Best news all year!

All is well in baby land as my sister and her husband proudly welcomed TWO babies into the world yesterday afternoon.  With the girl weighing a respectful 5 lbs 11 oz and the boy 5 lbs 15 oz, everyone is healthy and happy, albeit tired. The twins were carried almost to full term, so no ICU or extra stay is needed for them, which in itself is amazing.

When her oldest son was born, I was beside myself with angst. It is so hard to live far apart in situations such as this, and it's the worst feeling sometimes. I cried about not being able to be there, feeling like she needs me. I sent some flowers and hopped a plane two weeks later. This time I will be up there less than a week after birth, so at least the wait won't be so bad. But I still wish I were there. It's a helpless feeling to be in a different state waiting for someone to call with news, but thank goodness my sis got my mom a cell phone! And besides, hospitals are chaotic and I'm not really a fan anyway. This way I get to go home with them instead.

I am excited to see all the babies but I am most excited to see my sister. I am so happy for her and she is such a great mom.  We did have a pretty good one to learn from, but she is so patient and loving it's a joy to watch. She adores being a mom and you can see it when she looks at her toddler. The love in her eyes brings tears to mine, and her kids will probably never know just how far their mother would go for them.  Not being a mother myself, I am curious about several aspects of it, and appreciate watching someone truly enjoy and embrace motherhood. I think her kids are pretty lucky already just to have her as a mom...me as an Aunt is just a cool bonus! :)

Did I mention my trip is for 3 weeks? I'm torn about leaving home for so long, but being there for so long was an easy choice.  My mom is taking some time off too so it'll be a fun girl reunion! Well, in between crying, feeding, diapers, etc. Plus it's a great excuse to beat this TX heat!

I have no idea how blogging will go while I'm away.  I'm thinking I'll be tired on a level I'm not used to so I am not making any promises to get anything in particular done.

Wow, I just realized this puts me as an Aunt NINE times! Between my two brothers, one sister, and the Mr.'s two sisters....and finally a little niece on my side. SEVEN nephews all on [my dad's] side, one niece from marriage, and finally one niece from my sister. I love it!

Until next time-
Aunt Tiffy x9

This past weekend: Electricity Edition

Saturday July 10 was the birthday of Nikola Tesla, a quirky inventor from the late 19th century.  Maybe you've heard of a Tesla Coil? Or maybe electric cars from Tesla Motors? Don't fret if you haven't, you are probably in the majority. But nonetheless, the Mr. and I are avid fans of Tesla and pretty much anything involving electronics, so we headed out to the The Tesla Project put on by the lovely folks at the Pump Project art complex.

The entire complex was full of Tesla inspired creations. 

 

This painting is by Cody Scrogum of Twin Villain screen printing. It's entitled "Tesla vs Edison" and I like the dinky light bulb over Edison's head. I liked this design so much I wished there were some way I could take it with me....

And wouldn't you know...Twin Villain had all their screen printing supplies set up and ready to go!

  

After choosing our own shirts, a tiny pink baby's shirt appeared in the pile. I had to have it! Admitting they like a challenge, the guys worked on that tiny shirt for quite a while trying to figure out how to put a large scale design on a small shirt. It was decided to choose the side with Tesla only and try to center it on the shirt.

And behold, it came out looking awesome! Now my new baby niece can match her cool aunt & uncle on her first trip to TX! (in about 6 months)

 It was neat to watch the screen printing process. But it was unbelievable HOT!! Especially around their equipment...which was located pretty much outside.

Also among the images on the walls were blown up drawings that Tesla actually did himself. Inventions, applications, etc. Not all my pics turned out, but here's a peek:

I managed to grab a quick video of a Tesla coil in action, but I don't have it loaded yet. All in all, it was a very informative & unique experience and I am glad we braved the heat to go. 

Birthday Thinkin'

My birthday is fast approaching and this year I'm not really sure what I want. Since I will be out of town for this one, the Mr. and I have decided to do a nice dinner in advance of my trip. It'll be a really nice change from eating at home!

But what to get the person who never wants anything or doesn't like to spend money? Tough, I know. I thought of first asking for a bike, but then a friend of ours offered up some barely-ridden ones of theirs. Score! And right in my price range! I really really wanted a bike, so now I don't know what else I could want.

How about phone accessories?

