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The exceeding was happily misleading

The previous post has been deleted because it was misleading.
In the videoclip the Pope held out his hand,
not to be shaken
but to introduce the German President
to the gathered Cardinals and Bishops.

We extend out thanks to those who clarified what was happening in the clip.

If you saw the clip on this blog
I am sorry that you were misled;
we were too.

If it is unfortunate that
everything that glitters is not gold,
it is a blessing when
much that first appear exceeding,
is only misleading.

The misleading clip.

Crickets, Crickets

....hello? Is there anybody out there?



{ 37 weeks }


Fall in Upstate NY is my favorite time of the year. The weather is perfect. There are a million things to do - apple picking, pumpkin picking, hayrides, late September (mosquito-free) barbeques - I've been doing much and writing little.









Reese is fast on four limbs and most of my day is spent making sure she doesn't kill herself. She's on her way to walking. Cruising the couch and the coffee table, taking her dinosaur for regular spins around the playroom and teaching herself how to fall correctly (i.e. squatting down and landing on her bottom). She's holding on to the furniture with one hand, so my guess is she'll be brave enough to let go completely by the end of October.







Ryan is still sitting exactly where you leave him. Good boy, Ry.







I've been freelancing since the babies were four(ish) months old. And I have brought in enough contracts to warrant the need for a nanny. I'll be working about 20 hours per week, mostly from home. I'm excited about having dedicated time to work, rather than juggling. And while the nanny search was the least fun thing I've done in years, the girl I chose is amazing and I can't wait to make her part of our family.











I've spent every spare minute on the babies' Halloween costumes. Ryan's paws are done, and I made Reese's cape. Then I tried it on her the next day, realized it was way too big and decided to start over again rather than adjust the first one. I'd rather spend another $9 on fabric than sit with a seam ripper for an hour. So I'm pretty much starting from square one with her costume. But doing something the second time is always much easier (right?).



{ transformation from boy to wolf has begun }


{ the cape, round 1 }


Aside from burning the dynamite at both ends, September has been a great month. We took the babies to Nantucket and apple picking for the first time. And, as soon as I finish these costumes I get to start planning the big O-N-E. Less than 15 weeks before my babies aren't babies anymore.





In the last 8 1/2 months we've amassed quite the collection of things. To help lighten our load, I've started a resale blog. I will be listing all things baby (clothes, gear and toys), motherhood (maternity clothes, abdominal binders, nursing gear/equipment) and I'm finally making peace with my closet. So the stuff that has no hope of fitting the new Niki has got to go-o-o-o-o. If you're a size 26/27, 0/2, you're in luck. I have a whole work wardrobe that is waiting for a new home.



Since this blog was named after the late (great) Gilda Radner, I thought it only fitting that the new blog follow suit.



“I base most of my fashion taste on what doesn't itch.”

Gilda Radner

a big day...

hurrah hooray! i cannot believe we are already at the official book launch day... it has been a whole year since Janine, Glen and little Finley came to stay at Mossy Shed and now they are back in Seattle for our book launch.

in a matter of hours i will be catching the bus to the big city, where upon i will meet up with Janine and her little clan, and the lovely Lola Nova, my most fine and dandy buddy from Portland. she is in my 'nice folks' section of the book because quite frankly she is very nice to know.
then together we will sally forth to The Assemble Gallery and have a spiffy old time of things this evening. 


i think today would be a most fitting time for me to say perhaps the biggest "thanking your kindly" i have ever needed to say...
from the lovely peachy comments here, to the incredible amount of fabby mails in my inbox, to the twittering words tweeted, to the kind facebook messages, i have truly been overwhelmed by the response to the book. i feel most humbled to know so many folks have found the book to be inspiring, unique and totally dottie angel.

