September 2010 Archives

Selflessness.  It's a pretty amazing trait (although maybe not a "real" word if you ask Webster, so for the wordsmiths out there I'll go with altruism) and when you catch a glimpse of it, there's no denying how powerful it can be.  Every day many people do selfless things - a few that have been done by folks that we know personally have included donating a kidney, building a house for a family in need or speaking out for a child who needs a voice when their own would not be heard.

And some people get to do altruistic things every day - take our friend Mrs. M, for example (I wonder if she'd be too bashful for me to name her here, so I'll err on the side of caution for a change and go with Mrs. M).  She works with the Family Service Center of Galveston and, since becoming an IBC over 2 years ago has been able to perform many selfless acts - by nature of her career choice and obvious natural instinct.  The world of social services seems to me like a real toughie.  Having been on the receiving end of a very bad social service provider once, I know I couldn't handle it.  I imagine it is a career path that is often frustrating, many times heartbreaking, and probably not terribly lucrative...

BUT... But - I'll bet, based on the few we know in addition to Mrs. M that work for FSC,  I'll bet it is also often full of hope, on occasion emotionally rewarding beyond any financial bonus and certainly it is something that requires a constant mentality of selflessness that I have no doubt makes a difference in so many people's lives but that they, the Mrs. M's of the world, might never physically get to see.

Recently, Mrs. M completed something she had been working on for a while.  It's a small, folded pamphlet that basically has information.  Phone numbers. Hotlines.  Important messages.  It is a "Community Assistance Information" guide that she has compiled that will help countless people get in touch with the help they need.

Galveston police officers will be able to bring these pamphlets with them to calls that they might otherwise feel helpless responding to - those where there is a child who is hungry or a spouse that has been abused and might be too terrified to even communicate with.  

It will be available at the Island's community centers and clinics.  

And, I'd like to make it available here so that if there's someone you know who you suspect might need help, maybe it wouldn't be so hard to just click on it, print it off and hand it over...
resources.pdf
 
(I'm afraid my scanner only accomodates an 8 1/2 x 11 paper, not am 8 1/2x15 sheet, so its a bit truncated... You just can't stop technology.... Unless you're me.)
 

Last Monday night was the monthly Downtown Small Business Networking event and Susan Bogan of Bogan Gallery was our gracious host.  Not only did we thoroughly enjoy perusing the contemporary fine art gallery on Postoffice Street (between 22nd & 23rd) which features multiple artists as well as many varieties of styles and media types, we also found out about a pretty fun upcoming special exhibit: "Uplifting Ideas"...

This first "Uplifting Ideas" contest and exhibit benefits the ongoing work that D'Feet Breast Cancer continues to do in Galveston County.  D'Feet stresses the importance of early detection of breast cancer and raises funds to pay for mammograms for under and uninsured women in Galveston County.

D'Feet's main annual fundraising event is the upcoming D'Feet 5K Run/Walk race which is held at Moody Gardens and this year it will be on October 30th.

The "Uplifting Ideas" fundraising event will be shown at The Bogan Gallery from October 9th - November 20th.  Various artists, quilters, and crafters have entered this contest by decorating a bra and writing a short paragraph about their inspiration for their bra. All proceeds from entry fees for this "chestacle spectacle" will go to continuing D'Feet's mission.

I know we are looking forward to attending this fun event and I hope to see-cup you there too! ;)
 

The past few weeks have been... interesting.  That and I've had a touch of the writer's block - not that you could call this writing, but nevertheless, we've been sorta busy.  We recently "came into" some groupings of things that have kept us in a juggling act.  What do (1) a badelynge of ducks (2) a clowder of kittens (yeah, we recently learned this one during a nail-biter of a Trivial Pursuit game...  try sneaking it into casual conversation - Not. Easy.) and (3) a legion of lighthouses have in common?  Well for one glorious day, day all of them were crowded under one roof: ours. 

About 6 weeks ago, we were sitting in the office, enjoying the a/c with the doggies before we opened up the shop.  We heard something - a bump - upstairs.  Considering the fact that there's nothing up there, it compelled us to investigate.  What Michael discovered, huddled under a tarp, were 4 tiny little newborn kittens - eyes still closed - and 1 very mad momma cat that we'd only recognize at mach 3 because that's how fast she fled the scene...  Out a window to the roof next door...

