My vote COUNTS!

WOOHOO! It actually works! Every candidate I voted for got elected! AND to top it off Rumsfeld stepped down! What a day! Granted we shall have to wait and see if this all plays out well, but I actually left the voting booth excited at the possibilities and it worked! I helped elect people to public office! Now that they won I'm feeling a certain responsibility to hold them accountable to the job. I've never really particiapated and it worked! I actually researched candidates and didn't just vote a party line. I looked at it as if I were an HR person and had certain requirements for the job and tried to find the best person for it.

What a privilege!
AND Rumsfeld stepped down!!! Its like a signing bonus!

Ladies Only

I was just reading another NY Times article , "What Do Women Want? Just Ask..." about the buying power of women and they mentioned the following websites as resources. BeJane.com for home improvement advice and AskPatty.com for automotive advice. Seeing how some of my favorite gifts are large power tools I am excited to explore these sites. I know so many women that love to do significant work on their homes and though the sites are pretty, Im hoping they will be useful. ( I like "pretty", I just mean, hopefully they will be substantial in content) So anyhow, maybe I'll be able to figure out how to tear up the tile on the new bathroom floor and replace it before baby D2 comes in March :)

With regards to the car thing, my Dad always did lots of car work and I feel uneducated in that area. I feel like I need to be a better consumer in that regard. Since the family is growing too, I would like to be able to make a responsible choice when it comes to a new vehicle as well. Hopefully we won't have to do that too soon (knock, knock) but when the time comes, I want to be informed, not just in a panic mode because the car has just died or something. Something that will allow for a rear and front facing car seat ( which by the way a VW Jetta does NOT accommodate very well without cutting off the legs of any front seat driver/passengers) , in addition to having a passenger in the middle seat as well as being environmentally efficient. And ultimately, something that won't make me look like a soccer mom..... I don't know if that's possible. But surely if we can make computers designer friendly we can get some cars goin' on with some sass and funk....

The Coast of Utopia

Woohoo! My brother's picture is in the NY Times! Check out this article from this weekend's NY Times. My brother is third from the left in the very back row. He is one of the understudies in the play and I am so very proud of him! I can't imagine what it would be like to work with the likes of Stoppard, Amy Irving, etc! What a privilege to learn from them. I wish the production much success. What an accomplishment!

Termites

My son is a termite. For some reason he loves any type of paper product, wood, cotton balls, etc. Check out the photos! Crazy kid! I couldn't figure out how he had time enough to gnaw on a roll of toilet paper without me knowing! I've never actually caught him in the act of gnawing but he's done a lot of damage. There goes the heirloom crib! LOL!

S.O.S.! I need new music!

I was just reading through my own profile and realized that half of the music that I have listed is primarily music my husband introduced me to... about 10 years ago. Help! I remember going through my parents record collection thinking "Wow they really used to listen to some awesome artists" But it was only up until about 1979. I asked my Dad what happened, why did they stop listening to cool music? His response was "You happened! Whose got time for listening to music when you've got two little kids?" or at least it was something like that. So guess what has happened? We've stopped listening to music. At least new music. All the radio stations up here suck and Lighting 100 doesn't do live streaming audio anymore... sigh. So, Im TOTALLY out of the loop, no cable TV, no great stations. Im not about to spend hours searching iTunes aimlessly for new music as I don't have the time, so for all three people that read this, tell me what to check out. Is there anything inspiring out there? You know, something that you heard for the first time and LOVED?

Gun Shy

So a weird thing happened last night. Ads left at 11:45pm last night for his prayer slot and at 11:53pm I woke to the sound of gunfire right outside my bedroom window. I sat up and looked to my right and saw a white suv'ish type truck speeding away. My immediate thought was that Ads was dead in a drive-by. However he had already left. So then I was up until he got home. I was so scared at first but then pretty pissed off. When I was sure no one was shot on the street, I thought "what jerk is stupid enough to fire a round out the window of their car just for fun." Then I was wondering if Im supposed to do anything about it. Are you supposed to call the police for something like that? Crazy world.

