so chris was laughing at the fact that all these old time buddies are reuniting by way of blogs. i told him how exciting it is to me to get to read/hear from ann-krestene, lauren, jen, rachel, etc etc....he said "it'll be great - you can just reestablish the old ballard house online"
we're a little far from that...still need to hear from dana jill, janine, anna and amy....that would be a little strange. but would be nice to know how everyone is...
anyway...not trying to go back (truly...don't think i really would ever want to...one house...seven girls...were we nuts?) but did love the time there.
alrighty...just reminiscing...
31 May 2007
my color
after visiting one of my daily blog visits to my girl hazel, i decided to do a copycat of her color quiz...here's my color:
| VIOLET |
You surround yourself with art and music and are constantly driven to express yourself. You often daydream. You prefer honesty in your relationships and believe strongly in your personal morals.
Find out your color at QuizMeme.com!
29 May 2007
another week(end) goes by...
wow. my last post was "weekend review" and here i am with another one! time has been flying around here.
to start i'd like to wish my dear hubby a very happy birthday today!! stella and i made him his favorite cherry pie from scratch...mmmmmm.....
oh where to start... we had a wonderful weekend in the "country" (or so we pretend). it all began thursday morning with a train ride to exton, pa (the good ole R5) where my sister, lura, picked us up for a day of fun. we went straight to wawa for coffee, then onto the harley davidson dealership for a birthday gift for her boss (that was funny). after delivering the gift, we went to her house. grilled up some really yummy turkey burgers with fresh sage (they were SO good) and got to the gardening...here is a little taste:
stella working
hands in the dirt
watering
eli helps
the next day we went to "nana and papa's" in parkesburg, pa (aka my folks). here we spent time with mommom (my grandmother), did some fun in the sun stuff, some birthday-boy shopping (the summer of the polo shirt), and some more yard work. not many photos of the latter, since i was covered in mulch, digging up hard earth and planting lots of pretty flowers.
another taste:
fun in the sun...making wishes for princesses
yard work...eli with papa
my souvenir...from lura's garden, beautiful peonies with the sweetest smell...
we ended it with a smith family picnic with yard games, grilling and friends on sunday. memorial day included a memorial service at the world war 2 memorial across the street (it always get me crying...thinking of my poppop...and that generation), out to breakfast at le bus in manayunk, used bookstore shopping, some clean-up, pizza and ice cream...
all in all, a very good weekend.
hoping to slow down a bit this week...get some crafting done while enjoying the almost 90 degree sunshine.
to start i'd like to wish my dear hubby a very happy birthday today!! stella and i made him his favorite cherry pie from scratch...mmmmmm.....
oh where to start... we had a wonderful weekend in the "country" (or so we pretend). it all began thursday morning with a train ride to exton, pa (the good ole R5) where my sister, lura, picked us up for a day of fun. we went straight to wawa for coffee, then onto the harley davidson dealership for a birthday gift for her boss (that was funny). after delivering the gift, we went to her house. grilled up some really yummy turkey burgers with fresh sage (they were SO good) and got to the gardening...here is a little taste:
stella working
 |
| From general |
hands in the dirt
 |
| From general |
watering
 |
| From general |
eli helps
 |
| From general |
the next day we went to "nana and papa's" in parkesburg, pa (aka my folks). here we spent time with mommom (my grandmother), did some fun in the sun stuff, some birthday-boy shopping (the summer of the polo shirt), and some more yard work. not many photos of the latter, since i was covered in mulch, digging up hard earth and planting lots of pretty flowers.
another taste:
fun in the sun...making wishes for princesses
 |
| From general |
yard work...eli with papa
 |
| From general |
my souvenir...from lura's garden, beautiful peonies with the sweetest smell...
 |
| From general |
we ended it with a smith family picnic with yard games, grilling and friends on sunday. memorial day included a memorial service at the world war 2 memorial across the street (it always get me crying...thinking of my poppop...and that generation), out to breakfast at le bus in manayunk, used bookstore shopping, some clean-up, pizza and ice cream...
all in all, a very good weekend.
hoping to slow down a bit this week...get some crafting done while enjoying the almost 90 degree sunshine.