Blast!  Another thing to add to the repair list...

Being dog people, we weren't quite sure what to do with kittens.  So we called our friend Holly who we have come to know as the "i'll take just about anything in if it needs help" lady and she instructed us what to do:

1. Put the kittens in a box - check.
2. Leave food out for momma so she gets proper nutrition and will nurse the kiddos and when the time comes - check.
3. In a few weeks, simply take the box which the kittens will naturally have come to know as a "safe place" to a no-kill shelter - yeah... about that...
4. Eventually, trap the mom to get her fixed - will keep you posted.

Back to Step 3...  We guess Momma Cat didn't like the new digs so she decided to take action and move the kittens.  For days we went upstairs to look for them - we thought we checked everywhere...  Maybe she took them out onto the roof of Foam...  Maybe she took them to a safe place in the alley.  Either way, we were sure she and the kittens were long gone.  Just in case, we'd leave some food out for her to make sure she had milk to nurse the kittens though - and just for a few more days.

Fast forward to about 10 days ago.  We were shutting down the shop and heard it - mewing.  Right above our heads.  Up we went to find 2 very adorable, very hungry, very frightened  and very abandoned kittens.  Although they tried to evade capture by cat-apulting (ha!) themselves into a small cavity between the floor and the downstairs ceiling where they would have surely not survived, they were no match for Mikie's swiftness.  We grabbed them both, headed downstairs and again rang Holly.  

Within no time she and Karen (another wonderful feline caregiver) were on scene with cat food, kitten food, kitten milk replacement food, doll baby bottles, syringes, a litter box (wha??? A baby animal that uses a toilet?  why were we not given this information when we signed on to be dog people during one of the coldest February months in the history of the Island with a puppy who has a bladder the size of a lima bean???) a cage, a baby scale and a million other things that might possibly be needed in such a cat-astrophic situation.  

Long story short (too late, I know), before we knew it, Mikie had the two kittens eating on their own and we got to see their health, energy and unique little personalities improve and develop.  We finally were able to see them off to a temporary foster home on Wednesday and may have found a forever home for them as well...

As for the ducks and lighthouses, those are a different story.
 

One reason to look forward to the beginning of the month (besides the pride of writing another check for the mortgage payment) is getting The Islander Magazine.  This 68 page gab has a ton of interesting content.  Besides the great features, the magazine also runs monthly columns on downtown, the west end, Galveston history, interior design, island gourmet, and much more.  One of my favorite ingredients is the closing shot.  It is always a great photograph taken right here on our sandbar.

You can pick up a copy of the Islander Magazine at most of your favorite eateries, nightclubs, and restaurants across town.  You can also visit them at www.theislandermagazine.com.

Thank You to Shannon Hall and the staff at the Islander Magazine for your great product and for supporting IBC events including the 2010 Galveston Island Beach Revue!

As an exciting thanks to the readers of this blog and the Islander magazine, here's a sneak preview of the October cover: 

WOW. - painting by Gay Fly

My lady friend and I were driving home from the mainland the other day in a decent rain shower and a rainbow appeared.  It looked as if it ended on the Island.  Kissing the sandbar with its blue, green, yellow, red, and purple spectre.  Someone must've got lucky and found the pot'o'gold hidden at the end of the rainbow.  We sure didn't.  But we did snag a few cell phone pics of the event.

Finally, after some gentle reminders and gruff ribbing, the moment you've all been waiting for (ok, like 5 of you) . . . drum roll . . . the nursery!  My apologies. I know I said that I'd post pics weeks ago  - maybe months? - but we got caught up in a serious case of nesting. 

 

When you live in a historic home, you just know that they are never truly finished.  For us, even with our big rehab projects complete, we still had accumulated quite a list of minor repairs, updates, and ideas that we just kept putting off.  So with Piglet coming soon, we've spent weekend after weekend over this summer working on the nursery and everything else in the house. 

 

(Related note: I did forget to mention one thing on last week's list of "most" that I started.  The cruelest aspect of pregnancy?  For me it's been that the second round and strongest urge to nest has dovetailed perfectly with my body's limited mobility and another round of exhaustion).    

 

So, the nesting has been something fierce at our house for both of us.  Exhibit A: Apparently the removal of kitchen cabinet dust and clutter was a must as we were caught red-handed by a friend emptying the contents of our cabinets. Dang camera phones!

