Hey, all. I decided to jump ship over to Wordpress. It's been perculatin' in my head for quite a while now and I finally took the plunge. I first started this whole blogging journey writing about knitting here. Then, as I started taking on more crafts, I realized I needed to broaden my horizons; thus ...that silly girl. But now that I've come to realize that I have way more to say and do than just crafting and that I felt ...that silly girl pigeon-holed me, I knew it was time to change course.
So, you can now find me at simplythatsillygirl.wordpress.com. I do hope you'll stop by and change your bookmarks/feeds. I'll still be talking craft, but with a little more of the other things I care about, too. I plan to take this blog down eventually.
So, see you there.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
I need a hero!
Superhero capes most definitely need Superhero masks. I'm using this pattern. I still need to make S her cape. It's on the list. :0)
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Backpack Tutorial UPDATED...
Here is S's backpack. I finally remembered to take a picture of it on her on the way to school. I followed my tutorial and realized there was some information I needed to clarify. I also wanted to add some pictures of steps I didn't have pictured before. I also made a different top to the backpack, placing the zipper in the center of the top instead of on the side of the top. I didn't actually explain how to do this, but it's pretty easy to figure out. Sorry, it's just that this has taken me all morning to get posted.
In any case, here's the UPDATED Preschool Backpack Tutorial. And, again, if anyone tries this tutorial, please let me know how it went for you. If there are mistakes or you have any questions, please let me know.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Here Kitty Kitty...
This little kitty has claimed us. Well, it might have something to do with the fact that I saved her from what I perceived to be eminent danger - she was traipsing around in the neighbor's backyard directly behind us and that yard has two big dogs living in it and they had just recently mauled a chicken. It might also have to do with the fact that I keep on feeding her. :0)
In any case, she's hangin' out in our backyard and we all really like her. Izzy and Fiona, our other two indoor cats, are none-too-pleased to see her at the backdoor. There's lots of hissing and whathaveyou.
We're trying to come up with a name - Ene or Apple (S's choices), Tomato or carrot (Mr. M's choices), Kitty or Jane or Lucy (my choices) or Scrappy (my husband's choice. What say you?:0)
Friday, September 11, 2009
I know many remember 9/11 for many different reasons. We all have our stories of where we were, how we felt, etc. I've never shared my 9/11 story in this space. I'm not really for sure why. Maybe because so many have already shared their's? Maybe because thinking about it to share with you will bring back the same kind of tears I shed that day (tears in my eyes now)? But I am sharing. I've been trying to make more of an effort to share more of me here, so that in some way you all who stop by this little space can somehow connect. Here goes.
It was Tuesday morning. I was a high school English teacher then, going into my second year of teaching. 1st hour had been and gone; my 2nd hour plan was over. 3rd hour students were beginning to trickle in when Mr. S next door came to me as I stood in the doorway greeting my students, and said to turn on the tv. Something had happened. Turn on the tv. So I went over to turn on the tv and my mouth immediately fell open. It wasn't too long after hearing Katie Couric and Matt Lauer that I realized something terrible had happened. And the tears began to fall.
At this point, word had made its way around that something had happened in New York and as my students came into the classroom, they began to gather around the tv. It was so hard to turn away from the screen and I really needed to turn it off, but then the towers began to fall. But wait, had we seen the first or second plane hit the buildings? I can't remember and I hate that I can't remember. I do remember watching the towers fall and a stunned silence take over the room. Everything after that is a blur.
The one thing that sticks out for me, though, was how aware I now was that I was muslim. I'm sure every muslim cringed, as I did, when they found out who was behind the attacks. And it filled me with apprehension. See, I taught in a public school and so I already stuck out as the only person in the building who wore a head scarf. The school was also predominantly white in a poorer area of the city and so very few people knew anything about muslims, head scarves, etc. This was only my second year teaching. What if someone said something to me? What if my students were rude to me and called me names? But they didn't.
And this is what I take from 9/11. Not the fear, not the sadness (though it is there every time I think of that day), not the question of whether I should stop wearing my headscarf for fear someone might do something to me. No, what I take from it is hope. Hope for a future when everyone will treat each other as my students treated me - with respect, dignity, concern, wonder. They didn't judge me or assume that because I was muslim I must be like those people. They didn't shun me or treat me with disrespect. They didn't make pre-judgements about me; instead several used it as an opportunity to find out what it was muslims really believed just so they could have a better understanding.