20 May 2007
weekend review
here is a photo story of the weekend...
stella had a fever lasting a total of 5 days...reaching (for 3 days straight) 104.7...yep...delirious. she had dreams of evil miss piggy, flying polly pockets (she was one) and the big bad wolf. probably doesn't help that we watched shrek, shrek 2, elf, the muppets take manhattan, and sesame street's musical celebration all within 4 days. a bit much for a feverish brain! but she is on the mend and we went out for ice cream tonight. celebration!
her cuddle buddies, olive and archie. now, these guys were made 2 weeks ago (for eli's birthday), but olive did not have a face (only eyes) until today...
presenting, olive. or as stella calls her...stella.
of course, both dolls are not totally finished. olive is supposed to have a big old bow in her hair and a cute little collar. archie is also supposed to have a collar...maybe i'll do it this week...i am so good at never finishing things...
let's see how this goes...some of my strip piecings for a quilt i want to make for stella. all out of scraps from previous projects/clothing i've made for either myself or stella...i hope she likes it...hope i finish it! i'm giving myself deadlines...and this has to be done before my quilt class! yessirree...i signed up for a class at the little shop. i'll be making this quilt out of this fabric...
it will probably be for eli...hope he likes it as much as he liked dinner...ravioli and broccoli...yum!
and they say he's failing to thrive!! c'mon!
and to close...it was a stay-at-home, clean-up, mess-up, exhausting sort of weekend...but at the same time...it was fun. i'm so thankful that stella is better and happy now... she is such a sweety...
and one more thing...it has been so fun hearing from you all...rachel, jen, ann, lauren, loren, my sisters, my mom! it is lovely and i hope it continues! so thank you all for being a part of my little world...
enjoy some cheerios...courtesy of stella. (i swear i will post a whole photo album of her work...it is amazing!)xoxo!
stella had a fever lasting a total of 5 days...reaching (for 3 days straight) 104.7...yep...delirious. she had dreams of evil miss piggy, flying polly pockets (she was one) and the big bad wolf. probably doesn't help that we watched shrek, shrek 2, elf, the muppets take manhattan, and sesame street's musical celebration all within 4 days. a bit much for a feverish brain! but she is on the mend and we went out for ice cream tonight. celebration!
her cuddle buddies, olive and archie. now, these guys were made 2 weeks ago (for eli's birthday), but olive did not have a face (only eyes) until today...
presenting, olive. or as stella calls her...stella.
of course, both dolls are not totally finished. olive is supposed to have a big old bow in her hair and a cute little collar. archie is also supposed to have a collar...maybe i'll do it this week...i am so good at never finishing things...
let's see how this goes...some of my strip piecings for a quilt i want to make for stella. all out of scraps from previous projects/clothing i've made for either myself or stella...i hope she likes it...hope i finish it! i'm giving myself deadlines...and this has to be done before my quilt class! yessirree...i signed up for a class at the little shop. i'll be making this quilt out of this fabric...
it will probably be for eli...hope he likes it as much as he liked dinner...ravioli and broccoli...yum!
and they say he's failing to thrive!! c'mon!
and to close...it was a stay-at-home, clean-up, mess-up, exhausting sort of weekend...but at the same time...it was fun. i'm so thankful that stella is better and happy now... she is such a sweety...
and one more thing...it has been so fun hearing from you all...rachel, jen, ann, lauren, loren, my sisters, my mom! it is lovely and i hope it continues! so thank you all for being a part of my little world...
enjoy some cheerios...courtesy of stella. (i swear i will post a whole photo album of her work...it is amazing!)xoxo!
17 May 2007
a little mundane, but never dull.
well...i feel like i've neglected my blog...and how ridiculous is that? like this thing is now a being i need to tend to. nuh-uh. no way. not going to feel guilty. anyway...truth is, i'm really enjoying this blog stuff. i'm finding so many inspirational sites (see the link list on my other blog) my mind is reeling.
here are things i want to do next:
cozy friend pillow for mamma made
crocheted cardigan for mamma made
mini quilt for my wall
bigger quilt for stella's bed
embellished t-shirt for the project of the month
figure out printing onto fabric
um...that's all i can think of right now...
in the mean time, there is life.
monday was the visit to the nutritionist for eli's "failure to thrive". i was so stressed, feeling like just one more doctor telling me what's wrong with my kid...well, i was wrong. this woman was so wonderful and supportive. told me i was right for plotting him on the new WHO breastfed infant growth chart! (i felt so crazy before...now, vindicated!) she thinks he will be fine. she did encourage me to use butter (on things i'd normally butter), and heavy cream. just a tablespoon adds 50 calories. so i'm doing this to his yogurt and milk (if he'll drink it!) i figure, though, that as i add butter and cream to his stuff, i'll gain 10 pounds by eating his leftovers, which are always plentiful!