 

 

Onto the nursery.  Remember when I said that we were shooting for an Island-colors meets vintage look/theme for Piglet's room?  Well, this is where we ended up based on these vintage-inspired Amy Butler fabrics that were used for the crib bedding:

 

 

Aside from not wanting to spend tons of cash on furniture (we're saving that for the "doozy" of a stroller), we wanted to incorporate as much of what we already own and family pieces as well as purchase whatever we needed at local Island businesses.  And admittedly, our girl Denise totally got us hooked on ohdeedoh.com so then putting together a unique room became a challenge.  And a way for me to continue working on the house.  And shop local.  And I think you get where I'm going with this.  At the end of the post, I'll list all the local places where we purchased items for her room.

 

So, let the tour begin. . . (Disclaimer: We are still trying to figure out this new digital camera, so apologies in advance for any wonkiness).

 

We couldn't pass up this vintage print and frame we found at Collectors Gallery.

 

There are only 2 new pieces of furniture in the room. One is the classic of all cribs, the Jenny Lind, that Piglet's grandparents purchased for her and the other is the toddler "Pick-a-Book" (AKA child's bookcase) from her Great Aunt Rita.  That little side table is actually a vintage pie safe that was also one of the Mondo's first antique/vintage purchases back in the day.

The Amy Butler bedding we ordered from Etsy at the online shop, SewFunbyMonique. (We highly recommend her and her work). And Piglet's other grandmother, Mondo's mom, made her a gorgeous matching crib quilt and baby blankets out of the same Amy Butler fabrics.

 

The walls were our biggest challenge as we couldn't pick a paint color. Who knew the perfect shade of gray would be such a tough code to crack?  Twelve paint samples later, we settled on what you now see: Benjamin Moore's Gray Horse.  (Thank you ohdeedoh for the tip on the perfect gray & the rocking moose!)  For artwork, we picked up a few vintage pieces like the art on her door and the tiny French prints, and we rehabbed a vintage mirror that was Piglet's great grandparents'.  For the artwork collage over the crib, we pulled images from one of my favorite childhood books, Animals should definitely not wear clothing (to this book I totally credit my love of the absurd), and scanned images of original suffrage postcards featuring little girls. We then purchased inexpensive frames from Garden Ridge and Hobby Lobby and voila!  A wall art collage for roughly $60!

 

 

The Hoosier cabinet will serve as both storage and a changing station as the enamel counter pulls out for a deeper workspace.  This is one of the first vintage pieces the Mondo's purchased together, so after a light sanding and new paint job, it is now serving a new purpose. (Don't worry, no pregnant ladies or developing Piglets were harmed in the rehabbing of vintage pieces as Mondo handled the hazardous stuff).
 

 

Those screen doors?  Those are actually the doors to two floor to ceiling corner closets we had put in during year 1's first big rehab project.  The vintage Galveston screen doors we bought for $15 a door at GHF's Architectural Salvage Warehouse. 

 

The dresser was my girlhood dresser that had previously served as my mother's when she was a little girl. With some light sanding, a protective coat, and new hardware and relined drawers, it's ready to be passed on to another generation. The drawer hardware comes from the newest shop on the Strand, Bungalow, and the vintage French paper lining comes from Hendley Market.

 

That cute vintage pink shelf?  Well, that was a great find at Island Relics located at 22^nd & Broadway. And it is filled with all kinds of vintage family pieces as well as finds from around the Island, including mermaid paraphernalia from Nautical Antiques & Decor, where you can also purchase your IBC merchandise. Ahem.

 

Only thing we're still on the hunt for (and we may have found a winner), is a rocking chair or glider that isn't a humongous room-eater. 

 

So, here's the rest of our mother-of-all-sources list for Island shopping - baby-related or not.  One last thing, unfortunately that awesome red rocking moose is from Ikea and not the Island. . . Sigh.