these past weeks for my family across the pond, well, it has been a crappity crap few weeks filled with emotions and sadness, and there are many more to come. so late last night into the wee early hours my man and i sat, and we talked and we talked with heavy hearts and heavy heads. he then told me, "no matter what Tif, tomorrow is your day, it is your moment and nothing will overshadow this, you have waited patiently for half a lifetime to have a little moment to shine and you deserve it."





and so dearest readers, i shall do just as he says, i will take 'my day', i will wear my cloggy sandals with pride as i step on the bus, 'little lucky bunny' safely tucked in my bag and head to meet my friends and my lovely blog readers to share this moment with them...
and i wish to share with you also, for those that cannot be here, be it my family across the pond, my lovely girls so far away and you, my dearest readers. thank you kindly for making me feel like i have inspired you to be a little crafty, to look at your stash piles of yarny fabric goodness and to feel itching to get stitching, for if that is one thing i am proud of, is knowing others too have become as addicted to crafting as me due to my little book and this here little blog i like to call home...

yes, today more than any other day, she is truly thanking you kindly, each and every one of you...
Tif 


intermingling with Hubert...

yesterday as i sat on the floor, Used Dog deep in slumber close by, Little Olive upon my lap chewing her bone and me 'a pondering and a plotting' my next crafty move, the word 'intermingle' popped into my little brain.


where it came from i have no idea, i have never used nor thought of this spiffy word before. after several moments of thinking about nothing but this new and exotic word i decided it must be a sign. a sign from the thrifty gods. yes yes, with no doubt at all, they were sending me a sign.

i realized in this one word 'intermingle' was a whole message, the message being
"Tif, go forth to the thrift store and intermingle with other thrifty souls"

i protested a little, i know perhaps that sounds very unlike me, but we have reached the time of year when for two whole months my thrift store is taken over by halloween and the need for every man and his dog to find a costume of such. thus resulting in much loved shelves and rows, once filled with spiffy secondhand goodness, now filled with crappity crap mass produced wares.

however, 'intermingle' would not let me be, all through homework, all through dinner, all through whatever else i was 'all throughing' (Mr Spell Checker isn't happy) 'intermingle' kept on calling my name.

so i had no choice, i could not lie in bed listening to this word the secondhand gods had sent as a sign. this would have been a terrible faux pas, for the gods may chose to never bless me again with their thrifting good luck.

upon entering my thriftstore door, i turned to the left as is always my way and that was the moment Hubert and i found each other. on the shelves of knick knacks, right by the door, all else faded away except for a white bright light highlighting Hubert and his little fleabitten soul.

on close inspection Hubert has been knocked around a bit, he does not wear his 46 years well. i know his age, not because he told me, for alas Hubert has not spoken in many a long time, but because someone at some point decided to write it on his derriere, of course they could have been making it up, but i like to believe he is quite the old boy. i noted his crazed and craggy fur, i noted his terribly broken leg, still showing the scars of a badly patched job... but most of all, i noted his dignified look as i gazed into his little black eyes


when Hubert and i returned home to a dark and quiet shed, such is my life living with 'lads of three' who are out and about most evenings, i bathed him and then i found him a perfect little spot, one i had created only a few days before. i like to call them vignettes, my man has taken to calling them 'Tif's shrines' as in "ah, i see another shrine to your handcrafted and thrifty finds, has popped up whilst i turned my back". no matter. what matters is, i am thankful i was given a sign, so old Hubert can look forward to many happy days of 'intermingling' at mossy shed.






she is thinking how perfectly lovely of Victoria to encourage folks to dilly dally my way this friday ~ Tif

St Gerard Relics


We receive a large number of requests for relics of St Gerard but recently some have not been able to be completed as the requester left something out of their message. Please make sure that your address is clearly given in the email, your name and the number of relics you would like to receive. Please also always be sure to send us your email address with your contact details!

The following good souls have requested relics but we are unable to send them as their details are deficient and they have left no email address for us to contact them and enquire.


