Kyla Nicole

How to achieve Awesomeness at age 30

2011-10-04T00:09:00.000-07:00

How to achieve Awesomeness at age 30
or
Why I Will Never be a Grownup
or
Birth Control

*This post is being written at 12:56am. While bleaching my teeth. This story is an entirely True Story (okay, I might've guessed at some of the time spans, lol), and an honest representation of an average day in my life right now.*

Two important notes before I begin this step-by-step method I use to achieve Awesomeness: first, never get your hair cut or coloured more than 4 times a year. Second, you are only allowed up to FIVE (5) non-Walmart or Target Awesomeness Implements (mine are Mac eye liner and shadows, and Sephora makeup brushes & brush cleaner).
Awesomeness is not easy. It takes hard work, and a lot of sacrifice (only a little blood & tears, fortunately!). This is gonna take a while. You may wanna go grab a Redbull (with or without vodka is up to you).

Ready? Awesome.

Carefully pin/clip/rubberband all your hair back. Wet & soap up your face.
Unclog random toy/mud/paper mache from sink drain with your soapy eyes closed, because you didn't notice it until the water started spilling out onto your feet.
Rinse face.
Wander around the house looking for the clean towel you were sure you put in the cabinet the night before. Don't forget to drip icy water down your neck and into your bra. Change into dry socks, but not before considering drying your face and boobs with them.
Pat your face dry. The habits of 15min a day tanning beds, forgetting your sunglasses, and smoking are one thing, but don't you dare damage your skin by RUBBING it!
On second thought, air dry. You could probably use a cigarette at this point.
Smear some Awesome fountain-of-youth-promise on your face in the form of an overly neon muddy face mask.
Go feed the minions. They will never agree to eat the same thing, so make oatmeal (or macaroni), then wash the pot again, and make grits (or ramen). Spend at least 5mins stirring ice cubes one by one into food until it is deemed "cool enough to eat" (why the hell did I even cook it?!).
Remember to feed 4-legged tail-wagging minions. Get knocked into the dirt. Go ahead and do that again, for good measure.
Feed 4-legged purring minions. Step in a puddle on the kitchen floor (melted ice cube, no doubt). Remove one sock.
Upon hearing the doorbell, promptly forget that you are wearing one sock and a wet tanktop. Remember just as you open the door and are greeted by super-cute UPS guy. Let it slide, you're Awesomeness cannot be twarted by a sock (and what guy is really gonna hate being greeted by a wet tanktop, right?). Chit chat. The weather has been Awesome lately. Sign for HUGE brown box (OMG SOMEONE SENT ME A VOLKSWAGEN - YAYSQUEAL!).
Awkwardly try to wrestle Big Brown Box into the front door. Chase after Big Brown Truck (don't forget to repeatedly yell, "HELP! WAIT! PLEASE HELP!") when you realize Obnoxiously Oversized Brown Box is addressed to the person that lived in your house over a year ago.
DO NOT catch Big Brown Truck.
Walk home (in one sock). Suck up your pride, and politely greet all of your neighbors that have come out to the cries for help. It really is a nice neighborhood.
Dig around for a bandaid to put on a scratch Minion #2 received whilst capturing a 4-legged purring minion that had bolted out the door after you. Kiss it better, and give a dramatic "YAY, YOU'RE NOT GONNA DIE!" smile.
Feel the bastard neon green mask on your face crack.
Wash off the mask (do you know where your towel is?). Burn 175 calories concentrating really hard on forgetting the gorgeous bronzed blue-eyed hottie in brown shorts that you chased down the block. Screw the neighbors; they probably weren't even surprised at this point (and none of them actually ASKED if you needed help *hrmph*).
Find astringent. Do not find cotton balls (aside - victory fistpump for figuring out what was clogging the drain). Settle for toilet paper. Reset pH balance of your face with astringent. Spend at least 3min picking TP lint off your face.
Slather on tinted moisturizer. Your kind of Awesomeness is a Two-Birds kind of Awesomeness.
Fluff bronzer all over your face. Realize that your face is now much darker than the rest of you (WTF - TANNING BED NOOB).
Fluff bronzer over neck, shoulders, and cleavage.
Very carefully try not to be too careful applying blush. Yay, victory!
Do a little victory dance, but stop immediately upon seeing a faint jiggle in your anti-bicep area. Shit. (say it, don't do it. Unless you really have to.)
Notice that all your powdered bronzer and blush has settled into your pores and wrinkles. Wash it off. Start over at tinted moisturizer step. Be more conservative with the powder.
Don't give a crap that your neck, shoulders, and boobs are darker than your face now.
Answer ringing phone. Try to explain to Minion #1's principal that poking Other Kid in the leg with the eraser-end of his pencil to get Other Kid's attention is NOT the same as "stabbing a peer with a dangerous pointed object". Hang up. Inform Minion #1 that he is suspended for 2 days. Mourn the future of our nation.
Apply eye makeup. Look like one of those 50-something women in skin-tight leopard print that you have always thought looked insecure, and are trying too hard to look younger than they are.
Wash it off. Start over again at tinted moisturizer (the Walmart/Target tip should be making sense now). Reapply all makeup. Still a little dark, but it's already gotten pretty late in the day, so you most likely won't make it out of the house anyway.
Straighten hair. Be sure to burn yourself at least twice.
Spend a minimum of 10 minutes plucking grey hairs from your head with tweezers. Think about all the pictures you've seen of "Old Wives", and how they always had grey hair in them. Spend 5 more minutes plucking (maybe you're just a late-blooming blond?).
Go make dinner for minions. You forgot to defrost anything, so make macaroni and grits again. Drink a Redbull, and have a couple bites of cold leftover macaroni straight from the fridge.
Check Facebook while the minions eat. Remember than you once again forget to call Good Friend back. Tend your farm/island/bingo/poker.
Browse Photoshop brushes, knitting patterns, Sims 3 downloads, and check the Blue Book value of the Korean p.o.s. you drive (it's worth almost as much as I owe on it).
Spend about an hour looking at ticket prices to the Caribbean, Spain, Australia, etc. Spend another 30-60 minutes Windows shopping for the perfect bikini. Remember arm-jiggle.
Go do Pilates.
Get bored after 5 minutes. Go play Dance Central on Xbox for 2 hours, instead.
Rush the minions to their rooms. It's way past their bedtime. Don't forget to apologize for freaking out and acting like it was their fault (they're not stupid, and you don't want them to think you are crazy).
Open a delicious ice-cold imported beer. Facebook-message Good Friend that you are totally swamped, and will call her back tomorrow.
Actually intend to call her back tomorrow (Awesomeness is caring).
Take 4-legged tail-wagging minions for a walk at Almost-the-Middle-of-the-Night:thirty. It's dark, and every functional human is in bed, but you did your hair and makeup, so leave the house.
Open another expensive imported beer when you get home. Find first beer almost completely full, warm, and flat 10 minutes later.
Go to bed. Attempt to wake up at an Acceptable Time tomorrow.
Watch Law & Order.
Remember that you forgot to bleach your teeth. Go do that now.
Stomp around the house like a monster for the 5-15minutes the exceptionally foamy dental bleach is working it's magic. Thoroughly terrify the 4-legged purring minions (you'll be sleeping alone tonight).
Rinse bleach from mouth. Finish expensive imported beer on principle. It tastes like yak urine now.
Go back to bed.
Watch Law & Order.
Get up because you feel really bad about not calling Good Friend back, and can't stop thinking about all the other Good Friends you have not called in a while. Check Facebook for a reply to the message you sent earlier. Tend farm/island/bingo/poker. Rearrange desktop icons (I swear they move on their own just to piss me off).
Turn off alarm clock. It's time to get the kids up for school.
Have a champion breakfast of Redbull, a slice of lunchmeat, and half a dozen cigarettes.
Go to Minion #1's school to convince authorities there that you are a perfectly capable and functional parent. They are being overly dramatic about The Pencil Poking Incident. This should be easy, since your hair and makeup are already done.
Go home. Pass out on sofa while watching Law & Order. <3 Netflix.

*It is now 2:17am, and I have just remembered that I have a leftover Burrito Supreme in the fridge. YAYSQUEAL!*
In case my mom and/or husband are reading this, it was DARK coloured wet tank top =P

Things That Make You Wanna Slit Your Wristies.

2010-01-10T16:48:00.000-08:00

Hey hey, Happy New Year, and all that! After 4 months without a computer, I'm now posting from a brand new Gateway laptop. I've been a Mac for almost 10 years now, so this is definitely a learning experience! To be honest, I got this computer in early December, so its not all that brand new anymore. And I didn't really miss having a computer since I have an iPhone ;) lol

Anyway, so, I logged onto to Flickr today, and I had a comment on this photo, titled "Crochet wristies":

The comment was from a woman telling me that Wristies is a copyrighted name, and told me to remove the word from the title, tags, and description. Well look at that; Wristies are a brand of polar fleece wristwarmers.

I changed the tags/title etc, but I found the whole thing a little disturbing. Firstly, she didn't say anything about this picture, which was right next to the other, and included the same words and tags.

Secondly, I thought it was pretty tacky, and unintelligent, that she decided to leave the cease and desist as a COMMENT on the picture. I didn't notice it for two months, because I just hadn't gone back to that picture. If it had been sent to me in a private message, at least I would have gotten email notification. And really, do you need to make sure that everyone that looks at these silly little crocheted tubes KNOWS that they aren't your polarfleece wristwarmers?

Wristies is a word that I've known, heard, and used since I was a kid! That's just what they're CALLED. I mean, yeah, they can be wristwarmers, but shoes can be kicks, and stockings can be nylons. Google agrees with me; a search in Images came up with a ton of not-Wristies-brand wristies. Is it really legal to copyright a word that is already widely used like that? Neither word is in the dictionary, as far as I can find. Just a whole lotta people using the term to describe the same thing: a glove, minus the thumb and fingers.

My first reaction, however, was: Why me? There are knitted & crocheted wristies on Etsy; if you search on Ravelry, you'll find 3 pages of patterns for wristies (and a whole lot more on the various other knit/crochet pattern sites out there). Most puzzling, is that a search on Flickr, where this person found my photo, brings up 680 results. I only glanced through the first few pages, but I didn't see any polarfleece Wristies. So why me? I'm not advertising my own wristwarmers, not profiting, nor am I claiming that I "invented" the garment (accessory?) or word. The only thing I figured is that the offending picture comes up as 3rd result when you Google "crochet wristies". But so do some others, and they don't have c&d comments on their pictures.

Tomorrow, I'm going to copyright "pants". All your pants are belong to me!

Alive, sans kickin'

2009-07-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm still around. After losing what turned out to be TWINS, to my second ectopic rupture, I didn't feel much like posting anymore. I've now lost both of my fallopian tubes, and cannot get pregnant. Tragic, for sure. Currently, I'm waiting for yet another surgery, to take care of a scar tissue adhesion that is causing me pain, and a cyst on my ovary. Surgery is scheduled for August. Ugh.

I'm also having some problems with anxiety. My husband is going away to interrogator school on Feb 5, and will be gone for 5 months. Everyone keeps saying, "Oh, that's far away, you still have plenty of time..." yadda yadda. When you live the life we do, moving every 2-3 years, your concept of time changes. 6 months is a HUGE chunk of time. We're moving to Ft. Polk, LA, next July. Yes, it's a year away, but it feels like tomorrow. I'm not sleeping well, because I'm having disturbing dreams about moving by myself, custody issues, and struggling with the idea of being separated from my honey for half a year, only to be separated for a year and a half. Ft. Polk is where interrogators go to be prepared for deployment *sigh*

This summer has gone pretty well, so far, though. The kids have been pretty good, although my 9yr old son has entered the "I cannot tell the truth" phase. It's hard not being able to trust anything he says. I suppose, just like sleepless nights with a newborn, that this is all preparing me for the teenage years ;)

I have been crafting, mostly crochet. AND, I've been knitting! Much thanks to my wonderful mother<, who taught me more from two states away than all the knitting books I've read ;)

So, here are some pictures, just a sampling of some of the things I've been doing. I'm still doing swaps, a handful at a time, and I've really been enjoying sewing a lot more lately =]

Cherry stamp, carved for the "I <3 Cherries" swap on Swapbot

Little crochet mushroom, with hand-beaded straight pins.

