Goodies goodies goodies April 30, 2008

Well I was responsible today and headed outside to do some overdue recipe writing for a quicky swap from swap bot. The idea was to send three of your favorite recipes (hand written) to 2 people for a total of six recipe cards. I chose some real winners and was just kinda lazy about all that handwritten work when the computer is so much easier quicker and neater. It is a gorgeous day today tho and so I decided to get to it since the send by deadline was tomorrow and so I went outside and did my writing. When Jarell came down for lunch he brought the mail and in his arms was a nice big box from my Enchanted swap partner Sherry. I opened it up outside and then I started crowing. Everything is so beautiful and I just smiled and squealed. Jarell looked at me like I’d lost my mind when I came inside to show him all the pretties. Ehh more for me, right? There was chocolate and glitter and cards and a movie (A little Princess) and bubbles (My Bubbles!) and this AWESOME wandy scepter thing. The pictures just don’t do these goodies justice.

I also got some great deals at a couple of garage sales today. I got a matching pair of cast iron and ceramic lamps that are about 30 inches tall for …. $3! Yeah no joke.The shades alone sell at Wal Mart for $15. I know because they happen to match a smaller lamp shade that I paid $10 for. I also got some mushroom prints and an old sugar tin and 3 vintage scarves. I spent a whole $4.75
so I’m pretty happy all around. Hope the bargains fly your way! I may be doing a give away soon so pass it around and keep an eye out for free stuff headed your way.

Jumping all over the place (well in my head anyway) April 29, 2008

Today was a good day. I knew that from the moment I woke up without feeling sick to my stomach even a little bit. I was so happy that I felt like doing something ambitious. Well I sort of did. I redid my Myspace profile and looked up and found a couple of old friends from high school which was cool. It was quite a bit more labor intensive than had originally anticipated because I have issues with using the pre-made layouts most of the time and prefer to use pictures and backgrounds of my own choosing. Today I tried a new site and made a not at all sucky picture with this awesome program called GIMP 2 that is a freeware program I found as a substitute for photoshop. Anyway, I got done with all of that (it only took me like 3 hours with the internet connection I have) and then got responsible and showered and decided to wear a spring outfit. Enter the pretty purple peasant skirt from last years Wal-Mart collection and the light teal tank top. Oh so comfy and paired with my pink flip flops very colorful in nice soft tones. J11 told me I looked like spring which is a very nice compliment coming from someone who is very into winter and darkness. In a good way. So we went over to the in-laws house in order for hubby to work on our lawn mower that he took over there to mow with last year and never brought home. I had a really pleasant conversation with my MIL which is always nice because when we get along I really like her. We came home and I hopped on the internet for a minute to see about some emails I was waiting on and there at the top of my inbox was a message from paypal saying payment received followed by an email from Etsy saying someone had purchased something from my store. I was ECSTATIC! to say the least. I grinned and then yelled to my husband to tell him and then ran to grab the ordered item and package it up so I can ship it tomorrow. I was so very happy and I have decided today goes in the Good Day category with a capital G. So I want to pass on best wishes to everyone who reads this and send the Good Day juju on to you all! Au revoir mes chers amies

Just a quick note for now April 28, 2008

I run around on a lot of how to sites and today I thought I’d share a couple of fun project links from one of my favorites.
The website is called Cut Out + Keep
Here are a few ideas that grabbed me.
Rhumba earrings
Felted balls
Necktie Feathers

Try those out and check out the website as well. I may be back later, I may not. I gots a lot to do today what with the sorting of the boxes of junk and all.
Have fun children