 

Gracie's at 2228 Strand

Antique Warehouse at 25^th & Postoffice

Nautical Antiques & Decor at 22^nd & Mechanic

Island Relics at 22^nd & Broadway

Hendley Market at 2010 Strand

Collectors Gallery at 23^rd & Postoffice

23^rd & P Antiques, shockingly located at 23^rd Street & Avenue P

GHF Architectural Salvage Warehouse at 908 23^rd Street in the old 1909 John Sealy Garage

Bungalow Dry Goods Company at 2325 Strand

 

Online Sources:

SewFunbyMonique on Etsy: crib bedding

Target online: crib

 

Mainland Sources:

Ikea: curtains, rug, red rocking moose

Garden Ridge Pottery: baskets, frames

Hobby Lobby: frames, mattes

Here we are at the 35, almost 36 week mark. So only 5 weeks to go. And, really, I know that I could be sitting here, writing this - you sitting there, reading this - and only be a couple of weeks from delivering. That's just scary.

 

And I'm not the only one. I saw utter freak-out written across Mondo's face for perhaps the first time. And it happened after putting together our insanely complicated high chair. It's currently in our kitchen. Mondo keeps having a staring contest with it. And mumbling: "there's a high chair in our kitchen." It's somewhere between a bewildered statement and a rhetorical question.

 

 

 

 

 

I suspect the Mondo's are avoiding some key steps as a psychological attempt to stave off Piglet's impending arrival. Evidence:

 

* We've had the car seat for weeks but it remains uninstalled.

* We've had a cradle in a corner of our bedroom for weeks and it remains untouched.

* Our bedroom (where Piglet will be for however long she needs) is still in utter disarray.

* My bag is not packed.

* Neither is the Piglet's.

 

Freak-out, super scary moment thus far?  (TMI Warning for the faint!!!) 

Last week at my first of now weekly doctor's appointments I found out I'm already dilated 1 cm.  I know, I know. That could mean nothing or everything. But, either way, this girl is coming soon. And while some, or many of you, may be wondering why I would share that on a blog, let me tell you why. 

 

Most embarrassing thus far?

After last week's appointment, I called my mom to give her an update. She proceeds to tell my dad, which is totally cool. Here's where it gets weird. While at dinner Friday evening, mutual friends of both ours and my parents inform us that they too know of the current status of my cervix. Ummm, what?!  "Yeah, you're dad told me when I talked to him the other day." So let's recap, shall we? My father and family friend were discussing my cervix. Fabulous guys. Just to make this complete: in case you didn't know (b/c I didn't), cervical checks suck. You can uncover your eyes now. 

 

The most annoying? 

I'm running out of clothes. While I can still tie my shoes (from the side), I don't know how much longer I can wear shoes other than flip flops due to the swelling. I'm out of tops (dresses are still good). I had started wearing Mondo's t-shirts to the gym and around the house at least 2 months ago.  But, that all changed in one week. Literally from week 34 to 35, I can no longer wear his collection of IBC t-shirts without showing lower belly. (I wonder has "belly cleavage" taken off as an official term yet?) Even my maternity shirts are starting to revolt. Dear Lord.

 

 

 

The most uncomfortable? 

My sleep is jacked. So far, not because of pain, discomfort, or even the 3 to 4 trips to the bathroom each night. I totally had gotten into the zone with those things. No, my sleep is jacked because on weekends (of all times), after one of my trips to the loo, my brain goes on a continuous loop of minor, yet enduring anxiety about what is left to be done. These preggo hormones take worry and existentialism to an entirely new level. The worst was waking up at 1:30am and never going back to sleep. Maybe my body is in practice for the reportedly soul-destroying deprivation that comes once Piglet arrives? 

 

You know when I said I was over it? 

Well, I must be channeling Sammi Sweetheart from that pantheon of culture, Jersey Shore, because I'm done. I knew it was going to get worse: the size of the belly, my mobility, the swelling, the sciatica. But it is so much more trying than I could imagine. I think it's the cumulative impact. Right now 5 more weeks is feeling like that epic journey towards Mount Doom.

 

Really, I'm somewhere between being ready to have Piglet already and being terrified of having Piglet already. But, when I step back from the precipice of anxiety, I know everything is okay. 

 

Except when I stop to think about labor.

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This is the sixth edition of IBC's monthly column for Galveston Monthly.  You can pick up a free Galveston Monthly at many local locations across the Island.

My favorite Islander By Choice is Henry Rosenberg. Most Galvestonians probably associate his name with our public library or perhaps the elementary school located in the East End or maybe even 25th Street. What many people may not know is that he is responsible not only for many Galveston landmarks but also for many of the philanthropic ventures that kept Galveston livable in the early 20th century. He contributed in ways that he believed would make a unique and lasting impact.