This was shared by a guild friend and it's just so beautiful. I'm going to listen over and over and over.. :) Enjoy!
And one more incredible science link! Size of Cells
Symphony of Science
First completed project!!
Well, not my first completed project in anything, ever. But my first completed crochet project. The shawl is done, finished edges and all, woohoo! I had some mistakes, and one of the edges didn't come out quite right I think, but I love it and it's a huuuuge sense of accomplishment to have it finished.
Crafty Gal
Where have I been lately, you may all be wondering? I've been finding my inner Craft Goddess! As such I haven't spent much time blogging or WoWing or anything else-ing. I'm currently crocheting a super soft shawl to wear at a friend's upcoming wedding (in which I'm the matron of honor). Not to wear *in* the ceremony itself, for which I have a very fancy wrap, but afterwards so that I'm not cold at the outdoor venue. I'm about 1/4 of the way done and I'm pleased so far. It's my first crochet project in over 10 years so I'm rather proud. :)
I'm also making a single granny square blanket for Josh in yellow, which is so easy, just keep adding rows!
Drew asked for a granny square blanket of individual squares, red bordered in orange. Not sure what color I'll use for the binding yet.
And then, if all the crochet wasn't enough, I made homemade costumes for the boys this week, Mario and Luigi from Super Mario Bros. (video game for those who don't know).
Disney Halloween (part one of...many)
The boys and I journeyed to Disneyland today for their 'Halloween Time' part of the year. It was lots of fun and very, very, VERY emotional. Space Mountain received a holiday themed makeover called "Ghost Galaxy" which we were looking forward to. The line was immense (90 minutes) and FastPass (where you get passes to come back into line later with a shorter wait) was *broken down*. Drew was crushed, this was a major detour for his mental plan of the morning. Add to the stress the fact that he was so excited last night about the new Halloween stuff that he couldn't sleep - and we woke up early to be there right as the park opened - yeah, he had an extra hard time handling things. We went on several other rides and came back later, deciding to wait the 65 minutes at that point. I thought the ride was awesome, but the boys were quite creeped out. As we pulled into the station, Drew's eyes were huge and he yelled "Holy SHIT!". Josh decided that this version of Space Mountain is his "worst nightmare". Here's their reenactment (while on the Omnibus) of how they looked at the end of the ride.
Haunted Mansion Holiday with its "Nightmare Before Christmas" theme, was wonderful fun as always. I just love Jack Skellington!
The most difficult part of the day, where I ended up crying into the phone to Eric, came at the end. Drew had saved up allowance to buy a DVD set about Imagineering and was ecstatic to purchase it today. We sadly left it on the Monsters, Inc. ride and were not able to find it either there or at Lost and Found. The emotional blowout that commenced was incredible. Although I was fully willing to purchase another DVD set, Drew just couldn't get over the overwhelming emotions of the moment and he exploded in anger for about 30 minutes. In the 100 degree heat. In the middle of the entrance plaza. Yeah....pretty horrible for everyone involved. I have to say that I'm pretty well past the embarrassment issues of other people thinking that I'm a bad parent in those moments. Screw 'em, they have *no* idea what we're all dealing with. I was rather concerned that security was eventually going to be called. This is when I broke down in tears and called Eric, just needing emotional support.
What ended up happening is that another mom with an autistic child watched the situation and offered her help - though I couldn't see what she could do. She ended up talking to Lost and Found (I'm guessing) and came back a few minutes later saying that they had found our stuff. The cast members then took a much more detailed report of what we had lost, including approximate cost (they had written a more general list the first time we talked to them). Fifteen minutes later a bag with our things was delivered (there was a book in there that we had previously purchased a few weeks ago, but was being stored in the bag). Disney had bought us brand new replacements for what WE lost! I never NEVER would have asked for that - after all, it was ultimately our fault for leaving it on the ride. But wow, did that save my afternoon. I was in complete tears, thanking the mom, the cast members, soooo appreciative that caring people exist in the world.
In the end, I came out damned proud of myself and my children. Josh was an ANGEL throughout the entire thing. Sat quietly, kept himself entertained, and was patient as can be. What a gem. As soon as Drew was able to snap out of the emotional overload, he was perfectly willing to talk about things rationally, discussing what we'd learned from the situation (buy things at the very very end of the day and don't take them on rides!) and trying to help figure out how *I* could help him better next time he gets overwhelmed. And for me, I never got angry and yelled, never shamed him, never told him he was being difficult/stupid/a baby, etc. I empathized, suggested solutions, rubbed his back, gave him water, encouraged him to breathe. I did restrain him on a few occasions where his anger boiled and he wanted to run off and do....he's not sure what. Kept him safe. And when it was all over we hugged and focused on the appreciation and love for everyone involved. We were even able to briefly attend a neighbor's birthday party later in the afternoon. We watched the DVD later this evening and it was very enjoyable. We decided it was worth the purchase - though perhaps maybe not the emotional journey we took to bring it home. :)