tuesday night, stella came down with a headache and woke up with a fever. still fevering on now. i took her in to the peds today because her neck hurt. i think she's gonna be ok. the peds think its just a basic old virus. they did test her for strep, though, and it was negative. however i must describe this process.
this is the 2nd time stella's been tested for strep. and they make you open up wide and swab the back of your throat with big long q-tips. the first time, stella threw up in a cup. yuck. so today, on our way to the peds, stel starts crying and saying, "i don't want them to take my germs out"...i'm confused and think her fever must be going nuts. then when the ped wants to test...she says no..."don't take my germs!"...i get it now. poor girl...they took her germs out...and lots of them, too.
today, we stayed put (after said ped visit). i did 5 loads of laundry. not a good sign. things were seriously backed up. feelin' clean now. we'll be putting it all away tomorrow (kids are asleep...can't put it away now!)...and taking it easy again tomorrow...gotta get this fever gone.
so...there is the update of my wacky week. a little mundane, but never dull. hoping for a restful and interesting weekend...will let you know!
here are things i want to do next:
cozy friend pillow for mamma made
crocheted cardigan for mamma made
mini quilt for my wall
bigger quilt for stella's bed
embellished t-shirt for the project of the month
figure out printing onto fabric
um...that's all i can think of right now...
in the mean time, there is life.
monday was the visit to the nutritionist for eli's "failure to thrive". i was so stressed, feeling like just one more doctor telling me what's wrong with my kid...well, i was wrong. this woman was so wonderful and supportive. told me i was right for plotting him on the new WHO breastfed infant growth chart! (i felt so crazy before...now, vindicated!) she thinks he will be fine. she did encourage me to use butter (on things i'd normally butter), and heavy cream. just a tablespoon adds 50 calories. so i'm doing this to his yogurt and milk (if he'll drink it!) i figure, though, that as i add butter and cream to his stuff, i'll gain 10 pounds by eating his leftovers, which are always plentiful!
tuesday night, stella came down with a headache and woke up with a fever. still fevering on now. i took her in to the peds today because her neck hurt. i think she's gonna be ok. the peds think its just a basic old virus. they did test her for strep, though, and it was negative. however i must describe this process.
this is the 2nd time stella's been tested for strep. and they make you open up wide and swab the back of your throat with big long q-tips. the first time, stella threw up in a cup. yuck. so today, on our way to the peds, stel starts crying and saying, "i don't want them to take my germs out"...i'm confused and think her fever must be going nuts. then when the ped wants to test...she says no..."don't take my germs!"...i get it now. poor girl...they took her germs out...and lots of them, too.
today, we stayed put (after said ped visit). i did 5 loads of laundry. not a good sign. things were seriously backed up. feelin' clean now. we'll be putting it all away tomorrow (kids are asleep...can't put it away now!)...and taking it easy again tomorrow...gotta get this fever gone.
so...there is the update of my wacky week. a little mundane, but never dull. hoping for a restful and interesting weekend...will let you know!
12 May 2007
happy mothers day
to celebrate motherhood....ahhhh...sounds so nice...
firstly...thank ye, mama, for being a wonderful lady...always kind and helpful with an ear to listen and arms to hug!
i wanted to give my mama a hand-made gift and came up with this...
when i found the transfer (online for free download here) i got so excited! the three birdies represent my older sister, andrea (pink - since her son, landis, thinks she needs more pink in her life!), me (brown, since everything i own is brown), and lura, my younger sister (blues since she wears those colors often and they made me think of her!)
more detail: i decided (before i found the transfer) to make something out of stuff i already had...so as to not buy anything new. well, i did almost exactly that. i had all of the fabric, poly-fill, and piping. i did not have embroidery floss. so i bought that. a total of $3 spent. love it.
i gave it to my mama today and she loved it! so happy! she came to new jersey to help me with the kiddies while i had 3 recitals for my students and chris had band practice. she met up at 3pm for stella's recital...she played "dirty doggie"...a little rhythm tune. she was so nervous! but did a great job!
so now i am so very sleepy...don't know what is in store for tomorrow (prolly a whole lotta nothin')...but i do hope you honor your mama, and enjoy your mother's day.