This macro lens accessory (for htc phones) is awesome! (not exactly the one pictured)
This will take my phone to new levels of picture taking on the go!  It's amazing ability to shoot close-up is coupled with its ingenious magnetic design. I hear it's not too pricey, so I'll put it on my list!


New shoes are always on the radar. They can get expensive, but I have holes in my most favorite pair of sneakers...
I like these! It's a cut-out canvas design in a low profile look in the 460 series from New Balance. I can't pick a color, but I really think this shoe would fit. [pun intended]

What about books? I love knowledge!

This book is recommended by nearly every garden blogger I have run across. I should probably own it sometime.  It's a little odd how much plant work I do and how little I read up on it.  I prefer to do my own thing, but ideas are slim pick-ins these days. And not to mention that nearly every single plant I own is potted still.

Also highly recommended is this book about actually starting a business out of what you love to do. (If gardening is what you love)  Like I said, I rely heavily on my own ideas, so to have new insight could prove invaluably helpful. This woman tells of how she got started and how to organize all your ideas. I don't know yet where life will take me with gardening, but it would be a dream to profit from my love!



But I digress, really, because I love anything I receive that has thought put into it. Or heart. Or creativity. I usually give hand made gifts if I have the time, and of course appreciate them in return. Besides, I can go pick up any of these items for myself anytime, I just dislike parting with my money. Gifts make me feel much less guilty than if I had bought them myself!

In truth, all I really want for my birthday is happiness. Not just for me, but those around me. It will be odd to be away from the Mr. on my big day this year, but at least I'll be with my family. My mom hasn't made me a cake in years...I'm sure she would just love to now! And if I don't get anything on my list, so what. It's just stuff. I am already a pretty lucky person indeed.

Wait, that sounds too sappy.
Lucky or not, gimme something good ;)

Tiny Adorable Clothes

While on a quest to find baby clothes for my due-anytime-now sister, I ran into these precious onesies for her soon to be twins.

I was so excited to find them! It's hard enough to find twin related things (at reasonable prices) but to get something with a computer joke? Awesome. I can't wait to dress them up and take pics! I just need to figure out who will be copy and who will be paste. 

I leave for my trip up there in less than two weeks now, during which time the twins will be born and get hopefully get all settled in.  I am looking forward to seeing everyone and finally meeting my sister's family of (gulp) five!! From one kid to three...what an exciting time!

Be still, my gaming heart

I usually don't get too excited about new games coming out.  I have spent most of this year focusing on my new phone (which has yet to be shipped and was ordered June 10) so I have gotten a little behind in the electronic device/gaming market.  But two different announcements have caught my full attention: Rock Band 3 and RapStar.

Let's start with Rapstar. Anyone who knows me knows I know the words to a lot of different songs, and rap is by no means an exception. In fact, I have a few girlfriends who would LOVE to see me do a live performance of any Eminem song!  I'm not the best singer, but I can spit some words out pretty quickly.  Since there hasn't yet been a platform with which to showcase my gangsta talent, I purchased SingStar a few years ago for PlayStation 2 (just to be able to sing) and loved it.  I even hit up every used game store so my collection of songs could grow. I still love the 80s collection disc, but the others are getting old. So imagine my surprise and delight when I heard that I could get my rap on anytime I wish!  I am not 100% sure when this version will be released, nor do I know a lot about it, but I am excited by its possibilities.  I hope it's not as disappointing as DJ Hero, which i do not own, but played a demo and found it really lame.  Rapstar promises to deliver, and with scoring like Dope and Off the Chain, I'm down!

Moving on to Rock Band3, which isn't due out until Christmas. I love both Rock Band and Guitar Hero immensely and have often wished they would merge the good qualities of the two into one game.  Viola! It seems Rock Band 3 is just that: the best of all worlds. Well, musical gaming worlds. And get this...they're adding a keyboard!!  *rejoice*  I have been a slave to plastic guitar  while my heart belonged to my lonely keyboard in the corner.  And apparently I will be able to hook up my own bad ass keyboard to the game as well!  Awwwwesome! I guess that'll save us some money so we can buy the new fender guitar that's coming out too. It can play real and virtual guitar at the same time! Check it out here if you don't believe me. Plus it actually has strings instead of buttons. Can this deal get any sweeter? I mean, it's not like they're going to make any of this stuff affordable, but they do make it intensely desirable!