M.A.A. and J.P. – no address, cannot send relics.
MCB – Sorry, your address has been bunched together as we received it, could you possibly send again as it is very difficult to decipher with certainly as in a lovely but far away place. Apologies and very good to hear from you, look forward to hearing from you again.
AMB – Contact button scrambled address but relics now on the way. Apologies.
MM – Relic on its way. God bless.
BT – Definite prayers for intention. Relic on its way.

If you are in need of a relic, details can be found here.

big things and little strings...

last week all became a little tricky dicky 
and so on friday i went to spend quality time with
my adopted auntie
at her little gray cottage by a babbling brook



where we spent many happy moments




whilst Miss Mina looked on 


i think it quite true to say,
one of the besty best things to have happened to me of late is adopting my auntie.
i would highly recommend it...

she is delighted to say, the mountain has become a mole hill and she is nearly at the top ~ Tif 

September, The Seventh Month

Today our venerable old rite of the Mass commemorates,
in a unique "hermeneutic of continuity",
the old fasting and feasts of
Yom Kippur and Sukkoth,
the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles.

It is our old rite alone that keeps these commemorations for the entire Church;
as far as I know they are not kept in the East and
in the Latin West
only the old rite keeps the Ember Days.

We must bear in mind that those ancient feasts
kept by Our Lord, Our Lady and St. Joseph until Good Friday
were strictly celebrated by lunar calculations.
The Church commemorates these days only approximately
using the solar calendar where September
(for seven)
represents the seventh month.

Until the modifications made by Blessed Pope John XXIII
the September Ember Days,
began in the week of the 15th September
i.e. the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
following the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross,
(14th September).

Thus, before the modifications of Blessed John XXIII
(when the September Ember Days
were brought to the third week in September)
the Old Testament feast of Tabernacles
was commemorated even more closely than we did it today
since the Ember week literally opened on the 15th day of the seventh month
as did the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Second Lesson of the Mass has:
In those days the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
From the fifteenth day of the seventh month ...
you shall celebrate a feast of the Lord for seven days.
In the seventh month shall you celebrate this feast;
and you shall dwell in bowers seven days:
everyone that is of the race of Israel shall dwell in tabernacles
that your posterity may know
that I made the children of Israel dwell in tabernacles
when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.
I am the Lord your God.
(Lev. 23: 33)

The First Lesson of today's Ember Mass
commemorated the ancient fast of Yom Kippur,
the Day of Atonement,
which was held on the tenth day of the Seventh month.

The Ember Days were considered
by St. Leo the Great
to be of Apostolic origin.

Response to Mr. David O'Neill

Dear Fathers

It has been reported that not all members of your community are in full communion with Rome. This saddened me and I will be grateful if you will comment.


David O'Neill

+

Dear David


All the members of our community are indeed in full communion with the Holy See and are subject to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.

At the time of our reconciliation, 18 June 2008, and for some time afterwards, we lost several members who would not take the step of reconciliation with us, but these, our separated brethren, could not now be numbered amongst the members of this community of The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer.

In this we are reminded of the words of Our Lord: Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I came to set a man at variance against his father etc. (Mt. 10:35)

It would be a great grace to have had the reconciliation of our entire community as it was at that time. That seldom happens.

Reconciliation is painful for those who make it and for those who, for whatever reason, will not make it.



In conclusion, if it were not for the obligation of being submitted to Peter, humanly speaking, nobody would make a reconciliation since the price is very, very high. But, by God's grace it has been made now; and by that reconciliation, the lines were clearly drawn; the sword of division cut in such a way that it left our community thoroughly united, one, submitted to Peter, in Full Communion with Rome and the Church.

By God's Grace and the Perseverance won for us by Our Lady, we peacefully maintain this inner and ecclesial unity.



The cost was high; the smarting is over with; we have been given new life by Our Lord and we rejoice in it. 'Behold how good and how pleasant where brethren dwell in unity' (Ps. 132).