Ginger Tea

I've been drinking Ginger tea in hopes that it will quell my nausea. Ads and I have are expecting number two! Yea! We are very excited, though while at the hospital visiting friend number four and her newborn baby, I panicked. As I am holding her tiny newborn (5lb 9oz) Big E starts playing and throwing something. I realized that as I tried to hold this one baby in one arm and control The Big E with the other, that we might have gotten ourselves in over our heads! So March 31rst is the target date. My clothes are already too small and my brain has already gone to pieces. sigh... might be a while before I have any deep thoughts...

ER

So about a week ago, we made our first trip to the E. R. The Big E thumped, hit the ground and started crying. I saw him get up off the ground by our attic door and scooped him up for hugs and kisses. He cried for about 20 seconds, hopped off my lap got a book and brought it to me to read. After reading the book I stood up and took his hand to walk with him to his room. To my dismay (and guilt) he had smeared blood on his hand. I had looked at his mouth expecting a bloody lip and saw no blood. Where was it coming from? His ear. When he went down he must have banged his head up against our new door trim and it split his ear. Off to the emergency room. (At this point the panic has transfered to me and he is now running around quite happily playing) Long story short, E had six stitches in his left ear. A sad and traumatic event . (Did you know they have full body "papooses" for toddlers?) All has recovered well and I have to say that Im glad this was as bad as it got for a visit to the E.R. Of course guilt consumed me everytime EVERY medical person asked "what happened". I just wanted to say "He's a boy, 20months and no longer remembers how to walk, he only runs, and when he falls he refuses to let go of whatever it was he is holding onto."

Oliver

My honey and I have this friend Oliver from school that is biking across the U.S. this summer. I have really enjoyed his blog as I can't get away this summer for a vacation. Kinda a vicarious cross-country roadtrip. I believe he started out in Astoria, Oregon and makes his way to Virginia. He's always been a free spirit and at one point had hiked the entire Appalachian Trail.
I always admire those that actually take the time to adventure like that. Hopefully I'll get the guts to do something I've always wanted to do.... Thats the part Im having trouble with... What IS it that I've always wanted to do??

"An Inconvenient Truth"

No joke, yesterday I filled up my car to the price tag of $40.00. 12.97 gallons..... Crikey! I can hardly believe it! When I was in high school I could give my girlfriend $10.00 for driving me home from track practice and it would fill the car up! That was only 10 years ago!

That being said, my honey and I got an email from a mutual friend that is a pastor in Chicago. The friend had just seen the Al Gore documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" and was urging everyone to go see it. Now, I will say that even as a Tennessee resident I totally did not vote for Gore in 2000 as I did not then nor do I now think that he was the right choice... It's seriously a whole other post... I voted for Nader....

ANYHOW! I enjoyed the documentary, though dragging a little at times and I was sure I was going to see an Apple advert at the end due to the numerous "Al Gore with his Apple computer" shots, it was worth the 2hrs or whatever. (The music is a bit overly dramatic when it doesn't need to be, the subject speaks for itself) Having grown up in a school system that taught about Earth Day, recycling etc, I found that there wasn't necessarily any thing "new" about the message. What was frustrating was how evident it was that we haven't GOTTEN it yet. There was one part in particular that totally made me mad and that was something about how because of our emissions standards or MPG standards are so low that we can't even sell cars in other parts of the world because their standards are higher. There were definitely some graphs to see that really helped spell out the issue for me as a visual person. I will have a hard time forgetting what those graphs looked like. They totally looked like the folks in Washington have never gone to school. Or at least the type I grew up in.

But the big question comes to this... "Now what?" As a household manager, what steps will I take to actually try and reduce my households carbon 'whatever'? I learned about recycling and such as a kid in elementary school but now its time to actually put what I learned into practice as an ADULT. Part of the problem right there, as a consumer nation no one wants to take responsibility for anything.

So any ideas? Any tips on Green Homemaking? We already recycle cans, plastic, paper etc. Any thoughts on Gas furnace vs. Oil? Both are natural resources... Pretty much the same price at the moment and both have shot up over the years. Any thoughts?