Crochet coinpurse, with zipper, and little crocheted cherries (also for the "I <3 Cherries" swap on Swapbot)

Crochet beret, made from a pattern picked p at my LYS. I *love* this thing, and wear it all the time =]

My first finished knitted project, a sock for my iPhone. I really love this, it works better than any other iPhone "case" that I've had!

Wedding cake toppers (prototype). A good friend is getting married next spring, and asked me to make these for her.

Wire-wrapped jewelry sets, made for teacher gifts. (black is Swarovski crystal, blue is faceted sodalite)

Knitted fingerless loves. Again, I totally love these, and wear them a LOT, usually with the crocheted beret above.

Crocheting a super soft, fuzzy, scalloped scarf.

There you have it. I have been busy, despite pain that won't go away, and anxiety that has me jumpin' at the wind. I will make an effort to blog a whole lot more, although I must warn that my pictures may get crappier, as I have been seduced by the convienience of taking them with my iPhone, and uploading them immediately ;) I also tweet frequently over on Twitter!

Knock It Off!

2009-03-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

*I keep editing this, because I keep forgetting things. Forgive me if you are using a reader!*

I actually look pregnant, believe it or not. It's not baby, or anything yet, of course - it's all fun stuff, like huge amounts of gas, and water (I'm Jupiter! I'm Neptune! I'm Jupiter! I'm Neptune!)

Anyway, my two favorite pair of pants do not fit me comfortably anymore unless I unbutton them. So, I made a knockoff maternity gadget, that will remain nameless (basically, it's a "Second letter of the alphabet" Band). Too effing easy to make to spend $20+ on one! Sheesh! This band hooks around the front belt loops of pants with snaps, and stretches comfortably to hide the unbuttons and resulting belly gap. Pretty nifty, imo. I might have to make them for my family for Thanksgiving Day use ;)

It's dark, and I am really tired, so I don't have a picture of the K Band in use, but I can assure you, it is in use right now. Every night, I lie on the sofa with my feet up, and my pants unbuttoned, and honestly, it just makes me feel fat. This is much better =]

Here is my little drawing, so that you can visualize my awesome new K Band. Except that mine is made of black cotton/lycra, with black snaps. The short ends are not turned & topstitched or anything; I just serged across them with black thread (they are hidden when they are looped around the beltloops, anyway. Oh, and the other half of the snaps is hidden in the diagram by the folded over ends. There are four complete sets of snaps on this.

I cut a rectangle 5in by [how long the fabric was when I stretched it comfortably from beltloop to beltloop over my unbuttoned pants]. I ironed the curly edges of the fabric flat, ironed a small strip of lightweight interfacing to each end (about 5in x 1in), folded the piece in half long-ways, and stitched up the long open edge. Back to the ironing board, I worked the piece so that the seam was centered in what became the back of the band, and ironed it flat, making sure not to slide my iron around so that I didn't stretch out the fabric much. Serged up the short ends, and applied snaps to the ends. I found that keeping the outer snaps closer to the corners kept the corners from poking out, or getting weird shaping from edges curling, etc.

I used lightweight iron-on interfacing on the very ends of the band, so that the snaps wouldn't rip through the fabric, but the center portion of the band would still remain stretchy. I wish there was stretchy interfacing...

I have some more of this type of fabric, and will probably make a couple more of these. But first, I need a new cap die for my snap press. After surviving countless trips across the country and back, little kids, big kids, men that are fascinated by a sewing "tool", this one die has finally wandered off.

If my mom is reading this: I used some of the black stretchy fabric you sent me ages ago to use on the edges of gloves...it boggles my mind how I managed to hang onto so much of my stash throughout these past 5 years! I think I have a gift...or a problem ;)

Lucky Number 7!

2009-03-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

Every birthday my kids have is so special to me. I lost so many babies before they came along, and I hope that one day they will realize how special they are to me, and how encouraging they are to me. Every day that I see them running and jumping, singing, doing their homework, complaining about a bully at school, or quivering that lower lip because they are SO SAD because they wouldn't stop jumping on the sofa and got grounded, or tying 13 ribbons around the cat's tail and beg to re-name it "Pretty Princess"...every day I see these things, and I am reminded that I created the best that the world has to offer, and that I can do it again!

My Ashley is 7 years old today. At 10:20am March 18, 2002, my awesome dr yanked that little girl from my abdomen while her father and I - and the entire staff in the operating room - were singing along to the radio: "Hotel California". Funny, I had never liked that song before. She had a platinum cord, with a TRUE knot in it, and it was also wrapped around her neck. She was in a breech position, with one foot presenting (my cervix dealt with that for 2 months!), her other foot up next to her ear, squished between my ribs. Through all of this, she came out perfect, 7lbs, 13oz, with cheeks so chubby, the drs actually measured her jaw to find out why her chin looked so "pushed in" lol!

Ashley's favorite things to do now are singing (she is very good at making up songs), any kind of art, and playing "school teacher" to her [literally] hundreds of stuffed animals. And, of course, every one of those hundreds of animals sleep with her on her bed (E.T. style ;). Every night, she whispers a prayer over my belly that this baby will come out to meet her. I think she must be the sweetest thing ever ^_^

So, happy birthday Ashley! Thank you for all that you have done for me <3

Maybe Baby

2009-03-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

My final hCG Quantitative results came back. To date, we have:

1999 on Monday
2600 on Wednesday
4452 on Friday

I think these numbers look wonderful; as I have previously stated, the numbers should be doubling every 72-96 hours. Since these tests are only 48 hours apart, it's hard to tell, but I think they look good. They are moving up, so, at this point, I am still pregnant, until proven otherwise.

I am getting really bad headaches, and I have to drink prune juice every morning. Tylenol doesn't do a THING for the headaches, but the prune juice has solved the problem of the cramping. Basically, I still FEEL pregnant. I just wish I had morning sickness; did you know that morning sickness is actually linked to a decrease in miscarriage risk? How fun.

What I am really scared about right now is a blighted ovum. Quite simply, this means that everything moves along in order, except that a baby never develops. Gestational sac keeps on truckin', body keeps on preparin', etc. We thought I was 6wks pregnant, at which time an embryo SHOULD be seen, but all we saw was a gestational sac. So....yeah. It would be a new one for me - I have not miscarried in that way before. In fact, if it is a blighted ovum, I will have miscarried in every way, excepting voluntary abortion.

How fun.

the shining tunnel at the end of the light

2009-03-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

After looking up hcg quants all morning on the intrawebz, I've found that once the number gets above 1200, it takes 72-96 hours for the number to double. My dr seemed to think my pg was over, because my number did not double in 48 hours.

So I got a new dr. I did this last year, too, though. I remember my husband saying, "I know this sucks, but going to a new dr is not going to magically bring our baby back to life." Well, whatever. It's true, but my numbers are NOT showing that I am losing this baby. My ultrasound did not show that I am losing this baby. All this was confirmed when I called my new dr.

Some women's hcg is so low, that they do not even register positive on pee stick until they are 3mos pg. Some women have what is traditionally considered very low, not-viable, numbers and go on to have perfectly healthy babies. "Normal" is different for every body, and every pregnancy, and it is impossible to create an all-encompassing STANDARD for these things.

My point is, I'm not giving up on this one, yet, and I found a dr that is also not ready to give up. I kinda wish I had not gotten the hcg quants testing. I kinda wish I hadn't had the u/s that said that my baby is almost 2 whole weeks younger than we thought (this means that I implanted later than we think, or the pregnancy has already ended). Unfortunately, I do not have the luxury of sitting back, and letting what will be, be.

*As I was typing this, I found myself suddenly doubled over in pain, cramps, crying horrible cut-me-in-two abdominal distress. Could be gas. I had enchiladas for lunch. Could not be gas. We'll see...*

And one for the road...

2009-03-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

My hcg was 1999 on Monday, only 2600 on Wednesday; it is supposed to at least double every 48 hours in a viable pregnancy. Not sure if I will try to conceive again; hubby ships off for several months on Feb 5th. If I am not pregnant within the next like, 6 weeks, he will miss the birth. Or I suppose I could just wait to start trying again until the end of the year, and be pregnant while he is gone, but so far, it takes us one year to conceive anyway, so should I even bother waiting? Could I really handle going through this again, possibly alone?

Idk. I had two perfectly healthy, easy pregnancies. Easy to conceive, easy to carry, healthy babies. Now it's just loss after loss after loss. Am I just not supposed to have anymore babies? Is it possible that the drs screwed something up during my cesarean with my last baby? Can't I please just have ONE child with my husband?? This is our 5th loss in the short 3 years we've been trying.

How do I tell my kids AGAIN that yet another baby is not going to be coming home?

Had my first ultrasound today.

2009-03-11T15:04:00.000-07:00

We found a gestational sac, measuring 4w4d on the u/s. I started puking right there on the table...puking during trans-vag ultrasound is NOT fun! I was so sure that that empty black spot on the screen was where my baby should be.

My first hcg quants are 1999 (hubby says: "I guess we should party?"), but I have to wait another couple hours to find out if they doubled (had blood drawn this morning). Hcg is the "pregnancy hormone" that pee-on-a-stick tests are detecting. The amount of hcg is supposed to double about every 48hrs.

All in all, the dr says that I am pg, but that I am only 4wk4d pg, not 6wk3d, as we had previously calculated. My cycles are 31 days long, my LMP was Jan 25th. Although, I am looking back at my chart, and I had a neg preg test on Feb 22 that I had forgotten about! Feb 22 was 17 days ago, which means that I am most likely only about 4wks pg, I think; what do you think? Here is my chart. Am I just getting my hopes up? Am I just seeing what I want to see?

On to the other stuff: my dr is SO terrified of my Marfan's, that I really think she is "building me up" to abort! She says that Marfan's patients have a risk of heart RUPTURE, because of increased blood volume during pg. She actually said, "Well, you shouldn't bee too concerned, at least you already have two healthy children...knock on wood." Arg. Okay, I actually do like this dr, so I'll try not to make her look like a tool. Anyway, Marfan's can cause enlarged aortas, and enlargement of the heart itself, which can lead to rupture. *I* do not have these conditions. *I* can run, I chase my kids all over the beach, I ride my bike with them! I don't go rockclimbing anymore, but I can still go hiking in the mountains, and I can still swim a mile in a lake with a current!

So, she's ordered a bunch of genetic tests, a full thrombophilia work up. She has also demanded that I see an internal medicine dr, to get in to see a cardiologist, because *IF* this pg continues, she wants me on constant heart monitoring. She expects that I have some blood/clotting disorder, and is already planning on putting me on Heparin & baby aspirin. She says that I will need the blood thinners for my entire pg, and at least 6wks after birth. Oddly enough, my non-pg related drs have always told me to stay away from things that thinned my blood (alcohol *snort*). They were afraid that it would cause my superficial clots to move around.