So much Junk! err good stuff April 28, 2008

So yesterday Jarell and I decided to start going thru the boxes of stuff I’ve had stored down there since last year when we got married. It was an interesting task. As I was going thru the stuff to try and get rid of some of it we had the brilliant plan to have a garage sale and suddenly things got easier. I was really into it and I picked up today where I left off yesterday. I found lots of craft goodies that I’d forgotten I even had and all my books that I’ve kept to re-read and now I can. O happy day. I found a choir trophy, some cool 70’s flowery fabric, TONS of pictures and so much more. It was like going through a flea market owned by an alter ego and any urge that may have been slowly creeping up on me to shop with nonexistent money has been put to rest yet again. The only sad thing is I’ve been using all those boxes as a quick fix whenever I felt the need to accumulate more stash. Instead of going shopping I’d go downstairs and dig through one box and bring a whole armload of stuff back upstairs. Now I don’t have that option so much as most of the really good stuff is now where it needs to be put away. On the upside, Jarell said the proceeds of the garage sale are all mine. This makes good sense since all the stuff in it was mine, but at the same time I feel like I should share with him as unselfishly as he shares with me. I’ll let you all know how that works out. Until then I leave you with this old essay I found by a mysterious unknown author. I apologize in advance.

The Last Night
by Melissa Bacon

The thunder crashes and the winds howl outside, The sky is a mix of colors. Near the top it is a dark purple that slowly fades into pink and finally orange near the horizon. Inside it is cozy and dark. A fire, the only light, crackles cheerfully in the stove and the soft murmur of a single voice blends itself around the storm.
A small dog observes the peaceful scene, her black eyes clouded. Her breathing is labored and rasping. The television box that makes her bed seems to dwarf her shrunken body. Next to the box is a young girl. You hear a soft voice singing an old song. As you listen the voice wavers and pauses. The storm rages outside. Seeming to take courage from the tempest out of doors, the voice continues, stronger and more pure than before. A single tear lands on the faded blue blanket underneat the little dog.
The voice fails again and the girl looks around her. The weary green eyes search for a distraction. They fall on a dulcimer the color of honey. Suddenly the scene is animated. The girl scrambles to her feet and seizes up the instrument. Now the plaintive tones of “Amazing Grace” compete with the storm.
As the song winds to an end, it is followed by a hymn pulled from the depths of the girl’s memory. The fingers race along the fret board as if possessed. The little dog, however, appears oblivious. Abruptly the music ceases. The girl grasps a small log and tosses it deftly onto the fire. There is the sound of paper being crumpled and the fire roars to life as it consumes the light material. A soft sigh, followed by several sharp barks startles the girl out of her reverie. Once again the scene changes from a solemn still life to a quick movement. The girl is at the dog’s side fumbling for a syringe of water. With compassion she works the syringe into the now frantic dog’s mouth. The dog has yet to move, but some remaining reflex causes it to swallow convulsively. Even so, it isn’t long before you hear the cries again.
A man appears. He walks into the room and drops down next to the sobbing girl. They pet the small dog. Eventually it is silent, the energy seemingly spent at the moment. Mouth closed, the dog seems to rest. From outside comes a new sound. It is the sound of more dogs and you see headlights. The girl slowly rises and gives the dog one last pat before she heads out into the storm. The little dog gives a few more piercing barks and slowly fades into silence. The once labored breathing falters and finally ceases. The man sighs and closes her now unseeing eyes one last time. Outside the storm rages on.

Another day another…. Oh heck post I guess April 26, 2008

No money made today so I guess you’ll just have to be happy with a post from me instead. I was remarkably crafty today. I started a doll last night for the Mermaid Swap and finished her up today. I wish I could show you pictures but I want her to be a surprise for my partner so you’ll just have to wait. I enjoyed making her so much that I’ve decided to make her a couple of sisters and maybe add them to my Etsy shop. I don’t know for sure tho. I thought about it a while and realized that part of my lack of creative ability lately stems from the fact that I was trying way to hard to do something for someone else and not thinking about why I make the things I make– self expression. Well lacking pictures to show you, I can say that Sherry got her package which makes me happy. I really can’t say that I have much else to tell you so I won’t stay to chat. I grin each time someone leaves me a comment. Thank you Sherry and KathyD you guys are the best.

