Where have I gone???

Hey folks, I've defected (actually, it's been some time now, but back then I was having such issues getting INTO this site, I'd just given up...)

come visit and catch up at ....

http://aliaslaceygreen.wordpress.com/

New Years Resolutions??

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS?
Do people still do this to themselves?
Go out, get bent, and come home, believing that TOMORROW, the world they exist in will be able to be radically changed, just because it’s called January?

Well, not me. Look, it’s January THIRD, and I still haven’t made a list!!!

If I were to make a list, I suppose procrastinate less would have to be high on it, right?

I could of course, write a list of resolutions.
Lose ten pounds.
Exercise more.
Eat less chocolate.
Put house keeping higher on my radar.
Save Money.
Buy less fabric.
Oh, right, the procrastination thing-y.

Sounds like a more like a prison sentence than a lifestyle.

So, how about GOALS….Goals, I think I could handle.

So, for 2007, what goals do I have?

Spend more time with friends. Keep up contact.

Quilt more! That would help the fabric pile-up, and allow me to add to my stash with less guilt. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to learn to finish things, right? Follow-through. I have joined a UFO quilting group to help me process all those started projects. (there are 25 items currently on the list....)

Scrapbooking has taken a back seat to my other endeavors this past year, primarily because the monthly get-together we used to have was ended when our local store closed. I could do this at home. I certainly haven’t run out of photos yet! And I do enjoy it! (there are a jillion half finished pages, and that many more photos awaiting page design)

I have started doing some writing again. I am enjoying the different creative concepts, and outcomes. I don't want to stop that.

The housework resolution I can’t find a way to turn into a goal. Just doesn’t interest me enough. Sorry. But I have decided to try at least one NEW recipe a week. By the end of the year, I should have a collection of ideas that we both like!

Oh, the money thing. Well, I am pretty good about shopping wisely. I only get crazy at the quilt store, the quilt show….. but I certainly can’t eliminate THAT part of my experience!

The garden. But that's more of a spring time desire. In spring all feels possible.

2007 is the year I turn 42--- 42 is my number. 42 is the ultimate answer, you know. If you don’t believe me, google it! Seriously. Google the number 42, and all will be answered!

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone has a great one!

Where is your Christmas card?

I know. It's Sunday. It's Christmas eve. You are sitting there, wondering, 'where is my card from Trish and Timmy?' You haven't wondered? I'm hurt ;)

The only response I can offer? Last year's card wiped me out! How to top that has left me with no ideas, totally drained of creativity. And so, as I head off to work in a few minutes (yes, on Christmas EVE) I decided to do what any self-respecting photographer would do.

I took some Christmas photos, and you can choose your OWN card!
They all come with the best of Christmas wishes, with thoughts of joyful laughter, with the spirit of peace and love, and the hopes for a happy healthy holiday season and a bright new year!
MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY NEW YEAR

Peace and Love, Trish, Timmy, kids and kitties

Has Hamish been good?



















This honeycomb ornament belonged to my grandma Elaine



















An icy, snowy sled













Miss Tatiana was a good girl, Santa



















Our Tree



















Christmas Cards recieved



















Ornaments on display

TACKY LIGHTS AND OTHER CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS

Tacky Christmas lights? Not at this house! But here in the Richmond area, it is apparently a point of pride to help Dominion Power have a very Merry Christmas, and so there is a huge to-do about out-door decorating. Click on the link below and take the slide show tour of our bright neighbors.














And I'm not kidding, folks. There are bus tours of this stuff!!! Myself, well, this is the inside, and the outside of our humble abode.

http://media.gatewayva.com/photos/rtd/special/holidayguide2006/tackylights/banneradslideshow/slideshow_content.html
Ok, so that was silly, and fun, too, don't you agree? As long as I didn't have to be on the roof's of some of those houses, more power to ya, I say. Of course, I would hope that I had good blinds on my bedroom windows! No fears, because none of our neighbors has gotten THAT elaborate yet!