firstly...thank ye, mama, for being a wonderful lady...always kind and helpful with an ear to listen and arms to hug!
i wanted to give my mama a hand-made gift and came up with this...
when i found the transfer (online for free download here) i got so excited! the three birdies represent my older sister, andrea (pink - since her son, landis, thinks she needs more pink in her life!), me (brown, since everything i own is brown), and lura, my younger sister (blues since she wears those colors often and they made me think of her!)
more detail: i decided (before i found the transfer) to make something out of stuff i already had...so as to not buy anything new. well, i did almost exactly that. i had all of the fabric, poly-fill, and piping. i did not have embroidery floss. so i bought that. a total of $3 spent. love it.
i gave it to my mama today and she loved it! so happy! she came to new jersey to help me with the kiddies while i had 3 recitals for my students and chris had band practice. she met up at 3pm for stella's recital...she played "dirty doggie"...a little rhythm tune. she was so nervous! but did a great job!
so now i am so very sleepy...don't know what is in store for tomorrow (prolly a whole lotta nothin')...but i do hope you honor your mama, and enjoy your mother's day.
08 May 2007
things to be happy about today
1. eli gained 13 ounces in less than a month!
2. sunshine
3. stella singing praises in the park
4. stella painting pictures of trees with hammocks
5. eli's teeth peeking out
6. leftover cake with milk
7. lots of creative ideas
there's more...but thats a start.
2. sunshine
3. stella singing praises in the park
4. stella painting pictures of trees with hammocks
5. eli's teeth peeking out
6. leftover cake with milk
7. lots of creative ideas
there's more...but thats a start.
06 May 2007
hope
with her permission, a letter from my sister...it says it all...
Melissa, What a beautiful picture of Stella on your blog...and that
birthday smile of Eli's..he is so precious! I really feel that our
family received a wonderful blessing & an extra measure of grace this
week with Eli's results. You know that I love Eli so dearly, but I
want to share with you how I think that Christ must be teaching
me...because all week I kept meditating on Matthew 6:34 'Don't worry
about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has
enough trouble of its own' In our study right now we are looking at 1
Kings & 2 Chronicles and as difficult as it is for me to actually
finish all 5 days of homework & as unintelligent as I feel b/c my
answers are so often WAY off from what the answer or the meaning of
the scripture is...it is in subtle ways that the Lord really pins
certain points to me & they seem to give me an extra measure of
strength. Right now in 1 Kings we are looking at Samuel, son of David
who was a man after God's own heart....Samuel just finished building
the temple of the Lord & when God tells him to ask for what ever he
wants & it will be given to him...he doesn't ask for riches or power
or even glory...he asks for wisdom not of this world but for godly
wisdom to discern between the good & evil to understand trials....to
judge the people. Can you imagine God giving you almost what seems to
be one wish...I certainly would have asked for something like that
all of my family would live to be 100 or that we all had houses for
all our days...and this man who later in life turns away from
God...had faith so unmovable in this moment, so unselfish that he
asks for something to help his people & make him more like God. I may
have gotten a bit off track here, but what I want to say is that in
this, I saw God give you peace....especially when you said you were
able to take a nap...isn't it amazing how He carries us
through....even when everyday life feels ordinary, full of struggles,
fear etc...what a comfort to know that as a child we are given an
extra measure of our daily grace when these trials come. Can you
imagine facing these trials without His face? I often try to imagine
how I lived before I knew Him, or was it that I wasn't living at all
because I was so dead in sin. How does the unbeliever trust if they don't
trust in Christ?
Oh how the Lord loves sweet Elisha David! Let's continue to rejoice
today, give praise to His name for He alone is glorious...El Shaddai-
God Almighty, All sufficient one, Abba-Father to you alone be the
glory!
Thank you for allowing me to empty my heart this morning.
I love you & I love dear little Eli & can't wait to see his smile &
know that it is real...the grace was truly given.