I had been concerned about the progesterone that my previous dr prescribed for me. She says that they do not bother testing prog levels, because they vary so greatly from individual to individual, that there is no "standard" or "normal". She says that half the studies show that it can help, whereas half show that it has no effect. So, I am paying hundreds of dollars a month "just in case". Okay. Whatever, I got a fat tax return. But the box also warns about horrible birth defects if it is used in the 1T. Dr says that she has never heard of that before, and not to worry about it ~.^

The dr also mentioned that my hcg quants were low, but still higher than what the u/s showed (??), and that depending on my quants today, and again on Friday, she wants me in for another u/s soon. She suspects that I could have another pregnancy, ectopic, which may be throwing off my numbers O_O !!??@&%#^$* Great. I manage to make TWO babies, and don't get to keep either of them? This just isn't fair -_-

I'm so exhausted right now, I can barely keep my eyes open. I was supposed to get the blood drawn for the genetic tests today, but the dr wrote them in a really funky way, and some of the tests the lab isn't sure what she is talking about, and the dr wrote a fasting test, but then told me to go get it done immediately, so they are having to work all that out. I go in tomorrow morning for the blood draw, and again Friday morning for another hcg quants.

I think I need a nap. But first, here is the list of tests the dr ordered for me. Some are really hard to read, so I might be spelling them wrong:
Factor V Leiden mutation
Prothrombin G20210 A mutation
Anticardiolipin IgG
Prothrombin aPTT
Homocysteine fasting (this is the reason I couldn't get the tests done today-the dr said nothing about fasting!)
VAT III antigene activity lvl
Pro C antigene activity lvl
Pro S antigene activity lvl (my awesome lab guy told me that these "Pro"s mean "Protein", but my dr abbrev. it wrong, should be"Prot")

Google says "antigene" is "antigen"; I'm assuming the difference is that my dr is foreign (from Iran, studied in France, then got her U.S. licensing in N.Y.)

Ooookay, nap, then I will research what all these tests mean, and look for u/s pics of gestational sacs! From what I can see so far, these tests just mean I'll need blood thinners for a long time.

Savage selvages!

2009-03-10T22:29:00.000-07:00

I am *dying* to make some of these:

*Photo belongs to Quilts by Elena. Check her out, great stuff!*

My husband pointed out to me recently how much I love to make pincushions.I had never noticed before. I guess they are just quick, instant-gratification things. I get really bad anxiety attacks if I am not being productive in some way (makes it hard for me to sleep at night!), so pincushions fill a lot of gaps in my life where I don't have a lot of time, a lot of motivation, or am suffering a creativity block. Oddly enough, I have never thought to photo and share many of them. I guess they really are just "filler" items in my life *shrug*

So, back to these lovely selvage pincushions, there are two things keeping me from jumping on the project right now. Firstly, would I sew each selvage together, or use fusible web to stick them all together? If I used fusible, would that be okay for my pins to be poking through over and over? And, secondly, I don't have many selvages! I use felt, and knits, and fleece...I have a couple boxes full of fat quarters but I haven't found many selvages in them =[

Hopefully I will win the awesome selvage giveaway over at Moda Lissa! Seriously, you have GOT to get over there and see the rad selvage ball that she made - it just makes me smile =D

I just can't help myself!

2009-03-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

More baby stuff:

Free pattern for Noodle Baby Hat from Haakpoes
Free pattern for Grandma's easy 10-step Booties on Ravelry

Yarns are: Red Heart Soft Yarn in white, and Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille in Fruit Salad.

Another Noodle hat - I just love these things! I didn't put the cuff ont his one, although I am thinking I will. I don't really want to, because the cuff is really boring and long to make, lol...but the hat feels like it is missisng something =X

The booties are SO simple, and very cute, I think =] They really take about 30-45mins to make the pair. They are worked flat, and come out looking kinda upsidedown-"T"-shaped, then it's stitched up. Simple! I'm not sure I am going to leave the variegated cord in there; I have ribbon that looks just like that yarn, but would probably be easier to tie/untie.

I added the picot edge to the top of the booties: After completing final row, turn. *Sl st in nxt st, ch1, sl st in same st* across. That's def my favorite picot edge, I tend to use it a lot (like on my mushrooms in the last post).

I spent all day yesterday cleaning. I mean, ALL DAY. I didn't do anything else but clean! lol It was nice, though I still haven't tackled my bedroom (yikes). We need to have someone come in and take a look at our wiring; both bedrooms only have one working outlet now =X Very inconvenient! But I suppose I should make sure that the electrician can actually WALK through the rooms before I call, eh? ;)

Baby, it's cold, I mean hot, I mean cold, I mean....

2009-03-02T10:49:00.001-08:00

Wow. I'm like, pregnant. FOR REAL. Puking, peeing, craving, sleeping, demanding, pregnant. Quitting smoking has been surprisingly easy - the smell makes me barf. Unfortunately...wait, I mean UNFORTUNATELY, coffee makes me barf, too! as do eggs, asparagus, and most dairy =[ I'm craving chicken like WOAH - not just any chicken, but Shake -n-Bake chicken. I bought a giant box of it, and have been eating probably 2-3lbs of Shake-n-Bake chicken a day. The last time I had Shank-n-Bake, my mother made it for me. And my mother had stopped cooking by the time I was in jr. high, so it was a looooong time ago!

Oh, for the record, my due date is November 1, but since I will be having a scheduled c-section, this baby will most like be born on Oct 26. I think that is great! I'll be fat when it's warm out- (my mom has always warned be that this is NOT a good thing, but...)-that means that I can get away with shorts and capris, instead of the $70 extra tall maternity pants! Seriously, with my two kids, I spent more on two pairs of maternity pants than I did on their carseats & layettes!

Okay, I'm done being pregnant for now. On to the crafty stuff!

I finished the doodle scarf I had been working on - it only took me a couple days =] Using a heavy worsted wool, I chained until it was ~about~ 6ft long ("Charlie, can you stand up, please?" *measuring chain vs. his height* "Okay,thanks".), and then made loops of chains, fastening each back into it's beginning with a slip stitch. I worked single crochet up the chain, between the loops. I had originally planned to go up one side, then back down the other but I got about halfway back down the 2nd side, and I didn't like it. So I stuck with the one side =] I have already gotten several complements on it and it is surprisingly warm, for how small it is!

Next up, these sweet little mushrooms that I spent WEEKS perfecting the pattern for! (that will be available soon, right here - I just need the weather to cooperate for some pics!). These were made for some swaps: 5 went to KnitSonya, for her Handmade Mushroom Swap; the red one went to Sonya, herself; there are two more, with green sequin spots instead of the white felt spots, and those are going to two different Swapbot swaps.

And, finally, I whipped out this little baby cap yesterday. The cap went really quickly, took less than an hour, but the cuff seemed like it took forever, heh. I just worked on it a bit here and there; while drinking chai, and eating the most perfect raspberry chocolate mousse at Kelly's Bakery (seriously, it was the size of a votive candle, but it was perfect!); worked on it a lot while Charles was taking a cigarette break-he's really sweet, and sits pretty far away from me when he smokes now, but I like to sit out there with him, and chit chat =] I also worked on the brim a lot while Charles was cleaning and sterilising the kitchen to bottle our most recent batch of mead (his brewing blog will be updated this evening). Oh,a nd yes, I did taste a sip of the mead! We bottled the cranberry apple, and it was a lot more dry than we expected, and also a lot more apple than cranberry. Has a weird flavor to it, I think it needs to age for a few months, but Charles drank half a bottle of it last night!

Oh yeah, the hat! The pattern is the Noodle Baby Hat on Ravelry, by Deirdre Fabery.

Oh, and here is an "in progress" picture of the Swirls Cap that I am working on for me! I totally <3 fpdc =]

So...yeah, a lot of yarning going on! I actually have several ATCs that I've yet to post, too, but I need to go work on getting the rest of my Lottsa ATCs for Swapbot!

Crap, see how braindead I am?? I keep forgetting that I have more to say ;) My husband is giving me my progesterone injections every night (100mg), and doing a very good job of it =] Progesterone is the same hormone that is responsible for PMS symptoms, so I'm just not even trying to be "normal" anymore, lol. Anyway, I wanted to publicly dote on my amazing husband, who although pretty apathetic about having a child of his own, has been incredibly supportive, and just all around sweet. I have been getting breakfast in bed, flowers, and VIP treatment since I broke the news to him =] I'm not sure if he is just hiding excitement/joy, or if he is trying extra careful to make sure that the baby and I am okay, because he was so torn up seeing ME so torn up last year.

Either way, I'm enjoying it =]

How could I forget?!

2009-02-27T09:46:00.000-08:00

HOw could I have forgotten about this picture?! This is by far one of my favorite pictures EVER. In EXISTENCE. It's AWESOME!

I'm only missing the yellow slicker and umbrella

2009-02-26T09:54:00.000-08:00

Ever wake up and think, "How the heck do I do it?" Not in the "I'm so cool, I rock my socks off," kinda way, either.

I'm at the kids' school every single day of the week now, volunteering, teaching art, etc. I love to do it, but lately, I am feeling overwhelmed. Perhaps by the 3270785298475 other things I have going on. But, I have made a commitment, so I need to be there; it's not like there are many people that are waiting in line to work for free nowadays, yanno?

My brother is having a rough time in his life right now, and for his privacy,, I wont go into any of that here. I'll just say that it is a life-changing, incredibly tragic, and difficult situation. I have been trying to be supportive, and helpful in every way I can, but I really wish I could BE there, like up there where he lives. Sometimes, i just wanna give him a hug; sometimes, I want to help him with everyday-gotta-be-done things that are really tough to get done when you are as stressed out as he is. I just wish I could do MORE, I guess.

My father's health is deteriorating quickly, and he really needs someone to live in, and take care of him. I don't have the room for it here, and I'm not sure that I have the time, with all the volunteering that I've got going on. But I don't know anyone else that will step up, and I feel like I am in a position where I need to choose between my dad and my kids? SO frustrating!

Next, my friend is being screwed over by another friend since they broke up and now Friend 1(the girl) is threatening to (or has already, I haven't heard from her today) take all of Friend 2's(the guy) indiscretions up to his chain of command. Possible consequences range from considerable demotion, to military prison time. I am torn, though. Everything she is saying to the boss-guys is TRUE. So, should I keep my mouth shut, and let them deal with their own issues? Should I warn him? I see this guy several times a week, I'm not even sure I can look at him anymore, knowing what is coming to him...but on the other hand, he made his own decisions, knowing the consequences. And then, should I tell my husband, who is friends and has to WORK with this guy every day? That would put him in a rough position, but I feel TERRIBLE keeping things from my husband, and I fear he may be upset when all this shit hits the fan, and he finds out that I knew it was coming, and didn't talk to him about it...UGH!

My children are getting injured on an almost-daily basis by a bully at school now. This kid has been bothering them for a while, and tells Isaac every day that he is going to kill him...but I don't see anything being done about it. No, but they want ISAAC to go to a special counsellor, and they want to have these meetings about how he doesn't seem to be able to interact well with the other children. Isaac gets angry and yells. This other kid gets angry, and HITS...or throws things, or kicks, etc. The kids KICKS ME. I said something to the boy recently, when he would not leave my kids alone, was pushing them down, and saying very hurtful things to them. I told him that he needed to leave my kids alone, and that it was unacceptable behavior. The next week, got a message (through my son's teacher) that his mother was upset that I spoke to her child, and that I am not allowed to do that anymore, that I am only to bring my problems to HER. That would have been fine, but I did not see ANY parents with this kid. I have met his mom ONCE, and probably wouldn't recognize her! I'm just sick of this kid picking on mine, especially since he HURLED my 1st grade daughter so hard that when she hit the ground, her shoe flew off, 15ft away, on the other side of an 8ft fence! Oh, she's okay, she has a lumpy bruise, and barely-there scratches on her leg, but WTF?? He got a "talking to", and then proceeded to kick me after school (because I got him in trouble @@), and chase my daughter around telling her "I'm glad I hurt you! I will do it again as soon as they aren't looking!" OMG, it makes me SO angry!

So, yes, when it rains it pours. I'm hanging in there, I suppose, but I think to myself every morning, "How do I do it?"