P.S. The message I grew up with in school was to take care of the environment because its the responsible thing to do. Especially in light of the effects that it DOES have. Case in point : Aquanet hairspray. Big hair, no-no. You can barely find the stuff nowadays. Secondly, this idea of environmental stewardship is only reinforced morally through the reading of Biblical Scriptures. We were created in part to take care of the Earth God created, yes the depravity of man shows itself in social injustices, but man's sin spills itself over into over consumption as well. An environmental obesity if you will...

Karen E. Negri Santoro

Karen,

I just realized that when you and Bob hired me as a part-time employee, that you were only two years older than I am right now! When I look back I am amazed at how much LIFE you have lived over the years...

Adam and I loved you guys very much, we were always trying to figure out how to get in contact with you over the years. Im not sure if you ever got it, but I sent a note to you guys when I got my first real job in the design world after college. I realize now that it must have been when you might have been pretty busy with expecting Dawson.

You were the first woman in my life, outside of family and church, that poured into me and encouraged me to take the path that greatly shaped me into the woman I am today. You took a high school kid who was fooling around with drafting and encouraged her to go further with it. I had only thought about Interior Design, but by allowing me to work with the two of you, I had an inside peak at the industry. I saw what a partnership looked like professionally and with regards to marriage. You always made me feel like I was an important part of the firm, I never just felt like an employee, whether drafting, thinning out Bob's magazines or painting the fence, I felt like I was part of the family, not just part of the business.

You guys were always living life to its fullest. I remember you guys off in the Cayman Islands, Honduras and a few other places, and that's only in the year and a half I worked for you!

You told me funny stories about your college years, something about 'borrowing' bulletin boards... I can't remember now exactly. You actually gave me a list of things NOT to do in school!

You took me seriously, when Ads and I broke up, you didn't treat it like a high school romance gone bad, you actually listened to me and gave me really good advice. You didn't just brush it off. You were very caring...

A month before Ads and I got married we tracked you down in Atlanta, Ga. We didn't have your phone number and from a pay phone , Adam called information and got the listing for every Robert Santoro in the book. Eventually we found what we hoped was you guys. We busted out the map and drove around until we found one of the houses. You and Bob were outside stripping paint off of the doors of the house. You looked up from your work and just stared at us until we got really close. Turns out you didnt have your glasses on and couldn't figure out who Bob was making such a fuss over. The funny thing was you guys didn't even live at this house, you were working on it to sell. We could have totally missed you guys that day! It was great catching up! I remember you saying that you wouldn't be able to come to our wedding because you were going to be just getting back from the Dominican Republic in celebration of you fifth(?) anniversary. That means you just celebrated your fourteenth a week ago....

Anyhow, you guys kept moving on, next was California. That awesome card you sent with the picture of you two in your new house. I remember it said that from the roof you could see the ocean looking forward and looking at the backyard, the mountains. It even had an orange tree in the yard! So many new beginnings.

A year ago I tried sending you a birth announcement for my son. It came back and I wondered if you guys had moved onto somewhere else. We always thought about you and Bob, wondering if you guys had started a family or not. I think I found online when I was trying to track you guys down that you were pregnant (with Dawson?) . It was when Bob was resigning from the Para-gliding club. I always thought it was funny that I could find that out from the meeting minutes but I couldn't find your address! You guys must have been so excited, and evidently, everyone else was excited for you also!

I had always hoped that we could surprise you guys again, by flying out to CA and just showing up again on your doorstep.... Im so sorry that I wont be able to see you again... My heart just hurts so much at that thought...

We are praying for Bob and Dawson with a desperation that you can only imagine. Im sure you know how many people loved you and will do anything for your family.

Thank you so much for so many funny, wonderful memories and for being such a beautiful person. Thank you for following your dreams and for showing me how to live life to its fullest. I could go on with so many stories...

May you find everlasting joy with your little one, Ian, in the arms of our Lord and Savior.

Peace to you...

Gardening Pitfalls

Aaaccck!! I have the MOST wicked case of Poison Ivy that I have ever suffered. All over my arms, ankles and back of my knees. I just want to peel my skin off. I do so well not to scratch and then my hand brushes the area, which leads to a tiny scratch and before I know it, I can't control myself. It just feels too good to not scratch.

