-Fi; has a lot more special effects crew and perhaps less people in props and set decor. Each genre has it's own "special needs". A rom-com is perhaps more about the writers and directors. On an action movie set it's about safety and stunts.. 

In my opinion the REAL "hero's" of a movie are the people behind the scenes. Not the producer/director, Not the actors, but the labourers who prepare everything and do the hard work... in many ways it's like building a house.. Sure the designers do a fabulous job, but the real credit is for the people who put in the support beams, who nail the walls and the ceilings together, who put in the piping, the electricity, the floors and stairs.... it doesn't matter who "lives" there... without these other people there wouldn't be a house!!!

So today my thoughts and appreciation goes to the "builders" of movies and tv shows.... you have my admiration and respect, and my thanks!!!!! In my opinion, just getting your name at the end of a movie you work on is not credit enough!!!! (Perhaps this is why I always take a lot of pictures of the crew and the "workings" when I visit sets....)


However this does NOT mean I will stop chasing my favorite actors... lol... I do still want a bit of them as well... but I will try to remember and appreciate more, the "background-ers"    ;)

A forgotten posting...

A while ago I came across a fun band playing at the south end of Union Square Park... 

I stood watching for a while, then went on my way...

When I came back to the park, the band had gotten a crowd and some other "participants"..

more sand art pictures

Joe Mangrum is the street artist, and his pieces of art are fantabulous!!!

You can find him on: http://www.joemangrum.com/artnews/