Further Commentary on Always April 25, 2008

So I was happily reading my new BHG magazine the other day (the first of a three year subscription for $2o Awesome) and all of a sudden I come across an ad for none other than Always new overnight something or others. So of course I look for their slogan and lo and behold it says in plain print– have a happy period. Now some of you might say these are just well wishes and your periods really aren’t that bad or better yet, you don’t have to deal with that any more. I have heard often that menopause sucks and believe me I’m totally not ready for it yet, but periods are no cake walk. I have the bad ones where I bleed profusely with no pain and the bad ones where I stay curled in a fetal position with little bleeding. Yes this is TMI but it has a point. I also have the rare just annoying one where I am simply bitchy, bloated, tired, hungry, emotional, and in general a wreck. That was what the most recent one was like when I sent my MIL a how I really feel about her text that still hasn’t blown over and for those of you who have used your monthly visitor as an excuse to tell someone what you really truly think of them with no remorse afterwards, that was what I did. So naturally when I saw the ad I laughed out loud and ripped it right out of my brand new magazine. I carried it back to my craft room and left it there to think about what it had done till I was ready to decide what to do with it. I was back there last night at 11:30 ish unable to sleep when I remembered the vintage science book I had dismantled a couple of weeks ago. I dug through the pages a bit and Eureka! There was a diagram for a flower. Flowers over the ages have often been used as a symbol of all things female and this struck me as particularly appropriate. The result?

Why this of course

Have a happy evening folks

Terrorific April 24, 2008

I had thought to terrorize you with photos of family and pets (some are both) but I think I’ll leave that job to my flickr account. Instead I will share a couple of pics of some bookmarks I made for another swap I’m in. It is a lyrical bookmark swap and so I tried to tie the lyrics of the song or at least the artist to the decoration I chose. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the bookmarks as a whole per se, but there are parts that I think are awesomeness itself. I know that sounds a little self-centered but gosh darn it once in a while I feel I should be proud of something I’ve done. The nice thing is knowing that I’m not the only one who feels this way– guilty about feeling proud of an accomplishment. But I do nevertheless and I wonder why. I excelled at many things in school but always felt the necessity to downplay those things while focusing on my flaws in order to fit in. I’m not sure what the deal was with that except some of my friends weren’t as good at some of the things I was good at and that separated us unless I was able to show them I sucked too. Am I being too mememe here? Well thats tough petunias. I am proud of my high school accomplishments and always will be because they’re the
high point in the accomplishment category thus far and likely to stay that way. Thats not to say I don’t have high hopes for my art endeavors, far from it, but I am a realist. There are many many people out there much more talented than I who I feel I should bow down to and step aside for. They are the shining star of this world of crafts and I am happy to let them be just that. I’m not sure where all this is coming from, but its one of those days I guess. Anyway, without further ado, the pictures in all their glory.

Mexican Christmas April 22, 2008

Not the actual holiday altho thats a very unusual event in and of itself. But it sure felt like Christmas last night when I got to open the bags of our belongings that just came back to us from Mexico. Let me explain to those of you who didn’t live through this with me on myspace. Back in the middle of November my darling dearest and I moved to Mexico for his job with his father. It was an open ended trip that may have lasted for years. We came back for a couple of weeks just before Christmas and because it was supposed to be a short trip home, we didn’t bring all our stuff home with us. But we never went back (and for that I thank god every day. I still have nightmares where we had to go back down there.) Our stuff however was still there. Mostly clothes, but I needed those clothes especially the shirts. Also some really nice yarn that I bought for a steal down there. And my extra contacts. Well I was ecstatic to find out yesterday that this stuff all came home with my MIL and FIL. How awesome is that? So I happily dug out the clothes from the first suitcase that came upstairs last night and threw them in the washer and this morning they were dry and warm and so happy to be back in the US. They clung to the dryer which doesn’t surprise me because we didn’t have a dryer down there and everything was line dried. Oh I was so happy that got my spongebob pj’s back and my good cute shirts. I was almost crying over the stuff I thought was gone for good. Well enough of all this misplaced emotion. I’m off to dig through another bag of goodies.