Fr. Michael Mary
23 September, 2011

mr and mrs monkey...


rescued from the shelves of despair, mr and mrs monkey have found true happiness in their twilight years. mr monkey having no sense of smell is unawares of mrs monkey's need to wear her 'eau de toilette' on the heavy side. and most peachy indeed is mrs monkey, being very hard of hearing, is not kept awake at night by mr monkey's tres terrible snoring. one might think an old monkey may not snore when his nose is a fabric button, but think again because he does.







this lovely little tea tray celebrates mr and mrs monkey's fondness for each other and quite frankly, makes me smile. big enough to enjoy tea for two or indeed perfectly suited to be hung on the wall as a reminder of what makes us happy in life.

if you think mr and mrs monkey would be most suited to spend life in your peachy nest, then you can find them sitting in my shop window, waiting patiently for their forever home.

she is off to visit her adopted auntie in her little gray cottage tomorrow ~ Tif 

The old Fisherman is out again.

The shiny shoes of the Fisherman.
Simon Peter saith to them: I go a fishing to Germany.
(cf. Jn. 21:3)

The old, gnarled face of our Helmsman at 84.

Thou art Peter.

A Helmsman's tears are concealed by the sea spray.
But he is not alone,
he shares in our time
the sorrows of the Sacred Heart.
Christ through Benedict steers the Ark of Salvation.
Pray for the Helmsman,
hold on for your life,
and thank God that
we who are with him
are in the only unsinkable ship on this wild sea.
And I say to thee: That thou art Peter;
and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
(Mt. 16:18)

Official Communiqué

Official Communiqué
Concerning the visit to Papa Stronsay
of His Lordship Bishop Hugh, OSB
and Very Reverend Stuart Chalmers
Vicar General
20 - 21 September 2011.

We have enjoyed the visit of the Bishop of Aberdeen and the Vicar General of the diocese, and have had positive discussions which will be taken further with the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei".

Fr. Michael Mary, F.SS.R.
21 September, 2011.

note taking again...

oh how i love myself some notes...

bee day notes:
note one: it occurred to me, half way through yesterday, the Queen does birthday portraits every year, so why can't i, after all i had my new birthday frock on.


note two: my 'lads of three' did not let me down! to think they plotted and planned without Our #1 and #2 around made me feel super spiffy inside. along with handmade cards (the bestest kind to receive) i was given three lovely books of which i will show on an up and coming thrilling 'book week' (to be announced, i like that and so i had to write it, "to be announced"), two bars of cadbury's caramel and EVIL'O', a glowing pesky daxie. my lads have noted on many an occasion that OLIVE spelt backwards says 'evilo' and so this seemed most fitting for a life size daxie now glowing in the corner of our lounge


note three: EVIL'O' looks a little chilly to me :)

crafty notes:
note one: in between a mammoth amount of chin wagging with clan members far far away i did get a little crafty yesterday, not enough for my liking but enough to feel like i am making headway. for this sunday i am heading to Seattle to install (doesn't that sound professional and like i know what i am doing, gosh what a spiffy little word) a 'dottie angel' vignette (please see booky notes below for install reasons)




note two: i wish for a cluster of goodness and i need to get my crafty granny pants on and not dilly dally about the place, for dilly dallying is banned this week. i think i may put up signs around the shed stating this. i do not think i have ever banned anything in our shed before, however, time is not on my side and dilly dallying therefore will be banned

booky notes:
note one: hurrah hooray, for 'tis tres exciting. Janine and myself are having a book launch in Seattle and you are all invited! in my heart of hearts, i wish you could all be there but alas and alack i know this is not possible. however there maybe one or two of you peachy readers who do live near by, who are not doing much on September 30th, between 6 and 9pm and fancy a bit of dilly dallying at the lovely Assemble Gallery and Studio. (the dilly dallying ban will have been lifted by then)


how grand it would be for you to come and join us, small beings and little critters most welcome. actually i do not know about the little critter bit, so perhaps if you have a mousey who likes to go out and about in your pocket i am thinking that might be okay. or a hedgehog like Basil, but not so sure about larger critters, so best leave them at home. but small and big beings all welcome. my 'lads of three' will be there, i have mentioned to my man he may want to read my book as he might be asked a tricky question like "have you read the book?" his response was "i live in your dolified world Tif, i think i'll be okay"
i think he has a point...