And so, in sharing this story my hope is that you will be uplifted, and that this day of remembrance can also give you hope.
* Please be respectful in the comments. Thank you.
It was Tuesday morning. I was a high school English teacher then, going into my second year of teaching. 1st hour had been and gone; my 2nd hour plan was over. 3rd hour students were beginning to trickle in when Mr. S next door came to me as I stood in the doorway greeting my students, and said to turn on the tv. Something had happened. Turn on the tv. So I went over to turn on the tv and my mouth immediately fell open. It wasn't too long after hearing Katie Couric and Matt Lauer that I realized something terrible had happened. And the tears began to fall.
At this point, word had made its way around that something had happened in New York and as my students came into the classroom, they began to gather around the tv. It was so hard to turn away from the screen and I really needed to turn it off, but then the towers began to fall. But wait, had we seen the first or second plane hit the buildings? I can't remember and I hate that I can't remember. I do remember watching the towers fall and a stunned silence take over the room. Everything after that is a blur.
The one thing that sticks out for me, though, was how aware I now was that I was muslim. I'm sure every muslim cringed, as I did, when they found out who was behind the attacks. And it filled me with apprehension. See, I taught in a public school and so I already stuck out as the only person in the building who wore a head scarf. The school was also predominantly white in a poorer area of the city and so very few people knew anything about muslims, head scarves, etc. This was only my second year teaching. What if someone said something to me? What if my students were rude to me and called me names? But they didn't.
And this is what I take from 9/11. Not the fear, not the sadness (though it is there every time I think of that day), not the question of whether I should stop wearing my headscarf for fear someone might do something to me. No, what I take from it is hope. Hope for a future when everyone will treat each other as my students treated me - with respect, dignity, concern, wonder. They didn't judge me or assume that because I was muslim I must be like those people. They didn't shun me or treat me with disrespect. They didn't make pre-judgements about me; instead several used it as an opportunity to find out what it was muslims really believed just so they could have a better understanding.
And so, in sharing this story my hope is that you will be uplifted, and that this day of remembrance can also give you hope.
* Please be respectful in the comments. Thank you.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Memo Board...
I saw this tutorial for a memo board over at One Pretty Thing. That site is such a great resource. In any case, I decided this was exactly what I wanted to make to display my kids art work, which has been on the fridge, but falls off all the time and just junkifies my refrigerator.
And here's what I came up with. The frame was a thrift store purchase, the fabric was bought a while ago on sale and I had all the buttons. I would have liked to do the ribbon as was used in the tutorial, but I didn't have any ribbon that matched and didn't want to go to the store. I still might go back and wrap ribbon around each
button. We'll see.
Oh, the area is also my kids art space. You can see there's art on the table waiting to be hung. And the white drawers on the left are the Dress-up Drawers. The table often serves as their dressing room table. :0)
And here's what I came up with. The frame was a thrift store purchase, the fabric was bought a while ago on sale and I had all the buttons. I would have liked to do the ribbon as was used in the tutorial, but I didn't have any ribbon that matched and didn't want to go to the store. I still might go back and wrap ribbon around each
button. We'll see.
Oh, the area is also my kids art space. You can see there's art on the table waiting to be hung. And the white drawers on the left are the Dress-up Drawers. The table often serves as their dressing room table. :0)
Where I talk about something other than crafting for a moment...
(There will be crafting content later today, God willing.)
This was a great speech by Barack Obama! All that broohaha over nothing.
Also, check out Rachel Maddow's show where she goes into how ridiculous it was for people to get all up in arms over Obama's speech when 20 years ago President Reagan made a similar speech to kids and managed to call Historically Black Colleges and Universities(HBCU's), Negro Colleges. Wha?!? And Barack Obama is supposed to somehow be brain washing our kids. Puhleeze!
All of this reminds me of this song - Land of Confusion by Genesis. It's amazing how that song is so relevant to today.
This was a great speech by Barack Obama! All that broohaha over nothing.
Also, check out Rachel Maddow's show where she goes into how ridiculous it was for people to get all up in arms over Obama's speech when 20 years ago President Reagan made a similar speech to kids and managed to call Historically Black Colleges and Universities(HBCU's), Negro Colleges. Wha?!? And Barack Obama is supposed to somehow be brain washing our kids. Puhleeze!
All of this reminds me of this song - Land of Confusion by Genesis. It's amazing how that song is so relevant to today.
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