Blech April 21, 2008

I don’t have much to say today due to a night of intense nausea that has thoughtfully continued into the morning. I gave up on sleep a while ago and have been scrolling around on other people’s blogs trying to ignore the sickness feeling. For any of my former Wal Mart compatriots, according to the last test I took, no I’m not pregnant. I have just been having bouts of sick off and on ever since we came home from Mexico. Go to the doctor and have that checked out you say? Well sure why not? Oh wait— not health insurance Thats why not. Ah well not much to be done then except drink copious amounts of anti-nausea goop. The strangely best tasting medicine I’ve ever had to take probably because its made with two kinds of sugar. I stumbled across one that has a challenge to lose weight and seeing as how I’m quite a bit fluffier than I was in my glory days of High School, I think I shall have to try it. I totally dig smoothies and if you do too, check out Pancakes and French Fries blog for the recipes and some bonus cute kid pics. Aside from all of this, here’s what I stopped by to show you guys. My friend posted this on a myspace bulletin and I couldn’t resist snapping it up to share here. I made me laugh a lot until my stomach rebelled at so much shaking and then I had to content myself with grinning some.
Happy reading.

This is an actual letter from an Austin woman sent to American company Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products.She really gets rolling after the first paragraph. It’s PC Magazine’s 2007 editors’ choice for best webmail-award-winning letter.Dear Mr.Thatcher,I have been a loyal user of your ‘Always’ maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I’d probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I’d certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings.Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic.I can’t tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there’s a little F-16in my pants.Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from the curse’? I’m guessing you haven’t. Well, my time of the month is starting right now.As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body.Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I’ll be transformed into what my husband likes to call’an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.’ Isn’t the human body amazing? As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you’ve no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customersmonthly visits from ‘Aunt Flo’.Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying, jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it’s a tough time for most women.In fact, only last week, my friendJennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend’s testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey’s Anatomy was written by a bunch of drunken chimps,Crazy!The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants… Which brings me to the reason for my letter Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing,were these words: ‘Have a Happy Period.’Are you f**king kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness – actual smiling, laughing happiness is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unlessyou’re some kind of sick S&M freak girl, there will never be anything ‘happy’ about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don’t march down to the local Walgreen’s armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you just have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn’t it make more sense to say something that’s actually pertinent, like ‘Put down the Hammer’ or ‘Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong’, or are you just picking on us?Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere.And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullsh*t. And that’s a promise I will keep.Always.Best,Wendi AaronsAustin , TX

The World has truly begun to disgust me April 19, 2008

I am often at odds with my husband over the state of human beings in this world. He sees and attributes the worst possible motives to people whereas I try to see the best. However I have come to a place where no matter how I try all I want to do is see this person punished. This is not art. No matter how you look at it what this woman (I use that word very loosely as she obviously did as well) is sick and demented and I honestly hope she never has children as she has abused the privilege beyond reason. I feel I should comment and clarify something here. There are options besides abortion. I do not feel that it is something people should be able to do because they did something stupid. Adoption is a GOOD Thing. At the same time I feel that there are situations where a child should not be punished by a parent’s stupidity. And I’m not saying all abortions are done because a parent is stupid. There are also financial concerns, mental capability et al. But again adoption is a good thing. Basicly my feelings are my body my choice, your body your choice. I choose to not have an abortion ever. You may not choose the same. That is your right just as it is my right to think you may have made a mistake. This is a very controversial subject. Inately I feel abortion is wrong– it goes against all that I believe in. That said there are reasons why it may be necessary. I can’t make a firm stand on this subject. I can firmly state that what this thing did in the name of art was morally reprehensible.