It is never-ending, I fear:
Found out this morning that I am pregnant. Again. My annual positive pregnancy test has me in knots, and because of my history (I miscarry every year), I am having a hard time even considering this a viable pregnancy. I start getting my injections today, and will likely be getting all sorts of bi-weekly blood tests, etc. It's taking all my willpower not to smoke, but to be perfectly honest, the majority of me is screaming

SCREW THIS, I'M TAKING MY BALL, AND GOING HOME!

Bear head, not a bare head (pt 2)

2009-02-22T15:36:00.001-08:00

So, here is the pattern for my teddy bear headband, better and cleared (I hope!). My mom (FiberBabble.com) was kind enough to test the pattern, and give me some feedback. So I have changed some of the directions (dec instead of dcr, for instance), and added some info. Hopefully, this will make it easier for someone else to follow the pattern =]

Bear Head
(That there is my new Furby, Domo, modeling the Bear Head for me =)

Ears (make 2)
G hook, do not join rounds (work in spiral); use st marker to mark beg of each round. You will not be working the last few sts of the final round - this is to leave the bottom of the circle a little "flat" to make it easier to sew onto the band.

-Ch 2
row 1: 6sc in 2nd ch from hook.
row 2: 2sc in each st around.
row 3: +2sc in next st, sc in next st+ around.
row 4: +2sc in next st, sc in next 5 sts+ around.
row 5: sl st in next 3 sts, +sc in next 3 st, 2sc in next st+. Repeat from + to + until 3 sts remain. sl st in last 3 sts.
row 6: sl st in next 3 sts, 2sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts, 2sc in next st, sc in next 6 sts, 2sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts, 2sc in 4th st from end of row. sl st in next st.
Tie off, leaving a long tail to sew the ears to the headband.

Band
I hook
Turning ch counts as st; do not dc into turning ch. This headband has scalloped-looking edges - the turning chain kinda sticks out a little on the ends (a happy unintentional "design feature" ;). The finished headband measures 18in long. I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn.
When I measured my finished headband, I got 8 dc per square inch, including the turning chain (4 dc across, 2 rows high = 1in)

-Ch 7.
row 1: dc into 3rd ch from hook, and ea across. Ch2, turn. (5 dc)
rows 2-10: Repeat row 1.
row 11: dc into first st, 2dc in next st, dc in each st across. Ch2, turn. (6 dc)
row 12: 2dc in first st, dc in next 2sts, 2dc in next st, dc in last st. Ch 2, turn. (8 dc)
row 13: 2dc in first st, dc in next 4 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in last st. Ch2 turn. (10 dc)
rows 14-27: dc in ea st across. Ch2 & turn at the end of each row.
row 28: dec first 2 sts tog, dc in next 4 sts, dec next 2 sts tog, dc in last st. Ch2, turn. (8 dc)
row 29: dec first 2 sts tog, dc in next 2 sts, dec next 2 sts tog, dc in last st. Ch2, turn. (6 dc)
row 30: dc in first st, dec next 2 sts tog, dc in last 2 sts. Ch2, turn. (5 dc)
rows 31-40: dc in each st across. Ch2 & turn at end of ea row.
Tie off.

I measured the headband around my dd's head, and then just stitched the ends together, overlapping, to make it the right length. Easy! I've also learned that my daughter and I have the same sized head =X My husband calls me "Bead-head" ;)

9257946572687 Cards...almost

2009-02-22T15:12:00.000-08:00

And this one by my daughter, who is going to be SEVEN in less than a month! Holy cow, where did the time go?!

So, yes, I have been busy! I've spent a couple hours today taking pictures, cropping, posting, etc, so you'll have to wait for another day to see all the crochet projects that I have worked on =]

6th Picture

2009-02-12T11:52:00.000-08:00

1. Go to your pictures on your computer
2. Open the 6th folder
3. Choose the 6th picture
4. Show the picture on your blog and write something about it.
5. Invite 6 new people to this challenge.
6. Link to them and let them know they are challenged.

This is the 6th picture of my 6th folder on my computer. It is my dad, brother, and nephew at the family reunion last July. Definitely one of my favorite pictures ever =]

The hit heard 'round the World

2009-02-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

Last night was Family Science night at the kids' school. It was pretty neat; a whole bunch of tables set up with different interactive science experiments in the auditorium. We made some neat stuff, and I found that my kids have a knack for building simple circuits out of Christmas lights, foil, and drinking straws =]

One of the problems I frequently run into with being a parent of grade-schoolers is how easily our schedule can get thrown off. "Family Nights" usually start around 6:30pm. If they are earlier, many parents would not be able to go because of work. Later, and the kids end up staying up too late. Unfortunately for us, 6:30 is dinner time!

Last night, I was faced with making dinner in less than half an hour, with only ground beef defrosted. Hot dogs, or even fish, would have been no problem. Throw some frozen veggies in the microwave, fry up some fish (we always have a ton of fish in the freezer), and butter some bread. THAT would have been easy.

Instead, I came up with this "recipe", using almost all pre-prepared ingredients. What makes this special was that EVERYONE in the house ate it! With no complaints! And it was comparatively healthy. I actually got compliments at dinner time! Seriously, one for the books, ladies and gentlemen. I served seconds for the first time since...well, since the last time I ordered pizza, actually ;)

Started some spaghetti cooking in a large pot. Then, I pulled out these:
1lb ground beef
1/2c chopped onions
1tsp garlic salt
Browned together in large deep skillet, and added:
1 jar prepared vodka sauce
1c frozen chopped spinach (I buy it in the bag, not the little frozen bricks!)
Simmered, stirring occasionally, until heated through, and pasta was done.

I'm just finishing up the [very scarce] leftovers now, and it is sooo good =]

I found a way to work around my missing camera problem. I went and bought a little memory card for my old camera ($10), and am using that for now. **Stay tuned for tonight, when I will have a new crochet pattern for the most adorable little toadstool...with pictures! =]

**I am starting to believe that the universe does not want me to post pictures on the internet =/ I tried to upload the pictures from my old camera, but it seems my USB cord has been damaged (one end is all rusty). BOOOOO! Well, regardless, have a mushroom pattern, and I *will* find a way to get the pictures up...eventually!

Do Wah Dotee

2009-01-30T10:51:00.000-08:00

Found this page in one of my older sketchbooks of DoteeDoll faces. Feel free to use these to embroider your own Dotee faces! =]

What is a cockle shell, anyway?

2009-01-28T11:21:00.000-08:00

Holy moly, look at this! 2 posts is a row!

So, hubby and I went and did some SERIOUS looking for my camera last night, with no luck =[ I have NO CLUE where it could be! We pulled out all the furniture, we even looked in the freezer! It's so gone ;_;

Luckily, I was able to scan in some images of ATCs I've made this month =] January is the month of doodles! It's usually unintentional, but I tend to pick up a new technique every month, and stick with it for that month. Be it paper crafting, sewing, crocheting, etc...I'm always on the look out for new ways to do things =]

First, I have a set of four ATCs that I made for the Black and White ATC swap over at Swapbot. Mother Goosed is one of my heros X]

I am also working on a rainbow of doodles, that will ultimately be framed, because my husband says they are too awesomet o trade away ;) I messed up the red one, so it's not done yet, but I have orange thru purple! The pic clicks to my Flickr account, where there are closer-up images of all the cards.

Finally, a doodle card I made after seeing a really nifty rug in a catalog. This is drawn with black Micron pen on Whisper White SU! cardstock, and the red is colored in with Prismacolor marker. I touched up here and there with a white gel pen (I'm not very good at staying in the lines, heh).

Last night, I finished crocheting a headband with teddy bear ears. I couldn't figure out the ears in that pattern, tho. I've looked at a ton of pictures of the completed thing, but mine just didn't look anywhere near everyone else's. So I made up my own ^_^ I also made up my own headband pattern, because I wanted it to have a kinda wavy edge to it, and I wanted it to narrow behind the head. I made this for my daughter, and a wide headband would just slip right off of her.

So, like, I've never made a crochet pattern before, so this might not make any sense. I think it's a whole lot clearer than my own personal notes, though ;)

The finished headband measures 18in long. I used cheapo read Heart Super Saver yarn.

Ears (make 2)
G hook, do not join rounds (work in spiral); use st marker to mark beg of each round.

-Ch 2
row 1: 6sc in 2nd ch from hook.
row 2: 2sc in each st around.
row 3: +2sc in next st, sc in next st+ around.
row 4: +2sc in next st, sc in next 5 sts+ around.
row 5: sl st in next 3 sts, +sc in next 3 st, 2sc in next st+. Repeat from + to + until 3 sts remain. sl st in last 3 sts.
row 6: sl st in next 3 sts, 2sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts, 2sc in next st, sc in next 6 sts, 2sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts, 2sc in 4th st from end of row. sl st in next st.
Tie off, leaving a long tail to sew the ears to the headband.

Band
I hook
Turning ch counts as st; do not dc into turning ch.

-Ch 7.
row 1: dc into 3rd ch from hook, and ea across. Ch2, turn. (5 dc)
rows 2-10: Repeat row 1.
row 11: dc into first st, 2dc in next st, dc in each st across. Ch2, turn. (6 dc)
row 12: 2dc in first st, dc in next 2sts, 2dc in next st, dc in last st. Ch 2, turn. (8 dc)
row 13: 2dc in first st, dc in next 4 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in last st. Ch2 turn. (10 dc)
rows 14-27: dc in ea st across. Ch2 & turn at the end of each row.
row 28: dcr first 2 sts tog, dc in next 4 sts, dcr next 2 sts tog, dc in last st. Ch2, turn. (8 dc)
row 29: dcr first 2 sts tog, dc in next 2 sts, dcr next 2 sts tog, dc in last st. Ch2, turn. (6 dc)
row 30: dc in first st, dcr next 2 sts tog, dc in last 2 sts. Ch2, turn. (5 dc)
rows 31-40: dc in each st across. Ch2 & turn at end of ea row.
Tie off.

I haven’t figured out how I am going to attach the ends of the headband together. I need Ash to come home from school to gauge how this fits her (too long, too short?). It fits ME very well, though, so I figure this would fit most adults, though my head tends to be on the smallish side ;)

Okay, I'm off to crochet a ninja for the boy. I think he kinda gets the shaft when it comes to having a crafty mom. Don't tell anyone I said this, but it's a lot easier to come up with things to make for a girl =X lol

I'm not dead, yet!

2009-01-27T10:07:00.000-08:00

Seriously, I haven't posted anything because Murphy has been unleashing his wretched law upon me! I lost the cord to my camera back in OCTOBER, so my pictures have been held hostage. On the 1st of Jan, I went on a mad rampage through the house, determined to find my camera cord. Of course, I found it the next day...under two photo boxes, a stack of magazines, and a book =X YAY! Oh, wait, not yay...my camera is gone! My usually-so-helpful husband was less than helpful when he assured me that I had my camera in my hand when I went on my cord-hunt =/ I've cleaned, and cleaned, and I can't find it anywhere *cries*

So, I have no new pictures to show you, although I have made TONS of stuff. I made Christmas cards, and stamps, lots of crocheted items (I don't even think I have a crochet post here yet!), pincushions...we (as a family) even made a large handprint turkey for our front door at Thanksgiving.

I suppose for now, I can tell y'all that I am currently working on two bottlecap pincushions (great tutorial here!), and a braided rag rug for under my husband's carboy and fermenter bucket. On Jan 1, we started a batch of cranberry apple mead, and we will be starting a batch of ginger peach mead this weekend. Of course, no pictures on his blog...because I lost my camera. *grumble*

Back to this rag rug. These things are not as easy as they look! I spent a good 3-4 hours sewing the braid together, ending up with a very cute braided BOWL, and tearing it all back apart. I've finally figured it out, and am currently stitching away on it =] I've been home with sick kids since Thursday (respiratory virus; I expect they will both be back in school by tomorrow), so I have had a lot of quiet calm time to work on it =] The reason for the rug is that the bucket and carboy are quite heavy, and I'm always afraid they'll scratch the hardwood if they get slid across the floor. Also, the fermenter bucket sometimes leaks *just a tiny bit*, and so we have been keeping a towel under it. But the towel looks tacky. Especially after we spend 4 hours cleaning, and there is still a bucket sitting on a grubby towel in our front room.

