Updated 11/16/2011: Space Birthday Party

I'm so excited! My little man is turning three next month! We are having a "Space" themed birthday party for him focusing on rocket ships. He has specifically requested a "red rocket ship" birthday cake.

So far, I have posted the event on facebook and made invitations! I just thought I would share a picture and keep you updated on my plans along the way!

Check out this Google Doc to see more plans!

Update: Working on the space pinata! I thought it would be a *fantastic* idea to let my almost 3yr old help me with this...I had imagined wetting the piece of paper and handing him each one to put on the balloon (you know, without getting anything messy other than our hands...). Well needless to say...he pooped out on me about 3/4 through the first layer and needed a bath. And I needed to rinse out his clothes...because why would I make it easy for myself?

Anyhow, I just finished the second layer last night (AFTER HE WAS SLEEPING) and so far it's turning out great!

UPDATED: Ian Drake - We're Waiting!

In celebration of my new baby nephew Ian Drake - I decided to get crafty! And what is more perfect than making a dragon for the little guy!

The following is a step by step tutorial on how I made my "nursery dragon":

Materials I used:

-paper for drawing

-a pencil

-a black marker

-scrapbook paper (teal and brown)

-scissors

-glue

-paint

-a paintbrush

1. I sketched out my dragon - you may notice my taped pieces of paper - he got bigger than I thought he would be. Next time, I am just going to start with a good size piece of freezer paper.

2. Then I traced my favorite parts - the wing I thought looked best and one of his head flaps because I noticed one had 5 points and the other had six - with black permanent marker. I also traced his main body shape.

3. I re-traced the wing and the head flap onto another piece of paper. I cut out those and the main body directly from my sketch.

4. I used these as patterns to cut out pieces from my colored scrapbook paper - turning the wing and "headflap" over to make identical left and right pieces.

5. I also cut out two little "ramp" pieces to lift the dragon wings from the page.

5. After I cut out my pieces, I carefully painted a face on my dragon's head. I also painted Ian's name in left corner of my background paper.  

6. After everything was cut out,I used a very fine layer of glue to attach everything to my background.

 

And if you have any questions or would like me to post some templates - let me know @ mfsanpietro(at)gmail.com.

Can you write a sonnet a day? How about one a week?

I have decided that I need to really develop a skill or a hobby. I have only ever consistently done that which comes naturally to me and requires little to no practice or patience. I don't want to do that anymore. I write fairly well, but I think I could do with some practice. I have decided to work on learning the different forms of poetry but especially the classical ones.

I am going to start with the sonnet. I am trying to decide what goal I should set for myself. If I decide to write one a day, I will presumably have more material to edit later (if I can actually keep that up). If I decide to write one a week, I will hopefully produce a good quality poem and not feel rushed. I think I am a one poem a week person.

I remember times in the past when I have wrote ten poems in one sitting, but I don't think I need that kind of pressure.

LOL.

How about you? What kind of goal works best for you? Would you go for quantity or quality?

Untitled

stars and sparkles
wishes and dreams

the imaginings of a child
are
sunbeams and feathers
moon beams and mars rocks
wonderous joy at creation
dismal despair at destruction

beauty and wonder
of all things

play

Miss Frances

Miss Frances, Miss Frances
Where are we going today?
To the market or to a play?

And is not my hat so pretty?
So gay?

Miss Daisy, Miss Daisy
To the market or to a show
It does not matter,
for I love you so.

Your hat is pretty, the
same blue as your eyes,
but really Miss Daisy,
I think you take a
smaller size.

Word Games

Ok folks...so I needed something to do on my lunch break and I thought of an old favorite. I decided to see how many words I could find in "faculty corner". I found 70 words! I really think there is more, so if you can think of them, let me know and I'll add it to my list (with due credit, of course). Also, triple bonus points if you can think of a word using both C's. I'm also up for challenges, if you think I've made a mistake or counted something twice!

Are

Calf

Car

Care

Cart

Core

Corn

Craft

Crater

Crone

Cult

Cure

Curl

Cut

Era

Face

Facet

Fact

Far

Farce

Fart

Faucet

Faulty

Fear

Fern

Foe

For

Force

Fort

Late

Later

Lay

Lear

Learn

Let

Loft

Lore

Lot

Neat

Net

No

Nor

Not

Note

Or

Orc

Orca

Ore

Ornery

Race

Raft

Rancor

Role

Rot

Rote

Rue

Run

Run

Runt

Rut

Talc

Tear

Tern

tore

Torn

Trace

Tracer

Turf

You

Your

I also realized that "life" and "file" were composed of the same letters. Also, "flies". Life flies by when you are filing....that was depressing.

I wrote a poem...I don't think I've written a decent poem in 2+ years.

*WARNING: Occasionally, I swear like a trucker.*

I don’t want to be a drone,

But I don’t want to die alone.

This is my most essential problem,

Hide the real me,

To those who never got it.

Make them comfy

While my soul lies forgotten

I’m too afraid to cut my hair

But really who the fuck

Would even care ?

They tell you

Do whatever makes you happy

Then they scorn you

When it’s not what they say

So now I’m lost and so confused

I want to shed everything

But my family shoes

Looking for things to write about...

I am not very disciplined. I do better with assignments.

If anyone has anything they need written, a brochure for a business, a quick bio for a website, a love poem for a gift...let me know. No papers for school though. I do not believe in cheating or plagiarism. I may not have been uber-successful in school, but I have done it on my own merit and I don't blame anyone but myself for my failures. Except the one teacher who lost my paper (which I put in his mailbox) and then told me to write another one. He was an idiot.

I really am serious though. I am not charging anything, but I do reserve the right to put the material in a portfolio.

Thank you, Louisa May Alcott!

Today is the anniversary of Louisa May Alcott’s death. I thought that I would finally begin this blog by talking about how much her work has meant to me. In these changing times we forget about home, hearth, and simple comforts.

I first read “Little Women” in Fourth grade and my teacher let me keep the book because I enjoyed it so much. It was my escape from a troubled home and a great pathway of learning. For one thing, I don’t think I would be as kind or as loving without having read it.

A reader can see parts of themselves in all of Miss Alcott’s characters. I was at once deviant like Jo, prim like Amy, shy like Beth, and careful like Meg. I think the same could be said for any adolescent girl. Furthermore, I wish I could be more like Hannah, a warm supporting presence for my family.

So without more time to write, I would like to thank her posthumously 143 years later for writing “Little Women” which still fulfills an important need today.

I would like to thank the facebook presence of “The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson” for linking to Miss Alcott’s obituary and inspiring me to begin to write again today.