In the mean time, Im trying to teach Big E not to throw his toys. Im trying to start early with learning how to take care of our things. The problem lays in the fact that whenever I have him sit in his chair as a 5min time out, he laughs at me and shakes his head saying "no, no! No, no!" That seriously makes me want to throw my hands in the air and say "forget it!" Maybe I need to try something else. But what if I do that right as he begins to get the point? sigh....

Comments

Evidently I had something turned off or switched off that wouldn't let people make comments. I believe I have remedied the situation! Comment away....

The First American

I have just finished The First American- The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by H.W.Brands. I have been reading it now bit by bit over the past nine months or so. I have loved learning about this man. From his family history to his scientific/philosophical/political interests. Now that I have reached the end I am moved to tears by how hopeful and tireless B.F. was in creating what he felt was a better world for us it inhabitants. Do such people like him exist today? Self-taught, genius men and women who are by no means perfect, but still inspirational to their fellow human beings? Those that serve tirelessly for the greater good of humankind?

Am I idealizing this man Franklin? Yes, I just finished the book and am coming off its killer last line. With all the apathy in the world today, its good to read about a group of people that wanted to change the world for the better.

If anyone has any other inspirational reads, let me know. I would love to have any suggestions.

First Fruits

My Roses are blooming! I actually learned how to prune the rose bushes that I inherited when purchasing our first home, and I have already twice as many blooms as last year. This gardening thing is amazing! Outside of pruning a couple of things and sticking some rose food under a couple of plants I've mostly been crossing my fingers and knocking on wood. I usually kill any type of houseplant, but maybe staying outside is best as nature has a way of taking care of itself. I look forward to seeing if any other roses blooms happen the way my uncle said they would if I cut them in a certain spot. I know, not overly interesting,but they are gorgeous. I had my second bud open the day that my girlfriend had her baby, it opened very quickly so I cut it and brought it to her in the hospital. A doctor on the elevator asked if it was from my garden and commented on how good it smelled. I thought maybe he was trying to hit on me, but then I realized that some people are really into this gardening thing. Here's to the next batch!

Notification of Next of Kin

The recent tragedy in Iraq in which two soldiers were kidnapped by insurgents ended horrifically. What caught my attention though was that reporters violated a common rite of allowing the notification of the next of kin by reporting that the bodies of said soldiers had been found before military personnel were able to deliver the news to family. I cannot even imagine the families horror to discover that all hope was lost before any military personnel even got to the door. As it was an Iraqi official that reported the discovery to the media, Shouldn't the media wait and verify that next of kin have been notified? Would it be appropriate to fine the media for jumping the gun? Yes, journalists have the right to the info, especially in the US with regards to the freedom of press, but isn't there some sort of human code of conduct that was breached in this instance?

Hope for Rwanda

It's a very long story, but our church is partnered with six other across the USA to make a difference in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. This includes Rwanda, Burundi, D.R.of Congo amoung others. In my links sections you will see a link to World Relief and will be specifically directed to their work in Rwanda. A team from our church took a trip last September and artist Alain Picard did a series of which he has turned into prints. All proceeds go to help the work of World Relief in the Great Lakes Region. www.picardstudio.com/collections.html and http://rwanda.wr.org/
Definitely check out Alain's site, the pieces are truly beautiful.

In response to Kohana's blog

My Dear Kohana,

Big guy D just fell asleep in his lunch, time for a lazy summer day nap. I have on my to-do list " Call K back" So while Im distracted from the exciting life I lead pushing the boundaries in laundry technique I find your blog and there is a post written to ME! I miss you so much! How is it that our girlfriends are off getting PhD's, traveling in Holland and adventuring in China while we throw up and try to stay cool in the hot summer sun? We all have our different paths, I guess... but wouldn't it sound better if I were doing laundry in Istanbul right now? Or the Greek Isles. My brother in-law just got back from his honeymoon in Cinga Terra, Italy. The laundry HAS to be better there, Im SURE of it!