I am working on developing a crochet version* of this wrapped criss-cross shrug. But a little more fitted. And not as thick. And without that horrid fringe. It's not really difficult (it's basically a giant rectangle), but it's a big project for me, and I am having a hard time deciding what kind of yard I want to use, and what stitch pattern I want to use. I was thinking a front-loop back-loop rib, but idk. The only yarns I have a decent amount of are Homespun, and Patons Divine. I've found both will probably be too frustrating for me to make a very large project with. Vanna's is going on sale at Beverly's on the 1st, and I really like that yarn. Plus, I would rather the shrug not be quite so thick as the Homespun and Divine.

I really *LOVE* shrugs. I'm over 6ft tall, and a size 4, so have a hard time finding long-sleeved shirts that fit me well. I also have a pretty rockin' collection of funny (or offensive, depending on who you are, I guess, lol) tshirts, that I like to be able to wear all year long. So, my love of the shrug. They basically turn normal t-shirts into long-sleeved sweater-type things that work very well for me. Also *shhh* I sweat a lot more than I think most people do. Especially at work. Shrugs help keep my little secret hidden, while still letting me look cute (as a bartender should, doncha think?).
List of Crocheted Shrug & Bolero Patterns
List of Knitted Shrug Patterns
I really should practice knitting more. In all honesty, I like the way crochet LOOKS better, but I like the stretch of knit. Oh, who am I kidding? I like that knitting requires less yarn, lol! *cheap!* Although, I did notice that the Lion Brand patterns for that criss-cross shrug require the same amount of yarn for both knitted and crocheted versions.

*While looking up the link for the shrug, I found that they actually have a crochet version. It is much much better, and closer to what I wanted to do with it =]

In other news, we got a really great deal on Sunday. We wanted to go to the flea market, as it was really nice that day. So, we paid the $4 admission fee, only to get in, and find that there were only about 20-30 vendors there! There is usually a couple hundred, at least! Apparently, the vendors were freaked out because it had rained all day Saturday =[ Anyway, we wandered around for a while. I found some books for the kids, and a HUUUUGE bag of rubber stamps (wood mounter, Hero Arts, SU!, etc, all for $1 ea!, and some un-labeled soft pink yarn. But nothing really worth paying the $4 admission. I only bought 2 stamps, as there were almost all giant flowers, ccountry-ish images, and a ton of angels. I got a neat background stamp, and a cool little doodle-y border.

ANYWAY, just as we were started to piss and moan about how much the flea was suckin;, we came across two used, but still usable, Razor scooters. My son had BEGGED for a Razor for Christmas, and his dad got him one. Great. Except that his dad's house is an hour and a half away, and he barely gets to ride the thing. So, we ended up getting BOTH Razors for $10! My daughter wasn't too keep on it. She says she doesn't know how to ride it, blah blah blah. I told her should would have to learn, lol.

Well, I am off to try to figure out why my printer/scanner has stopped finding my computer. I had the bright idea of just scanning in my stamps, cards, etc...and then found out that for some unknown reason, it isn't working.

I shake my fist at you, Murphy!

Not my Mind on my Money

2008-11-20T19:18:00.000-08:00

How would you draw a mood? I've been trying, but in the time it takes me to get something onto paper, my mood changes ~.^

I realized tonight that the "stroganoff" that I have been making is really no different from my mom's S.O.S. Ground beef, peas, cream of mushroom soup, onions, over noodles. Okay, I put Worcestershire sauce in, and a little sour cream at the end, but, really not different. The slop does not fall far from the tree, I suppose.

I really think that I could rule the world, with enough caffeine.

Do I have it in me to ever complete a crochet project? I'm trying to remember one that I have finished, and I am having a very hard time =X

How can a person be addicted to gambling, when true addiction is a chemical dependency? Does gambling release certain chemicals already present in the brain? I imagine that we probably have chemicals in our heads that cause us to ignore logic, but then, why do only some people become addicted to gambling, while for others it remains a fun vacation activity? Are some people just genetically lacking common sense?

How many friends does a child need to have before they are considered "socially mature" or "socially successful"?

I have a lot of things on my mind lately. I think I will go carve some stamps. And try to draw my mood O_o

Black and white and read all over!

2008-10-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

I love black and white animals! Almost as much as I love giraffes ;) I carved the zebra, orca, and sleeping panda stamps after sketching out their main shapes from wildlife photos found on the 'net. Identifying basic shapes and patterns in nature is the focus of the next art class I am teaching ;) And I wanted these stamps for a swap I am in...stay tuned for ATCs!

The horse and flower stamps were carved from a piece of paper that I found while cleaning my creative space! I had drawn them a while ago, when I first started carving stamps; I do not remember if they were drawn from a source, or if I actually drew them (I'm sure I didn't draw the horse....but doesn't it have a lovely Mary Poppins feel to it? =)

Last, and probably least, is a felt mini-stocking, created for a swap. I think it's adorable! It is stuffed with a tiny baggie of colourful buttons, ready to be sent off to it's new home in Mission Viejo (I used to live there, in a past life).

Ooooh, it's a jolly holiday with Mary...no wonder that it's Mary that we love...

We're all mad here

2008-10-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

What do you do when your 8 year old son steals from you, gets caught red-handed, and then persists in denying the whole thing? Really, I wish I had more visitors to my blog right now, because I am just at a loss!

He took a Ring Pop off of my nightstand, crawled into his closet, and ate it. I don't really eat candy (except for gummy grapefruit slices - YUM!), but this particular piece of candy was a gift from my husband. He gave it to me after a long schpiel about how he was looking to buy me some jewelry, but couldn't afford anything else, yadda yadda. It was cute, and funny, and sweet, and my boy took it, and ate it =[

The kids knew that it was mine; I had carried it around for several weeks in my purse, and they always asked for it, and I explained that it was too special to eat (and why, tho I don't expect first and third graders to understand sentimental value).

My daughter came to me, saying that she had seen Isaac in the closet next to my Ring Pop wrapper. I called him out, his face was BRIGHT BLUE (Blue Raspberry, my least favorite candy flavor). And he stood there in a tiny sad voice repeating over and over, "I swear I didn't do it. I didn't eat it. I swear I didn't do anything." Riiiight. I asked him to explain why his face was blue. "I swear I didn't do it."

I sent him to his room for the rest of the night. Now, I'm not anti-spanking when it comes to major things, and I think that stealing, and continually LYING about it, is pretty major. But, at the same time, I don't think it is effective for teaching my son anything. Grounding him has never worked, either, though. I'm just at a complete loss as to what I should do here. It's rare that when my kids screw up, it actually hurts my feelings. I wish I knew how to communicate that to him in a way that he would really understand.

Chili Cheese Fridas

2008-10-23T14:11:00.001-07:00

Am I the only one that doesn't like Frida Kahlo? I mean, I like the colors....but that's about where it ends for me. Maybe I've lived in Santa Cruz for too long, maybe I really am just a horrid person, but every time I see her work, I just think, "Damn hippies, always trying to make a statement."

Of course, it also reminds me of a conversation I recently had with my ex-husband, regarding art. We were at Blue Ball Park*, and he was talking about how the artwork shouldn't even be called art. Said anyone can paint a large cement sphere, and that it wasn't even very attractive. I pointed out that he had been going on, talking about the things for a good 10 minutes, and that I had considered art to be something that made people think, talk, or feel. It got into his head, whether he liked it or not. I guess Frida is like that for me. Her work does not make me happy, but it certainly affects my mood, or emotions, or whatever.

*Blue Ball Park is what people that live here call Anna Jean Cummings Park. It's a huge park, with four VERY large blue cement balls trailing down the hill. The balls comprise a piece of artwork called Skyballs, by Steve Gillman and Katherine Keefer, 2001.

Baby come back

2008-10-20T10:00:00.001-07:00

Ugh, my computer was in the shop forever! I still need to take it to the Apple store to get the battery replaced (before my warranty expires on Nov 4!).

I've been really busy lately! Working in my daughter's classroom twice a week, and also teaching art classes in my son's class. It's awesome, though; not that I enjoy being busy (really, I don't), but I really enjoy kids, and I love teaching, even if it is only in an assisting capacity =]

I have managed to create some things.
Stamps:

You see that little whiskey bottle stamp in that last picture there? My husband carved that! He did a really good job for someone that has never carved before, and claims to have no artistic ability ;)

Collage painting thing:

I created this for the Artists/Crafters Challenge #01 - Juxtapose swap at Swapbot. On a stretched canvas, I used Golden acrylic gel, Golden fiber paste, acrylic paints, some goldfish images torn from a notecard I had, and "bubbles" of Diamond glaze. Diamond glaze is some awesome stuff; I can't believe I didn't pick it up sooner!

All in all, not the most productive month for me, but I have been enjoying myself. I've been feeling really old, lol....my thermostat stays at 68deg, I am asleep in bed by 11pm most nights, and awake at 7:30am! I can barely function before my morning coffee, and, this weekend, Charles and I opted to stay home and watch a movie, rather than go to the big party at a club downtown. Our 22yr old friends just didn't understand *sigh*

It's got me looking ahead, though, which I think is a good thing. I think most people tend to look backwards when they feel old. I've decided that in 10-15years, I want to have a big farmhouse, in a rural-but-not-too-far-from-a-city area, with goats, ducks, llamas and sheep (yaaarn!), and chickens, and a big ole pickup truck, with a bandana-wearing dog, fruit trees, a vegetable garden, and a small field of corn (for my husband). Blackberries, and raspberry bushes, and, dare I say, a clothesline!

See? I haven't turned into my mother! She stays up later than me ;)

Alas, my husband does not share the same goals/dreams. His ideal "grown-up world" is a hammock in Hawaii, a column still percolatin', and a never-endding supply of Volkswagens to work on.

*sigh*

Hawaii has flying cockroaches o.o

Houston, we have a problem

2008-09-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

So, the part that is needed to fix my computer has been on order from Apple for 2 weeks now. I called today to check it out, and it turns out, the ONLY place to get that part is from Apple's Houston plant.

For those of you that are not in the States, or have been living under a rock, Houston, TX is under water, following a larger-than-Katrina hurricaine.

It could be another 2-6 weeks before they are able to get my part out to me.

Anyone have a 17" PowerBook G4 that doesn't need it's DC port anymore? *cries*

Chicken soup, please

2008-09-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

I haven't fallen off the Earth just yet. I'm very ill =[ I've been in bed since Friday morning; wretched painful cough, sore throat, fever, headache, body aches, & minor sinus goop. You know, all the FUN back-to-school stuff *blech*. I'm pretty miserable, but the worst part is that I feel so guilty! I feel terrible that I'm sick in bed, and my kids are bored, stuck in the house. Poor things. I've managed not to pass this plague onto the little ones, but my dear husband, who had been taking such great care of me last week, ended up sick in bed with me all weekend. His immune system tends to be a lot tougher than mine, though, and he is back at work today.

I'm going to try to sit in teh living room this afternoon, so that I can at least be near the kids. Double-edged sword, imo. I can be closer to them, so that they don't feel so alone, and maybe I won't feel so guilty, but then...being closer to them increases the chance that they catch whatever I have.

*sigh*

In happier news, my good friend, Lyndsay, had her baby, Tristan Hawk, this weekend =] I had planned to go down to SoCal to be with her for a little while while she was recovering, but I don't think it's a good idea now. Gold, frankincense, myrr, & a respiratory infection? Nah, probably not a great idea.