I wonder if the new guitar means I can no longer make a joke about being in the Plastic Ono Band... hope not.

my [new] blast from the past

I love finding treasures...and I found a great one at a garage sale a few weeks ago.

Isn't it neat? It's quite comfortable too. All for the bargain price of five dollars!

I adore its retro style. I do not, however, adore the vinyl covering, which has a small tear.

I haven't decided what to do about it yet, so for now it sits. Ha, no pun intended.

  

Father Time is stingy

I got rushed off the phone by a 15 year old girl today on her birthday. I didn't take it too personally, since I did mention that I remembered her birth...teens don't like that...and it makes me feel old.  "Where does the time go" is a stupid thing to say, or ask, so I won't.  But I will note that it is pretty amazing how quickly time flies by. I mean by looking at her, she is a completely grown up woman. And I remember bathing her and her sisters and holding them and loving them like they were my own babies. Living in different cities from all the kids in one's family puts an intense time stamp on children, and seeing them so much bigger than you last remember is unsettling! I just wish I had more time to spend with them when they were all still little. There's never enough time.

I wish I had met my husband sooner for so many reasons, but none more simple than just wanting more time with him.  Neither of us would change the years we had before we met, it's just nice to think about having always been together instead of trying to play catch up. We have been married nearly two years, and I want about a thousand. It could even be split up: One complete lifetime to talk and soak up each other's brain in entirety.  And one lifetime to have a huge family.  Alas, we simply cannot have both in these mere mortal forms.

I used to wish I could live forever, but I know now there are far too many dimwits out there...and I think Devo is right: we're devolving. So the odds of it all just getting better and better as I age not so gracefully into my 100s are, well, about as good as me living  into my 100s (gracefully or not).  Whatever does happen, I'm doing my best to embrace the now and appreciate it because it won't be here long.

Neighborhood warmth

Saturday night one of our neighbors had a party just for the occupants of our street.  A meet and greet, if you will.  Much to everyone's surprise, we decided to go and be sociable. we don't really know anyone on our street since we live on the end, and we are pretty much the newest arrivals.
We left our house and arrived at the party about 30 seconds later. We are ushered to the back where we grab a plate of food and sit down amongst total strangers to eat. One older gentlemen I had met before, as most people stop and talk to me if I am doing yard work in the front.  But for all the others, this was a first meeting. Thank goodness we all had name tags!
Everyone loves talking to my hubby, so I was pretty quiet during dinner. Old men compete for his attention to tell of their past work, travels, etc. I'm sure he's not enthused, but he puts on a sweet smile that makes me proud. We were told what a nice couple we are :)

Then we got a tour of the house.  It has been remodeled inside and out, and was absolutely beautiful.  I was surprised that house was in my neighborhood!  As you might have guessed, the owner of the house is, gasp, a contractor! Every wall of that house has been modified somehow, but it was awesome. So many ingenious ideas...it really gave me hope and inspiration for my own fledgling domicile. For instance, turning 4 base cabinets back to back and making it an island with a nice piece of granite. Viola! Instant luxury.  They also built onto the house, in two additions.  One is a master suite addition that is to die for. It has a fireplace, French doors to outside, skylights, room for workout equipment...you get the idea. Their original floor plan was very similar to ours, so visions a master suite have been swimming in my head for days.

Obviously I was more interested in the house than meeting all the people, but everyone we talked to was very nice.  In fact, we are invited over to more than one neighbor's house to see their remodeling any time we want. Which is cool for me, being nosy and all.

While there, I also found out that one of our neighbors died a few weeks ago. He was 48, married with a daughter. Apparently he had brain cancer and it took him pretty quickly. His wife and daughter were at the party and I couldn't bring myself to meet her. I was amazed by her presence...I wasn't sure if I could do the same. I thought a whole lot about my life after hearing her story. I know there is nothing you can do to make sure no one you love dies, but if hope helps, then my mate will live forever! Many of the neighbors went to that man's funeral I hear. I love that. The idea of neighbors actually being good neighbors. I didn't grow up in a neighborhood, so such things are foreign to me. I remember feeling so alone when my Dad was sick...a neighborhood would've been nice then. I have always thought of this house as a starter home, one that we would grow out of.  But more and more I find myself wanting to stay. And if we do, that master suite will be mine!