Anyhow,onto the task at hand. You are a woman of impeccable taste and style. Your home is like a wardrobe. Each space its own outfit. Therefore, your family room sounds stunning! Sleek, elegant, yet functional and comfortable. You and I love new things and creating a palette that allows for a splash of something different from time to time is great. As we do up here near NYC. Wear lots of black and let the bling shine (I dont have any bling but you know what I mean, accessories) With your honey wood tones, variations of warm-greys (vs. blue/cool greys) will make a great monochromatic palette. That will set off any artwork/photos, kid's toys, "cushions" (as you european types say) and accessories that you want to show off. ( The kid's toy thing is inevitable ) Use textiles to create any additional pattern and color. That could be a simple 54"sq throw out of a fanstatic sari or fabric that you find. Maybe a small round side table with a fabric skirt. A throw rug also can bring in some additional pattern and color. I just got a cool catalog in the mail called Flor. Its modular carpet squares that you mix and match to create an area rug. Florcatalog.com. I believe the mother company is Interface which was a company that I LOVED when working at Anderson. The tiles are 20"x 20" aprox. and most are blocks of color with variations in texture. Home Decorators Collection also has rugs. www.homedecorators.com ( They really have some scary stuff, but there is a diverse selection when it comes to rugs)

Anyhow, my only thought is that with grey walls, a variation of grey window panels, and black and white photos, my instinct is to get some stunning color on the wall somehow. i.e. something at eyelevel. Floorlamp? a tall plant? Color photos, Viv's artwork? Your artwork? Reframe b/w photos in different colors? Im just brainstorming here. Whether through photographs or even an accent color wall. At my brothers place in NYC, the couple that lives downstairs from him, painted their walls two subtle shades of grey. Think about that possibility to. Though the room is small, it might be interesting to have opposite walls ( the short walls & the long walls ) painted differently. Do you have a mirror over the couch? ( the wall adjacent to the kitchen) That would also capture natural sunlight from the front of the house and create a window effect. It would visually push the wall back, making the room feel slightly larger than it is.

My strongest suggestion, as always, is to trust your instinct. If it doesnt make you smile, don't do it.

The baby boom has started to explode here. #2 of Nine expected was born last week. Im busy planning showers and trying to figure out how I can get anyone a gift without breaking the bank!
Hubby is assuming that I am already pregnant though we haven't yet tried. Maybe he thinks its a virus you can catch or some sort of osmosis type thing. Its understandable with all the women around here. Seriously, you can't turn around at a party without bumping into someones belly! LOL!

Let me know about Eden and especially about your Sprout! I can't wait to hear the news!

I miss you! Have a cup of tea for me!

Peace!
caro.d

Green Things

Well, I did it! I worked two days straight in the yard and now Im just a little closer to being a responsible homeowner! My girlfriend Adina came at the beginning of April and while she was here she helped me beyond words in getting the FALL clean up done! So with that under the belt my husband and I have been so inspired to keep on keeping on with the yard work. Plants are blooming and green things are getting bigger. Yesterday and today especially we were able to take down two trees and a mysterious "bush" that was threatening to take over our side yard. Unfortunately whats left is a side yard of dirt. Getting grass to grow might be next springs project, who knows! But I have "fed" my rodos, my azaleas (Im new at plants so please forgive me for spelling mistakes ) , and roses, the lawn is mowed and edged. Next is planting and mulching. We shall see. Im so excited to actually have dirt under my nails, its been quite a while and I feel like Im coming out of a dark winter in so many ways.

Been a while...

Yikes! Its been a while since I was here last. Since my last post, I have turned 30, helped put together a global weekend for church ( we had this gentleman from Egypt come, he was terrific) , went off to visit family in California, had a girlfriend visit me for a while and then my husband, son and I went to Florida for 10 days. whew! Life is full, life is good.

I have poured a lot of myself out in the last few months and definitely got recharged over the past week. Just sat on the beach for 10days straight. Didnt go anywhere but from the sand to bed and from the bed to sand. Gorgeous location. Nice tan, got my haircut for the first time in 2years and coloured for the first time ever.

Lots of things have been on my mind lately...like social responsibility, how my last shopping trip to Target helped support sweatshops in Jordan, I dont eat well, ( I had two people on Sunday ask if I was pregnant again... uh oh! ) how I would love to be a real writer, if only I knew how... the list could go on. It sounds like a lot of negative things looking back at it but really I feel good! Im happy, I am at peace, I think I finally have the clarity to actually consider some of the above topics. Nothing all at once, just a little bit at a time.