When you teach your son, you teach your son's son

2008-08-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

SON: "Mom, I'd really like to ride the bus to school this year."
ME: "Ok, we might be able to do that. Will you take care of your sister on the bus? Make sure she is safe, has a seat, and knows where to go?"
SON: "Yes. And if any kids bigger than her pick on her, I will find them in the halls (if the school has halls), and I will tell them, 'HEY! That's my sister! If you mess with her, you have to deal with me!'"
DAUGHTER: "But what if the kids are bigger than you??"
SON: *shrugging* "Then I kick 'em in the balls."

We are making progress in the field of Big Brother Responsibilities. We have never encouraged ball-kicking, though, lol...

STAMPS!

1. My son had been asking me to carve him a worm stamp for a couple weeks. I didn't realize that he wanted a worm coming out of a hole int eh ground, so I taught him a simple masking technique, using POst-It notes =]
2. I carved this deer stamp for my partner in the Hand carved stamp #2 swap at Swapbot. isn't it fantastic?! ^_^
3. I carved a whole bunch of little stamps while at work last Saturday. Some of them are SO tiny! hehe I really like the nautical star, and the hammer and wrench =]

My kids got their hairs cut for school (today is their second day of school, btw). My little girl went through about a half dozen magazines at the salon (if you can call Fantastic Sams a "salon", lol), and settled on a picture of Rachel Leigh Cook that she fell in love with. She was very assertive in the chair, telling the stylist exactly how she wanted her hair, and how she DIDN'T want her hair, hehe.

She had about 7 inches cut off her hair. I was fine with it, but slightly disturbed at how fine SHE was with it. She kept saying, "I'm FINE, mom! If I don't like t, it'll grow back. It's just hair!" It now only takes about half a minute to brush her hair in the morning (down from about 10 minutes!), and we think it looks really great on her ^_^

Inch by inch

2008-08-22T00:02:00.001-07:00

Really? Another hobby?? I wonder how many hobbies one person can have. I mean, mine tend to be *pretty much* in the art-ish department, but, like, am I gonna start forgetting how to tie my shoes, or something? Something has to go, to make room in my head for all this stuff

I took the dive into inchies today. An inchie is a piece of artwork that is one inch by one inch. Sounds pretty rediculous, no? ;)

I joined some swaps for Alphabet Inchies. 26 inchies depicting something relating to each letter of the alphabet. Oh, plus a wild card. And I joined a Love & Romance Inchie swap.

I completed all the inchies for these swaps today. The alphabet inchies are all watercolored, and the love inchies are a mix of watercolor, stamps, and gel pen.
Love & Romance Inchies

Alphabet Inchies

The alphabet, according to Kyla:
Acorn
Bomb
Crown
Dress
Earth
Fingerprint
Gift
Hand
Insect
Java
Kiss
Lime
Moon
Notes
Owl
Pumpkin
Quail
Rocket
Skull
Toadstool
Umbrella
Veggies
Wings
X marks the spot
Yummy
Zen

*WHEW!*
I really like the way the watercolored inchies came out. I'm not so sure I like the collage ideaa on such a small scale. It makes me feel stifled, or something =X I don't think I will really start collecting these things...I'm not sure what I would do with them (lose them, most likely, lol).

Here is a picture of how I watercolor. I press my inkpad onto the (outside) top of the lid, and pick up the ink (pigment ink...dye inks dry too fast to paint with) with my aquabrush. I love my aquabrush, but I need a new one after all this painting. The tip is getting kinda fuzzy =X Oh, and aquabrush is a paintbrush that holds water int eh handle...so, no need for a cup. This is good for messy kids...and their messy mom ;)

Finally, here are some ATCs I made for the Four Seasons ATCs swap.

I spent a lot of time watercoloring the backgrounds of these...and then I went and covered them all up, heh X]

Okay, hubby is telling me that it is bedtime. I've had a cough for a couple weeks now, and had a fever today...although, I don't really feel sick O_o Just tiredd...and a little annoyed *cough*cough*

Give it away, give it away...(blog candy!)

2008-08-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

I went looking for some plastic canvas today, to use as paper piercing templates. The plastic canvas works well, because it has evenly spaced holes, and has more rows than some of the specialty templates.

I marked the center of my 4in square template with some StazOn ink to make it easier to count out rows. I had intended on color coding every other row with Sharpie, so that it would be REALLY easy, but the Sharpie rubs off easily =/

Anyway, my store only sells these shapes in packs of 10, so I have NINE SETS, one square, and one circle each, to give away! First come, first served, please leave a comment on this post, let me know if you would like me to mark the middle of your square, and I will email you for your address =]

4in square, resting on top of a stack of (approx) 4in circles.

I don't get a lot of hits on my blog, so if you happen to stumble upon this years from now, don't hesitate to ask if I have any of these left. I probably will ;) lol

WOW WOW!

2008-08-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

My peartree atc was featured as the Artist Trading Card of the Day on Squidoo!

grinning ear.to.ear. Seriously ^_^

An un-partridge in an un-pear tree! tutorial!

2008-08-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Clicky the picture to go to my collage tutorial on Flickr.

My Greatest Tip:

Know when to quit!

I tore up this ATC because I just couldn't stop futzing with it. I'm still pretty happy with it, though. You can see a bit there on the left, where I tried to roughen the edges with my sanding block, and ended up tearing the paper =X I tried to blend it in with some green chalk...I think it worked alright =]

This is...a work in progress

2008-08-11T11:45:00.000-07:00

This is a stamp I am carving. A wild rose, the image is from Cornish Heritage Farms.

For those about to rock

2008-08-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

...we salute you! Seriously, I love this Jack Black movie, School of Rock. I love it even more after getting sucked into the Nickelodeon programs, iCarly, and Drake and Josh (by my kids, of course ;) I should really buy the soundtrack to this movie; it makes my heart smile ^_^

Anyway, I have been carving my little fingers to the bone this weekend! I worked on Friday, and had to go in 2 hours early (bee-yoo-tee-ful wedding reception!) on Saturday, so I spent a lot of time sitting behind the bar, cutting up rubbah ;) I'm starting to get into the holiday groove, started with a couple of Christmas-y stamps (a deer, and holly leaves/berries). I already have some Halloween stamps drawn up.

Side trip: did you know that I have almost three whole sketchbooks full of designs? I also have countless pieces of scrap paper tucked into my sketchbooks, with even more designs on them. I can't remember the last time I had to buy a sketchbook. Somehow, they keep coming to me. Like, the one I have just started came to me in a bag of crafty things given to me by a friend who was moving (and downsizing). I prefer smallish, unlined sketchbooks, with smooth, but not glossy, paper. I always start on the 2nd page in the book, and end up decorating the first page a little at a time, as I fill up the rest of the pages =]

Back to the stamps! So, I've carved a deer, and holly. I also have about 425974296379276 friends and family that have either just given birth, or are due in the next 3 months.

Really, I've been trying to get pregnant for 2 years....making baby cards and gifts for EVERYONE ELSE really exercises my "grace" component.

So, here are a baby onesie, and a stroller/carriage/buggy THING. I think they are super cute ^_^

Finally, a tree, that made me cross-eyed for two days - that's how long it took me to carve it! I carved the tree for a specific ATC I have in mind =]

On to the pictures!!

Stamps I carved this weekend (Aug 8th & 9th). I drew the tree myself, but the other images are from a stamp company called Cornish Heritage Farms.

There's a leaf at the top of the tree that looks cut off; it's just an incomplete print =X

I colored the images in quickly with my Prismacolors.

Speaking of Prismacolors, I just found that there is a bigger set available than the one I have. I have the 120ct set, and I see on the website a 132ct set! O.M.G! My husband doesn't get it; he thinks I should just find out which colors in the 132ct set I do NOT have, and go buy those individually. Well, I mean...that's what he thought after I told him how much the 132ct set costs ;)

Oh, and here is the final version of the card I made for my friend, Michael =]

The inside of the card. Cupcake stamp colored with Prismacolors.

It's 11:00pm (just about), and my kids are still awake. That happens when their daddy doesn't bring them home until 10:00pm =[ Oh well, maybe I'll get to sleep in tomorrow, heh *sigh*

Slowdown the birthday train!

2008-08-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

I have so many birthdays coming up! TWO close friends, brother, nephew, husband, brother-in-law...yikes! Also, an ooooold friend of mine form my high school years is coming to town on a research project, and she will be staying here on our sofa for a week. She's been living in Scotland, going to school there, so, like, I've only seen her once in the past, ooooh...8 years? =X It will be interesting, but I am excited =]

Okay, onto the fun stuff!

Doodlebug stamp for my mom:

There was a book that I used to read to my kids every night, called "Daddy is a doodlebug". I don't know what happened to that book...
My mom designed this little guy, she calls a doodlebug. She had appliqued it onto some aprons she made for the kids last Christmas, and requested I carve a stamp of the doodlebug for her.

Birthday card for Michael:

The browns match better irl than this pic shows.
I made this card for my friend, Michael. I got the layout and colors from this card. I had no papers that were even close to what I wanted, so I made the striped and brown papers on my computer (at 300dpi). Oh, I made the "Happy Birthday" piece on my computer, too, and gave it several thin coats of acrylic medium to give it a glossy look.
Now that I am looking at it, I have an even better idea in mind for his bday card, lol...too bad I've already signed the inside -_-

Christmas Candies:

Little felt candy ornaments made for the Feltbots: Christmas Ornament #4 - Candy swap at Swapbot.

Birdy tags!

Been practicing with my Martha Stewart circle cutter.
Tree and bird stamps hand-carved by myself. I sponged a slightly darker blue ink around the edges of the circles, and then sponged on some prown ink lightly over that. I dabbed black and brown Versacraft inks on the trees, and embossed them with clear ep. I printed the birds in brown Versacraft ink on yellow patterned paper, cut them out, and glue-sticked them onto the tags.

I have another bday card that I have already finished, but haven't photo'd, yet. I'm off to pick up my Stampin' Up! catalog today (only 4 more days left on this catalog!). I have many more cards to make this week...and it's already Thursday! =X

Pining away

2008-07-31T17:38:00.000-07:00

I finally took the time to make the awesome little pinecone ornaments from this tutorial.

I've had the materials for months, but I never took the time to make it, because I don't have a paper cutter (*wishlist!*), and I have to cut 60-something 2"x1" pieces of paper for this! =X Anyway, I did it today with a ruler and a craft knife, and I'm so glad I did =] My bow is a lil' different, because the top of mine is messy, and I needed to hide some stuff X] It's not nearly as neat and even as the pics in the tute, but I like it all the same =]

An ATC I made today:

I made this with a stamp made by RuthArt, from the swap we had over at the Carve Your Stamps group on Flickr. I distressed a page from a vintage Spanish-English dictionary I picked up at a yard sale. Added buttons, ribbons, and faux stitching, atop the image stamped on red mulberry paper.

I picked up a notepad with the cutest print on the cover from target's $1 bins. I just had to carve this funky lil' bird that was on the cover ^_^

All in all, not an entirely un-productive day! I had planned to make some of these bookmarks today, but....my tummy hurts. So, I'm gonna relax. Tomorrow, I will be calling around to find out how to get my kids enrolled in school, as their website is broken *grr* But, the good news is, the kids will be living with me, for the next school year, at least =] Quite possibly the most wonderful thing to happen this year! ^_^

Over the river, and through the woods

2008-07-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so, after sitting here for a WEEK, trying to decide whether or not to post pictures from my family reunion/vacation, I have determined that my mother would kill me. She has no pics of herself popsted on her blog, so I won't post pictures of her on mine either.

They are really neat pictures, though!

