No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on December 1, 2013

Yeah I know my titles are kind of not up to snuff right now. Brain fuzzy.

Yesterday Caroline’s Girl Scout troop walked in one of the town parades that are prevalent on Long Island. We arrived at 5:30 and spent the next 45 minutes trying to figure out where we were suppose to be in the parade. Around 6:30 everything got sorted out and we marched the mile of the parade route. I swear this parade was almost twice as big as last year. The girls had a lot of fun. The parents got to walk with their kids. The girls took turns holding the troop banner and waving to the crowd. It was very cold but not windy like last year. By the end of the route everyone was talking about warm drinks in their future. Caroline had a lot of fun. I bundled her up really well so she came out the other end not worse for wear.

Today is about getting things ready for Caroline’s sleepover. I want to give the floor its fall wipe up so I have to get everything off sections of the floor to do so. It takes about two to three days to get all the way around the room along with all the side cleaning that happens during the day.

Also since it is going to warm up, it is time to put the holiday lights up before the temperature drops again. So that is on the docket as well.

I am grateful for warm boots while marching in a parade.

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Posted By Kathleen David on November 30, 2013

Advent starts tomorrow. Which makes sense considering it is December 1st and Christmas is celebrated the 25th of the month.

It is also shop at small business day. Consider hopping over to Peterdavid.net and check out the books we have for sale.

Tonight Caroline is marching with her Girl Scout troop in one of the local town parades of which we have many this year. I am already pulling together everything she is going to wear to keep warm and am doing the same for myself since I am walking with her. I need to make us some Santa Hats for the occasion so there is a trip to the fabric store in my near (next couple of hours) future.

Caroline’s Birthday is in less than a week, her second year in double digits. She is excited for her first sleepover party. It should be fine. I have limited the number of girls to something I know I can handle. We have activities planned along with a couple of movies. We are going to do decorate your own cupcake and probably make your own pizza.

Thanksgiving was nice. My sister in law hosted the event. We had the pleasant meal and spent some time on Friday before heading home. We managed to avoid some serious traffic between the GPS and iPad on I-95 which apparently became a parking lot for about 6 miles.

It will be New Years before I know it. There is one anniversary we are looking forward and back towards at the same time being the day that Peter had the stroke. Once we are past that, I think we might breath a little easier. It has been a year upside down.

I am grateful for things that keep Caroline warm in the cold weather.

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Posted By Kathleen David on November 28, 2013

For those who are celebrating it I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. For everyone else, hope the day is very nice to you.

I am both thankful and grateful that my husband is alive and back to “pre-stroke levels”

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Posted By Kathleen David on November 27, 2013

I am thankful for fans. We would not be where we are today without y’all. You were there when we needed you and we will never be able to thank you enough for all your help this year. I am thankful for the Heroes Initiative who stepped up and helped us when things were at their darkest.

I am thankful to all my friends. We have solid friends. Y’all stepped up for us and again we will never be able to thank you enough. Peter and I are humbled by the love and help you have given us in our time of need.

I am thankful for all the doctors, nurses, and rehab specialists to help put Peter back together. Florida hospital kept me in the loop about what was going on with Peter and how they were treating it. Every day I got a printed report about what he was on, what they wanted to do next, and who was doing what for him. Brooks Rehab was great about keeping me informed and making sure I had what I needed to get things ready to bring Peter home.

I am thankful for the things that helped us this year.

I am thankful for my daughter Caroline. In a week and a day she turns 11. She is a healthy happy child who is rapidly moving into her teenage years. She is creative. She is smart. She works hard in school. She works hard at her extracurricular activities. She knows kung-fu. She plays the flute. A pretty well rounded kid over all.

This has been a year that I really don’t want to repeat. We are coming out the other end OK but it was a little sketchy there for a bit. And we wouldn’t be standing if it wasn’t for all the help we got over the year for which I am forever grateful.

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Posted By Kathleen David on November 26, 2013

Usually I start my week of thanks on Monday but I didn’t realize that Thanksgiving was this Thursday. I am about a week behind in time. Blame the Doctor.

So, for the new readers, around Thanksgiving I like to write about things I am thankful for. It causes me to slow down a bit and reflect on all that had happened both good and bad. Thanksgiving will be 11 months since Peter had the stroke so that day is going to be a little weird for me.

Back to Crafty Tuesday.

First off I am thankful that my parents taught me so many things that I use to this day to create things. They showed me by just doing how much fun it was to create and how good it felt once the job was done.

I am thankful to my teachers over the years both formal and informal. I honestly couldn’t do what I do without what you taught me.

I am thankful for new materials. Polar Fleece changed the puppet and stuffed animal making business. Fimo and other polymer clays have allowed us to create things that were just not possible before. Crayola Magic is an air dry “clay’ that can do so many wonderful things. Colored foam sheets are a wonder.

I am thankful for the old standbys as well. What would I do without Paper Mache?

I am thankful for the opportunities I have had over the years to show my art and craftsmanship to others. I get great joy out of the smiles I see come over people faces when they see my puppets. The giggles I get out of children. The conversation that a puppet can start.

I am thankful that my husband supports me and encourages me to create. I probably wouldn’t get half of what I get done without it. He is also my critical eye and gives me honest feedback that allows me to redo things that aren’t right or just a bit off.

I am thankful for all the costumes that we keep coming up with. They challenge me each and every time to do better or learn something new that is used in costuming. I think the only things I haven’t build for humans are real shoes rather than shoe covers.

I am thankful for the Internet and obsessive fandom. Much easier to recreate when you have lots of lovely reference materials. Also thankful for all official making of books that are out which give such lovely pictures to peruse over.

I am thankful for the fans of my work. I was surprised that I had fans but apparently I do.

I am thankful for everyone who has bought my work over the years. I think I would have ditched showing at science fiction convention art shows but I make enough off of them to encourage me to continue to show in them.

I am thankful for you the reader. I have been told by a number of people that Craft Tuesday is something that they enjoy reading and that encourages me to keep it going.

I am grateful I am a crafty person.

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