she is thanking you most kindly for the peachy well wishes yesterday and will be back tomorrow with a little monkey busy businessy stuff ~ Tif

43...

i did not plan on turning 43 today, no sirree. 
i planned on staying 42 for another year and then turning 44 next year. 
to me it seemed a perfectly perfect cunning plan. 
however it would appear my 'lads of three' have other plans...


whilst i wait for their return to the shed this afternoon, 
i shall spend my happy day wisely doing what i like to do best...
feeling a little crafty.

Tif

Eight Months Old



The babies turned eight months (35 weeks) old last week. It won't be too long before they have been outside of my belly longer than they were inside my belly. I can't believe how much time has passed.


Eight months is a combination of fun and laugher and pure hell. 


Fun and laughter because the kids' personalities are really emerging. They will reach for you, (in Reese's case) crawl to you, laugh with you, play and interact with you and toys. This is awesome. Pure hell because they now have awareness of their surroundings but no ability to communicate their wants or needs. What you are left with is a whole lot of this:






At eight months old Reese:
  • can crawl, go from sitting to crawling, and from crawling to sitting.

  • will pull herself up to standing (in her crib, on furniture, on her toys).

  • is able to walk on her own while holding onto us or a toy.

  • babbles a lot. So far we've heard a definite "dada" and "mama", though it's quite clear that she doesn't associate those words with us yet.

  • is an excellent eater and loves all food.

  • can feed herself and will get food in her mouth 80% of the time.

  • will give you a kiss if you ask for one.

  • LOVES animals, and will go to great lengths to pet them. She is generally fearless. Almost a little too fearless at times.

{ feeding time at the zoo }


{ earning her keep }


{ too cute to be mad at, but she really should be sleeping }


{ kissing her own reflection in the drain cap }


{ rocking out at the music table - Daddy put her in Ryan's PJ's }


{ standing in the tub for the first time, so proud of herself }


{ Dancing in her crib during naptime. This is after 
she threw her pacifier over the side at her brother. }


At eight months Ryan:
  • can sit unassisted and hold toys (he no longer needs his hands to balance).

  • has four teeth! (Two bottom and two top.)

  • hugs me tight when I get him from his crib.

  • will kiss you if you ask for a kiss, but often gives kisses without prompting. To do so he grabs both sides of your face and pulls you into his lips. There is nothing better than this.

  • rolls to his tummy, but then just stays there. And after months of forcing him "back to sleep" he's finally a very happy belly sleeper. 

  • is a picky eater and will inspect the colors/smells on a spoon before opening his mouth.

  • prefers to feed himself and is very good with the pincer grasp.

  • laughs like a maniac all day. When he's really tired he'll start laughing at every and anything and you know that this is the happiness before the storm. Get the boy to bed!

{ loves to eat on his own }


{ bathtime is their favorite }


{ his hair is completely out of control, but I love it }


{ a typical day: one just got done throwing a tantrum, 
while the other is laughing hysterically }


{ miss sassy pants }


It is amazing to watch them blossom. We were told by so many multiples parents that the second six months are so much easier than the first six months. I haven't exactly found that to be true. But I can say that when the kids are on and fun - life is amazing. Their hugs and kisses and cuddles and laughter is so rewarding. Watching them interact with objects and figure out their world is incredible. But now more than ever Joe and I look at each other and actually ask things like "what the fuck just happened?" We can go from insanity to amazing and back again in the same day. 


This momma is really looking forward to words. 
 

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