So, here are some pics that don't feature my lovely mommy:

And, some artsy fartsy things...because, I mean, really, it's just what I do ;)

A tattoo I am designing with my kids' names, to go on my upper left arm. That largest blossom will sit at the top of mr arm/shoulder. I've left room for another child's name >_>;;

New rubber stamps, carved last night. A Walther p22 (my gun), and a flamingo. I am going to carve another of the flamingo, only keep it a solid image, instead of the outline.

ATCs

I need to go clean up some before the kids get home. I'm not cleaning EVERYTHING up, tho, because they left a HUGE mess in the living room, and they need to clean it up (damnit)!

Absolutely innocent blog title!

2008-07-08T18:49:00.000-07:00

I told ya I was working on a gnome project! Here he is, the itty gnome!

The bottom of the little gnome is actually a dark blue, but it photo'd as black. I would grumble about wildfires killing the natural light around here, but I'm just so dang pleased with how this little guy turned out! ^_^ I can see a whole army of itty gnomes in the future ;)

Also, I received an awesome package from Portugal today!

Té té sent this huge package for the hand-carved stamp swap we did at the Carve Your Stamps group on Flickr. I had sent her some carving blocks, because she can't get them where she lives, and she ~~retaliated~~ reciprocated with this fantastic package, filled with handmade envelopes, a little notepad, hand-stamped stickers, and even a coloring set for the kids! Seriously, this woman is so full of win ^_^ Thanks, Té té!!

So, I got the fwoop over the e's...but I can't get it to do it without making a space in the middle of her name! What the deuce! *sigh* I feel so "in the box".

Mid-morning Quickie

2008-07-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

I carved three more of this birdy stamp, because I <3 it so much. I expect I will trade these away =]

Dobie stamp carved for a swap. I am really happy with this one; it turned out exactly how I wanted it to, and it wasn't very difficult ^_^

A surprised little shrimp on sushi ;) Also made for a swap.

Finally, four ATCs for a Red/Pink ATC swap. These have an Alice in Wonderland theme, and I am quite happy with how they turned out =]

I'm off to buy some felt, and tiny beady eyes, for a gnome project I'm working on! =]

Tute-ing my own horn!

2008-07-03T22:31:00.000-07:00

Tutorial-ish thing on how I carve my stamps! Click the image to go to my tutorial on Flickr.

Wake me up, before you go go

2008-07-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

I've just nearly finished off a 22oz Rockstar (energyyyyy!)

Newest stamps:

Cards (mostly made with hand-carved stamps):

ATCs, again with hand-carved stamps:

(You can see larger versions of these at my Flickr.

And, finally, I tested out some inks on fabric. I heat set them with my heat gun, and then I hand-washed them in cold water with baby shampoo.

StazOn bled badly. VersaFine was light, but printed clearly, and washed well. VersaCraft washed out, but printed clearly (they click to bigger).
This is before washing:

After washing:

I'll Turn This Car Around!

2008-07-01T11:45:00.001-07:00

I have some issues with this new hands-free cellphone law. For those of you that are unaware, a law stating that motorists must use a hands-free device to talk on a cellphone went into effect today. Other states that have imposed the hands-free law are: New York, New Jersey, Washington, & Connecticut.

This law is supposed to cut down on accidents caused by people being distracted by the phone.

My issues:
This doesn't mean that people won't be talking on the phone. It only means they will not have a phone in their hand while they are doing it. It is not illegal to drive while smoking, drinking a soda, eating a taco, or applying lipstick. All of these things involve holding something in one hand.

It is not illegal to drive with screaming children in the backseat. Okay, yeah, I know, they can't outlaw the transportation of children (dammit), but you'd be hard-pressed to find a parent that didn't agree that having screaming fighting children in your backseat is immensely distracting. especially when you start waving your hand behind you, trying to reach the fallen toy, the spilled crackers, or the screaming mouths ;)

It is not illegal to text message while driving! Join me now in a collective, "WTF?!" Alaska, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Washington have outlawed text messaging by drivers. How is talking to someone MORE dangerous than typing on a keypad to them, and/or reading? There's a reason cars come with Map Lights. It's dangerous to drive while reading. It can be somewhat dangerous to drive while unable to hear over a sound, but I assure you, my cell is no louder than my stereo, and my stereo falls well within legal limits on noise.

There are actually police that are admitting that this new law is a good thing because it gives them one more reason to stop a car. Did I miss something? I thought we were trying to make the state a safer place to ~~pollute~~ commute?

You can read more surprising crap here: L.A. Times article

You remind me of the babe

2008-06-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

I've been inexplicably tired, and as such, irritable, lately. It's really pissing me off, tbh. I don't like having a short fuse *sigh*

Today, I took the kids to McD's for lunch, after they did all of their daytime chores. We came home, and they did their workbooks (I keep schoolwork around in the summers, so they don't get all dumbified between school years). We made melt & pour soap. Ash choose a heart shaped mold, with purple lemon-scented soap. Isaac picked a rocking fleur de lis mold, with green pear-scented soap. [Pics coming in next post] after making soap, I set them up on the easel with some poster paints.

By the time they were done painting, I was done with the arguing, whining, and constant tattling. I sent them to play in their (newly cleaned) bedroom. They played for about half an hour. And then it happened. The funniest thing I have heard in a loooong time.

Out of the mouths of children:
Isaac: "Oh no! Oh, oh! Help! Omigosh, heeeeeelp!"
Ash: Oh no! What's happening to you?!"
Isaac: "All my parts are falling off! I'm breaking!"
Ash: "Oh no you aren't! I'm the robot repair girl, and no robot has ever lost all it's parts in MY office!"
Isaac: "There goes another one! I'm done for!"
Ash: "Hold on, I think I have an idea!"
Isaac: "But my warranty just expired! I'm falling apart! I'm a goner!"
Ash: "Oh, well, you might as well kiss your own butt."

Made my day, and all the bickering worthwhile ;)

Class of 2020

2008-06-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

My baby girl graduated Kindergarten today. A bittersweet moment, for sure.

For da birds

2008-06-10T11:12:00.000-07:00

I've developed quite a fondness for birds lately. We have some of the most beautiful birds in our backyard. I haven't been able to photograph any of them, because, well, they don't want to come very close to the ~~cats~~ balcony. So, I've been seeking out birdy images, until I can set up the bird feeder this weekend.

My desktop:

Some cards I've made, with hand-carved stamps I've made:

Flight of the Busy Bee

2008-06-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

Pictures are always great.

Matchbox with Mini ATCs. Theme was butterfly/dragonfly. Swapped.

May Carving. Someone is asking to buy one of my owl stamps...I haven't decided whether or not I want to do that, though.

A handful of ATCs I've created over the past couple weeks.

By any other name...

2008-05-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

Awesome fun little doodad over HERE! This will spell your name out with photos from Flickr

I read somewhere online today that in typography, it is not necessary to put 2 spaces after a period. I'm not sure I like knowing that.

I Etsy, therefore I am

2008-05-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

It's taken me a while...there are so many amazing things on Etsy. I was hesitant to buy, because I wasn't really sure what to expect. There are many artists on the internet, and, to be honest, I haven't always been happy with the hand-crafted goods I have bought online before.

There is a difference between looking hand-crafted, and looking hand-made.

Then, there was Emma.

I found Emma on the Amigurumi group on Flickr. Followed some links, and joined Etsy, so that I could make dear little Emma mine! I am still in love with her ^_^

I'm addicted to Etsy now, although I don't buy as much as I would like to, simply because I don't have enough $$ for all that ;) I've got some tiny plush monsters, and some supplies...for now, I have a huge watch-list, wish-list...future purchase list...whatever ;)

*♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥**♥*

I have noticed that I am incredibly wary of Etsy shops that only have a handful of items in stock. When shopping from individuals, I prefer to buy from those that appear to be extremely dedicated to their business, rather than just trying to make money off of something they already do. Business is not convenient, it's work, and I appreciate those that put a lot of work into things like packaging, shop design, and stock. It makes me feel more confident that my entire transaction will be handled professionally, from quality, to timely shipping, etc. Just my $0.02.

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An Apple a day

2008-05-16T16:14:00.001-07:00

Visitors to my blog using OSX are double those that are using Vista. It's true, Xp has the MAJOR majority, but as long as Vista isn't beating out Mac, I'm happy ^_^

I choose to ignore the fact that these numbers may be greatly skewed due to the fact that I myself use OSX. It's my blog. I can do that. Just like I can say "the fact" twice in one sentence. It's good to be me.

It is a success to be one...

2008-05-12T22:49:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day cards:

I made these from cardstock, and a little apple stamp I carved myself =]

Pretty lil' ornament:

The makings of an ornament for the Feltbots: Christmas Ornament #2 - Trees swap. I didn't even think to take a pic of the finiisshed ornament =[

Stamps!

I bought some new carving material, Speedball Speedy-Carve. It's pink, and carves very nicely. It's stiffer, so it's not as much like carving butter, but it also doesn't crumble or break as easily as the Mastercarve and the other erasers I've used. I carved these over Saturday night/Sunday morning.

Charles drew the little mushroom, and requested I make it into a stamp. I <3 it so much! ^_^

Thrifty!

This is my booty from my recent yard-sale pillaging! RAWR! I spent less than $6 on all this. *love* that pink & green velvent ribbon!!

My 1st center-pull ball:

I finally learned how to wind my yarn into center-pull balls! This is my first one =]

Organization:

This is about halfway through my manic cleaning & re-organization of my crafting area. I bought the black plastic trays, & the set of small plastic drawers. I needed to make room for my new printer!!

This is when I decided I was done. It's not really DONE, but I'm done messing with it for now. I have to clean up the area around the floor, so that we can put up the shelves we bought at Home Depot (more Mother's Day luvin' for me!). My new printer fits nicely there on the bottom shelf of my desk =]

I think that's it for today (2 blog posts after 10pm!). I can't wait to get these shelves up, and fill them with pretty decoupaged photo boxes, and my ever-growing collection of softies ^_^

Mary, Mary...

2008-05-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

I chose Home Depot for Mother's Day ^_^

I have seeds germinating: anaheim peppers, California poppies, peppermint, some sort of round red tomato, strawberries, chives, zinnias, and lavender.

I got myself a yellow pear tomato plant. Last year, I got tons of fruit, that NEVER ripened! I ended up with two yellow tomatoes, sometime around December? Idk, I blogged it somewhere 'round here. I hope I have better luck this year!

The hydrangea were a gift from one of my customers at the bar. They are the most delicious shade of purple, with bright baby blue centers. Now, I have never really been fond of hydrangea; I'm used to the big bushy bushes, with half-browned blossoms playing home to a horde of icky bugs & spiders. But this little potted plant here, oh, I love this pretty little thing ^_^

My geranium there, that's the king of my patio garden. That plant has had flowers on it EVERY DAY since I brought it home. It bloomed all throughout the winter, the summer, every single freakin' day!

And, finally, my poor little tree...I think its a poplar, but I'm not 100% sure (it says on the tag somewhere...). Charles bought it for me at Christmas time, because I was so sad watching all my other plants die. He went to the nursery, and asked for something that will stay green and grow through the winter. How sweet is that? He even decorated it with Christmas ornaments before he brought it home to me ^_^ Anyway, this little tree is looking so droopy and it's starting to get a little browned at some of the tips =[ My heart is breaking! I had it on top of the t.v., where it only got direct sunlight for an hour or two a day, but it was always bright. I had to move it, because the cats kept knocking it down. I moved it to the kitchen, but it doesn't get much light there. So, now it sits there under the bbq. Not a lot of direct light, and the direct light it gets is first thing in the morning. I also put it in a bigger pot...the roots didn't look too bound up, but I figured it couldn't hurt *shrug*

Another one bites the dust

2008-05-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

I'm not pregnant anymore.

Since 1998: 18 miscarriages, 1 ectopic pregnancy, and 2 healthy live births.
That averages to almost 2 miscarriages a year my entire adult life.