Last year, just about everyone with a computer saw this little movie, and heard the music of Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

http://www.engadget.com/2005/11/21/christmas-lights-gone-wild/

You will possibly need to follow a link to Christmas lights gone wild. It's worth it.
-----------------------------------------
On to other Christmas thoughts. There is Christmas music in the air. EVERYWHERE! I am sure you all humm to yourself where ever you are to the sounds of Little Drummer Boy, or Grandma Got Runover By a Reindeer.

For the last few years, this Christmas song, definitely an alternative selection, has topped my Christmas music list.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra is a musical treat and a light show. The music is not all harps and bells; it's much more like an orchestral heavy-metal. I like it.

The lyrics to this song, however, outshine the music by far. Read them, and think on them. This is a song for believers, cynics, grinches and atheists.


OLD CITY BAR --Trans-Siberian Orchestra

In an old city bar
That is never too far
From the places that gather
The dreams that have been

In the safety of night
With its old neon light
It beckons to strangers
And they always come in

And the snow it was falling
The neon was calling
The music was low
And the night Christmas Eve

And here was the danger
That even with strangers
Inside of this night
It's easier to believe

Then the door opened wide
And a child came inside
That no one in the bar
Had seen there before

And he asked did we know
That outside in the snow
That someone was lost
Standing outside our door

Then the bartender gazed
Through the smoke and the haze
Through the window and ice
To a corner streetlight

Where standing alone
By a broken pay phone
Was a girl the child said
Could no longer get home

And the snow it was falling
The neon was calling
The bartender turned
And said, not that I care
But how would you know this?

The child said I've noticed
If one could be home
They'd be all ready there

Then the bartender came out from behind the bar
And in all of his life he was never that far

And he did something else that he thought no one saw
When he took all the cash from the register drawer

Then he followed the child to the girl cross the street
And we watched from the bar as they started to speak
Then he called for a cab and he said J.F.K.

Put the girl in the cab and the cab drove away
And we saw in his hand That the cash was all gone
From the light that she had wished upon

If you want to arrange it
This world you can change it
If we could somehow make this Christmas thing last

By helping a neighbor
Or even a stranger
And to know who needs help
You need only just ask

Then he looked for the child
But the child wasn't there
Just the wind and the snow
Waltzing dreams through the air

So he walked back inside
Somehow different I think
For the rest of the night
No one paid for a drink

And the cynics will say
That some neighborhood kid
Wandered in on some bums
In the world where they hid

But they weren't there
So they couldn't see

By an old neon star
On that, night, Christmas Eve

When the snow it was falling
The neon was calling
And in case you should wonder
In case you should care

Why we're on our own
Never went home
On that night of all nights
We were already there

Then all at once inside that night
He saw it all so clear
The answer that he sought so long
Had always been so near

It's every gift that someone gives
Expecting nothing back
It's every kindness that we do
Each simple little act


Visit them...http://www.trans-siberian.com/

What Else am I up to?

Well, let's see. A lot of you know I like to write. I used to write essays for the local newspaper; had a couple published there and even made it to the OP/ED page once or twice.

In college, I was always the one asking for ONE MORE blue book, please, I promise I will stop answering the questions soon! And a 8-10 page paper? Easy as pie. Of course, easy, once I settled down and started writing, it was easy. I have held the title of Queen of Procrastination for a very long time, folks. I groan to think of how long those papers would be today--back then (insert stone age drum beats) I had to hand write and then insert paper into a typewriter! And use white out.

Ah, the freedom the computer has provided. Professor Nachmani is relieved I am sure that we didn't use such new -fangled things like this back then!

Not that you would know by reading this blog so far. I definitely haven't been writing with much thought here; I started this mostly to have a place to show photos.

In any event. I have gotten hooked on this book series. Well, a number of books, of course, but this particular series...it spoke to me. The author is stringing us along, and we are following her meekly.

The series is Stephanie Plum and the author is Janet Evanovich. There are currently 12 books, and she writes a new one each year. I devoured them this summer. And then read them again. Immediately. Not like me, I usually move on quickly.