In Christ alone, Lura
Melissa, What a beautiful picture of Stella on your blog...and that
birthday smile of Eli's..he is so precious! I really feel that our
family received a wonderful blessing & an extra measure of grace this
week with Eli's results. You know that I love Eli so dearly, but I
want to share with you how I think that Christ must be teaching
me...because all week I kept meditating on Matthew 6:34 'Don't worry
about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has
enough trouble of its own' In our study right now we are looking at 1
Kings & 2 Chronicles and as difficult as it is for me to actually
finish all 5 days of homework & as unintelligent as I feel b/c my
answers are so often WAY off from what the answer or the meaning of
the scripture is...it is in subtle ways that the Lord really pins
certain points to me & they seem to give me an extra measure of
strength. Right now in 1 Kings we are looking at Samuel, son of David
who was a man after God's own heart....Samuel just finished building
the temple of the Lord & when God tells him to ask for what ever he
wants & it will be given to him...he doesn't ask for riches or power
or even glory...he asks for wisdom not of this world but for godly
wisdom to discern between the good & evil to understand trials....to
judge the people. Can you imagine God giving you almost what seems to
be one wish...I certainly would have asked for something like that
all of my family would live to be 100 or that we all had houses for
all our days...and this man who later in life turns away from
God...had faith so unmovable in this moment, so unselfish that he
asks for something to help his people & make him more like God. I may
have gotten a bit off track here, but what I want to say is that in
this, I saw God give you peace....especially when you said you were
able to take a nap...isn't it amazing how He carries us
through....even when everyday life feels ordinary, full of struggles,
fear etc...what a comfort to know that as a child we are given an
extra measure of our daily grace when these trials come. Can you
imagine facing these trials without His face? I often try to imagine
how I lived before I knew Him, or was it that I wasn't living at all
because I was so dead in sin. How does the unbeliever trust if they don't
trust in Christ?
Oh how the Lord loves sweet Elisha David! Let's continue to rejoice
today, give praise to His name for He alone is glorious...El Shaddai-
God Almighty, All sufficient one, Abba-Father to you alone be the
glory!
Thank you for allowing me to empty my heart this morning.
I love you & I love dear little Eli & can't wait to see his smile &
know that it is real...the grace was truly given.
In Christ alone, Lura
03 May 2007
a year...
well...happy birthday to my dear little boy...
what a year it has been...
elisha david palladino
born may 3, 2006 at 1:57pm...really easy birth (although i felt like i was hit by a freight train)...happy, healthy boy. a dream!
he rolled over at 3 months, sat at 4months, started commando crawling at 5 months, up on all 4s at 6 months...he's now taking steps and saying words. in so many ways he's getting so big...
and then he's not.
as so many of you know, eli was diagnosed as "failure to thrive" 3 months ago when he stopped gaining weight. (or dramatically slowed - 1 ounce month doesn't count). so today we sang happy birthday and all went over to the hospital for a sweat test to see if he has cystic fibrosis. his lack of weight gain mixed with his bronchiolitis/pneumonia battles since october (although we have had one healthy month so far!) make our peds suspicious. i have a hard time believing he has the disease, but right now i'm in knots waiting the phone call with the results this afternoon. will let y'all know...
to add to the fun...as we are leaving the hospital, stella pukes in the trash can waiting for the elevator. yep. love it. i am so sick of sickness!!! i want health and wellness...she is on the couch with a bucket and some saltines right now. here's hoping.
here's a photo of her modeling my latest mamma made design for fall...we just did these photos last weekend...
alrighty...i'll post the results as soon as we know...in the mean time...pray pray pray...
what a year it has been...
elisha david palladino
born may 3, 2006 at 1:57pm...really easy birth (although i felt like i was hit by a freight train)...happy, healthy boy. a dream!
he rolled over at 3 months, sat at 4months, started commando crawling at 5 months, up on all 4s at 6 months...he's now taking steps and saying words. in so many ways he's getting so big...
and then he's not.
as so many of you know, eli was diagnosed as "failure to thrive" 3 months ago when he stopped gaining weight. (or dramatically slowed - 1 ounce month doesn't count). so today we sang happy birthday and all went over to the hospital for a sweat test to see if he has cystic fibrosis. his lack of weight gain mixed with his bronchiolitis/pneumonia battles since october (although we have had one healthy month so far!) make our peds suspicious. i have a hard time believing he has the disease, but right now i'm in knots waiting the phone call with the results this afternoon. will let y'all know...
to add to the fun...as we are leaving the hospital, stella pukes in the trash can waiting for the elevator. yep. love it. i am so sick of sickness!!! i want health and wellness...she is on the couch with a bucket and some saltines right now. here's hoping.
here's a photo of her modeling my latest mamma made design for fall...we just did these photos last weekend...
alrighty...i'll post the results as soon as we know...in the mean time...pray pray pray...
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