The characters got under my skin. There has been no resolution for them, and it was eating me up. (Ok, so I don't have much else to worry about...shoot me that my life is great, why don't you?) I am willing to admit, and I know that my husband reads this, that I have certain, well, feelings, for one of the main characters.

I had never heard of Fan Fiction before, or maybe I had, but it buzzed by my brain. I did a little googling, and discovered a whole world of people who like to play with other people's fictional characters! Who knew?

Have I ever sent you a hand made card? What does it say on the back---"another product of Trish's over-active imagination"--I believe those are the words I used.

I began to write a story. And up until now, have posted it on a site where everyone else has similar feelings about the universe we are exploring, (or borrowing.) So they are all very supportive. But, I have decided to take the big plunge, and post it where people I actually know may read it. Exposing myself, yikes, a bit delicate there, but...

if you go to http://www.fanfiction.net/~aliaslaceygreen or http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1166786/ you should be able to locate my story, called Geometry Lessons. (but maybe not quite yet. It's showing up on my computer as existing, from the accounts side, but not from the public side.)

I have written a prologue, so if you have no Stephanie Plum experience, you shouldn't be too lost. I will continue posting there; currently only have the prologue up, but it's a slightly difficult site so far for me to navigate. I am working on it, however.

I hope you enjoy it. I will note here that I use real language (cursing, etc) and real situations, so if you are uncomfortable with this proceed at your own risk.

The Journal Quilt Project. JANUARY 2006.

STAUNTON WINDOW-On Display at Houston.
I belong to a quilt list on line, quiltart.com.
I am usually not a good deadline person, and I am not a big participant in discussion on the board. I also have a very hard time committing to projects and FINISHING them.
I have so many partly finished quilts. Ideas in progress. UFO's. Even belong to a quilt list to help get my UFO's finished!

Quiltart posted the Journal Quilt Project.
I decided to enter this challenge that was posted. It was in it's fifth year. I could handle having to produce one finished art quilt per month, considering that the only criteria was that they were the size of a piece of typing paper. After all, I scrapbook, and that's the format I use.

So, I committed to the project. Now, what to DO?? Well, Timmy and I had taken a weekend trip the autumn before, hunting down quilt shops. While in Staunton, VA, I discovered an antique/junk shop that had colored bottles in the windows. The owner let me take photos (he actually looked at me funny when I asked if I could take pictures through-out his store.)

The rest of the weekend, I was buying batik fabrics and kept seeing colored bottles. Ah, another quilt idea.

So, in January, I started plotting out the quilts. Do I do a series? Random thoughts? New techniques? What do I want out of this exercise? (other than my name in lights, of course!!!) I knew by fulfilling the project that I would be getting my five of nine quilts displayed at the International Quilt Show 2006 in Houston.
Great motivator!

I rummaged through fabrics and ideas spilled forth. I ran across the batiks, and the windows came back into mind. Did I want to do a series of WINDOWS? (still gonna happen someday)hmmm.
Started cutting fabric and fusing it, decided to add some Angelina fiber to make the shiny bottle and learn how to use that. Gotta start practicing my machine quilting, so tossed that into the soup too.

Then, a topic began on quiltart about netting, and tulle on quilts, and BINGO! I realized I needed a spiderweb. Mine is from organza.

Well, looky there. I made my first Journal quilt. And January, oh, we love January, because resolutions are still easy to keep, so I even sent out my digitial image of my January and February quilts on time.

I was shocked by an email a month or so later to discover that my January quilt was chosen to be one of 280 or so quilts to be published in November 2006 in a book about the Journal Quilt Projects five year odessy!!!! Click here to see the book (I'm on page 256 =} )
http://www.quiltingarts.com/shop/cq_book.html

Journal Quilts February-May

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE
February's quilt came as I was in a mini Beatlmania. I had just finished watching the DVD Imagine, and had a Beatles CD in the car, driving home from Ashland, where I had gone to meet a quilter from one of my groups. We went fabric shopping!!!
And then to the new scrapbook store next to the quiltman. Ashland is a bad bad place.

Anyway, the words to this song rattled around in my head as I buzzed down 95. The entire concept and construction occured on the ride home.
I felt that it needed to be in soft, monochromatic colors, to emphasize John and Pauls timeless lyrics, I never saw 60's psychedelic colors. I printed the words onto fabric run through my printer, cut them up and the sewed them back together. Using some fabric paint and rubber stamps designed for scrapbooking, I pressed the title over the entire thing.

WOULDN'T AUNT GENE BE PROUD
March was interesting. Meaningful. I was working on a different project, for FFAC, which was donating money to the American Cancer Society. Since my father had just finished up treatment for his cancer I decided to donate some fabric postcards to the cause. They would be sold at the Chicago IQS in April.
I started playing with scraps from a different quilt, and came up with an idea for the postcards, but while putting it together, it reminded me of my Aunt Gene. She was the ultimate hoarder. I thought, wow, wouldn't Aunt Gene be proud! Then of course, I amended that thought, because the last time I saw her before she died, she had no idea who I was. Alzheimers had taken her, and her sister, my great-grandmother. I recalled there was an Alzheimers project for quilters going on as well. I took the thought for the postcards, reworked it for the Alzheimers project and liked the result so much (down in the past postings SOMEWHERE) that I made one for my Journal Quilt as well.

IT'S TRITE I TELL YA -On Display at Houston

Ok, another one caused by the endless circular carryings on at quiltart. Is it real or is it memorex? What constites a quilt? What makes it art? Yada yada. One round of this discussion brought up the idea of a sunflower. Someone stated that they were trite. Not art (dont tell Georgia)....Anyhoooo, I just left the Chicago quilt show and there were a heck of a lot of Sunflowers that made it into the show!!!

And after all, I personally have never worked with the sunflower as a subject, in any media. How could it be trite to me? For bonus points, I tossed in a Kincade-esque background complete with Lumiere painted sky and a thatched cottage.

DiscOver Aquehonga On-Display at Houston
See next posting.

Journal Quilts June-Sept

AND I THOUGH LIME WAS THE NEW BLACK

This quilt happened, too. I don't do solids. They're vegetables, and I am a dessert kind of gal. I hate having to spend money on the solids when there are so many pretty patterned fabrics that want to go home with me. But I digress.

I moved away from NYC before Christos' Gates took over Central Park. I missed something. Did I ? Was it art? I know here in VA, I framed a couple of photos of the installation where people had gotten a scrap of the fabric. It really had by-passed my world. But I went to the Chicago quilt show, and everywhere I turned there were orange quilts. And at leat 4 that were based on the Gates!!!! I did miss --something. I found these awesome beads at a vendor (why do they HAVE to sell beads at the quilt show....far too dangerous!!!) and they were lime and orange. Another quilt just created itself. I even machine quilted the thing!!!



DisCOVER Aquehong -On Display at Houston
See last descripton
IT IS WHAT IT IS
This one never really gelled. I liked the idea, but the overall execution or something still hasn't happened. I used a photo transfer of my brother and myself of the day I perceive as the day that mom left. This whole concept came about because of a discussion on Quiltart (surprise!) about whether it's art if its not about pain. about angst. are pretty pictures truly art? or do you have to have DEEP meaning?



DISC-cOVER // DISC-OVER // DIS-GARD-GUARD AQUEHONGA

On Display at Houston
This triptych has been floating around in my head for around 20 years or more. My great great great grandfather, Ephraim Clark, was a speaker at the Centennial of Staten Island Celebration, and he said that Staten Island was one of the most beautiful places on earth and he hoped that it's future kept pace with it's surrounding. (can't find the exact quote)

Since then, Staten Islands largest claim to fame has been as the worlds largest garbage dump, seen from space, etc.

At one time I thought it would be called Discover Mecca, but times being what they are, I felt that was awkward. Aquehonga is the Native American name for my birthplace. Panel one is as Ephraim saw it. Sun setting in the west, over New Jersey, the Kills providing wetlands and most likely beauty and bounty.
That is how it was Disc covered. Playing on the word DISC, referring to the Sun, and the worship that we have often given to the sun, covering our home and protecting it.
In panel 2, I see the same view, changed. And my how it has changed. The first time I started working across the street from this view, you could still SEE New Jersey. By the time I stopped working at the mall, the horizon of Linden and it’s oil refineries was swallowed by the ever growing mountains of trash that are/were Fresh Kills, the largest landfill in the world. I envisioned grid work silhouetted and the smoke of the refineries changing the color of Ephraim’s sunset. I envisioned panels two and three differently at one time. The DISC is OVER Aquehonga, but it is partly hidden from view by man’s touch.
Today, post 9/11, post landfill closure, Panel 3 has changed. The landfill closure, a long-awaited joy to Staten Islanders was only shortly celebrated; 3 months after closing, it became the final resting place of the Twin Towers, and all that entails emotionally and physically. I have left this island. I see now, the sun, the DISC guarding the discards of our old world. Our innocence. The disc is the link between the earthly, the sky, and the heavens. It warms the soil where the remains of the Towers were laid to rest, the crystals are the souls, earthbound and sent heavenward that day. The phrase in the sky, with the birds flying freely is one that came to me on that day, as I watched the endless souls floating heavenward.

Richmond Highland Games

Last Sunday, Timmy and I went to the Highland Games at RIR. The day was sunny, deceptive, because the wind was whipping around! I came home and for two days felt like there was grit in my eyes from the fine dirt blowing everywhere.

One of the highlights of the day, and
definitely a crowd pleaser was the band Albannach. (www.Albannachonline.com)

Their music is infectious, and loud! You can't sit still. It's not traditional pipes and drums, but primitive, and wild, and fun....

Had a great seat, and got some nice pictures, too!
 

Large Men Throwing Things

Thats actually the tag line of the Highland Games! Large men, in kilts, throwing heavy objects like this. This is called Caber tossing.. This caber is 18.5 feet tall, and over 141 lbs. The goal? Throw it.

Make it turn on its head, so that the fat end is at the bottom. Get it to flip over, at a 90 degree angle.


The day I watched, not one of the guys was able to do it... but the judge did
admit that he chose a very difficult caber to toss! Yeah, sounds like my idea of fun! Not. But watching it was fascinating.


 

Highland Games

Everyone loves a parade! And while the sound of bagpipes usually reminds me of chilly March days standing on Forest Avenue on Staten Island, or of the little parade we had of our own after our wedding, celebrating the end of the outdoor seasons seems just as reasonable a reason to have bagpipers and parades.
These gentlemen cut a fine figure in their kilts, don't they? The blond wants us to knowabout a few of his favorite things...a beer in one hand and whiskey in his other!!





These horses were performing a dance routine that was called an equine riverdance! It was pretty amazing watching the precesion of both horses and riders!
 

Festival Time

Well, the autumn has come upon us, and what a great way to end the outdoor part of the year but with some music festivals!
Richmond has been the home for the past two years of the National Folk Festival--one more year to go, before it moves on to other pastures.

The day in mid-October was wonderful, but we couldn't arrive until after work...
next year I want the whole day!

Here is Chuck Brown, from DC.
The Carlos de Leon Orchestra

This happy couple had a grand time dancing to the music of Sonny Burgess and the Legendary Pacers....they were cute, but, please, shoot me if I EVER ask Timmy to dress up in matching velour running suits!!! 

Oceana Naval Air Base

Sept 10, 2006. The day was absolutely perfect for an airshow!

It was the 60th anniversary of the Blue Angels, who are amazing to watch.

If you go to the next entry, with the sunset, and click on the Kodak link, you should be able to see the rest of the photos....enjoy!



 

Sunset, Duck, NC

We stopped in Duck for pizza and found this place that actually has a sign outside that was offering Free Sunsets. Hey, we were game!!!






If this link works, it will take you to my photos of the trip, as well as those of the day we spent at Oceana for the Blue Angels Airshow....
http://www.kodakgallery.com/l.jsp?c=p295muz.ajbbneuz&x=0&y=5fs77c