Not sure why I am even trying anymore.

Happy freakin' Mother's Day.

I see pregnant people

2008-05-05T22:59:00.000-07:00

I am pregnant.

Yes, finally, after 21mos of charting my temps, inspecting my toilet paper, mourning my 17 miscarriages (and one ectopic!), and hounding my calendar, I am finally pregnant!

Ok, long time, no post, I know. I don't even have anything crafty this time. I should, I have been crafting my little head off! I've been on bedrest for several days at a time. I've been crocheting a lot, because everyone and their brother (okay, my brother's SO) is pregnant. I am in dire need of YARN. Nothing fancy, some sport or worsted wool, or cotton...whatever is soft, and relatively smooth. I have three baby blankets, and two baby hoodies to make by October. I am also in the process of making this purse for myself (in pink), and my daughter is begging me for this sweater (also in pink, but I like her better in yellow, personally).

My daughter is getting on my last nerve, btw. She has this major Pretty Pretty Princess complex, and she is a royal pain in the ass! Charles and I have taken to singing, "Daddy, I want a goose that lays golden eggs!" quite frequently (she doesn't get it, altho she has seen the movie). Charles about had an aneurism at Borders yesterday, when she turned her back on us, and put her fingers in her ears, when we were explaining that we were at the bookstore for reading material, and not Beanie Babies.

Anyway, back to pregnancy and crochet. I have been spending my time hunting patterns, lazily working up blocks of this afghan, and winding my yarn into center-pulls balls with flat bottoms (all my 8 skeins of yarn, lol). I find that I frequently apologize to my mom in this blog. Today's apology: I'm sorry, mom. I really love granny squares. Seriously, this blanket makes the deepest parts of my soul smile :D

Charles seems to be quite fixated on baby names already. I don't mean fixated like it's all he thinks about; fixated like he brings it up more often than I am thinking about it, lol. We're pretty happy with the name Victor for a boy, so far. We've been talking for several months about naming a baby girl Caitlin, after my best friend of 10 years. I'm not sure, though...I don't quite know how I feel about naming a child after someone else =X My friend, Lyndsay, due in November, found out this week that she is having a boy. She is naming him Tristan. That's cool; I like that name, but I wouldn't use it for my child, so now we don't have to worry about naming conflicts ;) Lyndsay's baby is getting a blanket of this pattern (scroll to bottom), but in these much less obnoxious colors: . It's perfect, really. Lyndsay is going to give birth to a little rockstar ;)

My sister-in-law is pregnant, too. Well, not really in-LAW, since they aren't married, but, whatever. I haven't actually heard from her or my brother. I heard the news from my dad (who is doing better health-wise, worse life-wise). I think my SIL is kinda wrapped up in my nephew (recently diagnosed with autism), and the pg. I think my bro is just BUSY, with a full-time job, and being a full-time student...and having a crazy pregnant wife, and a small child ;) LOL Good lord, I don't know how he does it X]

I have two other friends that are pregnant right now, but they are both due within the next month.

I have been journalling. I haven't kept a journal since I was a teenager. When I was about 18, the diary I had kept since I was 8yrs old fell into the wrong hands. I still cringe when I think back to the embarrassment that caused. I still wanna cry when I think back to all those thoughts and memories I lost. Now, journals just make me feel vulnerable, but I am determined to document this pregnancy, and *Heaven forbid* should it end badly, our continued effort to breed.

Good things come to those who mate.

I had an ob appt today. It was un-eventful, but amusing. I ended up waiting there for almost 2 hours. I fell asleep a couple times, heh. There was a woman there that was pg, and she had a set of 19mo old twin boys named Finnegan and Oliver, and a 3yr old ds named Valentino. Super cute family; they made me happy (and briefly consider tubal ligation after this baby ;) Oliver bit Finnegan's toe, and there was much screaming. Probably wouldn't have been so bad had Finnegan had his shoes on, but alas, they were confiscated by mama about 20min earlier, when he kicked Oliver in the ribs.

I get Progesterone (sticky-baby hormone) shots every Monday. I mentioned to my dr that I've been itchy *down there* for the past couple days. She "assured" me that it was a common side-effect of the Progesterone. Hooray! I get to practice discreetly scratching my crotch for the next 5wks! ~.^

My dr is feeling very confident about this pg now. I apologized for my unkempt-ness; explained that I just can't seem to wake up the past couple days, that most of my bras are horribly uncomfortable now, and that the taste of my toothpaste makes me wretch. She was unnaturally happy to hear of my issues, lol. But, it's encouraging that she's so confident that I am actually pg =]

Perhaps the most exciting news to come from my appt today was that my dr gave us the green light to *get busy* again ;)

We went to dinner at Marie Callender's. I had a bowl of potato cheese soup, salad bar, cornbread, and a huge slice of double cream blueberry pie. Charles had a piece of meatloaf, and some mashed taters. Oh, I had some of his meatloaf, too. Then I came home, and polished off a box of Little Debbie's strawberry roll things.

Old wives say that if you crave sweets in your pregnancy, you should expect a girl.

I have determined that I need one of those silver allergy bracelets for my latex allergy. I myself forget about it at least once a day. I talked with the tech at the lab about that; about how I always forget, even though I have a fairly severe allergy. She said that it's really common in people that don't have instant allergic reactions. Something about the connection between the pain and the allergen not being subconscious, or instinct, or whatever. Idk. I just know that I've got an awesome husband, that always reminds me before every appt that I am allergic, and always makes big "latex allergy" signs for my door when I am in the hosp =]

I think I'm going to fall asleep now *yawn*

Papa don't preach

2008-03-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

Sunday: I call my father, just because it had been a while since we talked. He informs me that he went to the hospital the previous Tuesday, after having his 9th heart attack. My father is 48 years old. While in the hospital, the docs found a tumor around his esophagus. The same cancer, in the same place, that HIS father died from. So, they were to operated on Monday, Mar. 17. He took down Charles's phone number, and both of mine, to insure that the docs could get ahold of me after the operation. Sunday night, we were on the phone for over an hour; he was trying to prepare me for his death...I really think he was trying to prepare himself. He kept yelling at me, telling me I needed to think about it, I needed to let go of him. He talked about funeral arrangements, final wishes, things of that nature. He told me some secrets.

I could hear him smoking while we spoke -_-

Monday: I never heard from the hospital. I wasn't sure what hospital my dad was at, nor did I know who (if anyone) was taking care of him post-op (he lives alone). I called all the hospitals I could find in the Portland area, and couldn't find him. I was worried, to say the least. I called his cell phone a couple times, but it wasn't on.

(Interject that I also broke my front tooth in half on Monday. Ouch.)

Tuesday: I spent several hours on the phone trying to find my father, and trying to get my dental coverage worked out (there was a hiccup two months ago, that I was not aware of). I called my dad's cell, and it was on, but I got (and left) voice mail. I had to work that day, and I got a lotta crap for my broken tooth, but w/e, I don't really care. I didn't get home from work until about 10pm, and I fell right asleep, and slept for what felt like YEARS. Technically, it was more like 10-12 hours, but it has been so long since I have actually slept through the night....

Wednesday: Spent 5 hours on the phone with DEERS and dental company. Got everything smoothed out by 5pm...but at that point, it was too late to make an actual dental appointment. Was trying to work on a couple swaps that I am waaaaay behind on (I'm so sorry -_-). Charles needed me to come down to his office, though, to sign some papers for the bank, so he could fax them up before they closed. Okay, fine, but I hafta be home sooooon, so I can shower and get ready for work!

Got home about an hour before I was supposed to be at work, and my dad calls. He's not doing well at all. He is tired, he's sick of always being in pain, and he feels like no one cares about him. He wants to die. He was crying and yelling the whole time I was on the phone, begging me to let him kill himself, yelling at me for wanting him to stick around. I asked him who was gonna teach my kids to fish (it's been a big deal to him since they were born, and they are finally old enough to do it now)...he actually said, "I don't care." This is so unlike ehim. I keep trying to tell him that he's GOING to be in a lot of pain, he just had surgery, but, I know that's not the case. He is losing his feet, and his sight, to the Marfan's Syndrome (which I also have, and it's starting to get really scary). His heart is failing. He basically sits around, wondering if today will be the day he dies, and he's just done with it.

I don't know what to do. I can't believe my brother is not up there with him! My bro lives 2 hours away from our dying father, and doesn't seem to care. He lost his job, AGAIN, because of the disabilities, altho GE is paying his disability until he is 65. His health insurance ends in April, though, at which point, he will become a ward of the state. he says he has tried to get social security, but they denied him (WTF?? 48yr old man can't walk or see??). He won't be able to afford his apt, and, imho, he prolly shouldn't be living alone, anyway. Charles and I are in no financial position to take him in (hell, I can't even afford to mail out these late swaps at this point =X).

I'm so lost. I don't know what to do. I called him when I got home from work last night (at about 10:45pm), but his phone was turned off. I left voice mail, he hasn't called back....I hope he is okay =[

I was proud of myself for not crying while I was talking (more listening, actually) to him last night. I BAWLED as soon as I hung up the phone, though. I don't know if I can do this; I want to, but I don't know if I can be his only support. I don't know HOW. I don't know what to say. I don't know if I should just let him go, or if I should be his strength, and convince him to fight. I know he's always in pain, and he can't do the things that he really loves. I don't know what I would do in his position.

I can barely think lately. I feel like I am drowning. i feel sooo busy all the time, but I can't actually focus on anything.

I just want to breathe -_-

Spring me right 'round, baby

2008-02-21T16:14:00.000-08:00

It's official...Spring is here in my little pocket of the world ^_^

That's one of the lil' plum trees in front of my home. This was taken a week ago, and now, the two trees look like they've been covered in pink popcorn, they are so full of blossoms! It's been raining consistently the past couple days, but it looks like the flowers are hanging in there =]

I'm definitely ready for Spring:

I love the little posey stamp (the one slathered in bronze ink, hehe) ^.^

I am deathly ill with the flu right now =[ I can barely read, because my eyes start burning almost immediately (is that from fatigue, or fever, or what? My eyes always bother me when I have the flu). I can barely walk, because I'm so dizzy and tired, and I'm so hungry, but it seems the only thing I can get down is chicken broth. Lucky for me, I love chicken broth (with a lil' fresh green onions....mmmm.....). Charlie brought me some Theraflu this morning (one of the few cold meds I can take), and I vomited quite promptly after sipping it. Wouldn't you know, they've changed their formula to make it "better tasting"; this means that aspartame is now the first ingredient on the list. Blech. I can NOT stomach artificial sweeteners.I tried to covered it up with some fresh honey, and fresh lemons harvested from my father-in-law's tree, but nothing can cover up that sickening Sweet n' Low taste >_<

I'm thinking of dropping off Swap-bot for a while. I have so much fun with the swaps, and I have learned a lot of new things there, but I've fallen behind on a handful of swaps already. I know most people there are understanding that sometimes life happens, but it seems to happen to me too much [imo], considering my post office closes earlier than most, and I'm frequently (and without warning) being called into work...and now I'm sick. There have been a couple times that I was a day late sending my swaps because my dear hubby had either taken the car to work, or taken the debit card to work (wouldn't be a problem, if he was actually ever in his office, and I could go pick it up). I have one swap now, which I actually only sent a couple days late, and my partner has informed me hasn't arrived yet. So, I had been working my butt off trying to get together the swaps I need to send out this week, as well as a replacement package for her - insert freaking-out-exhusband requiring an un-planned trip an hour north to pick up my kids, an injured co-worker, needing me to open the bar for a couple hours so that she can see the doctor, scrambling to find a sitter, since I had to pick up the kids almost an entire day early, and then the flu, bringing it's mighty hammer of injustice down upon our household.....*sigh.....I'm not even sure where I am at anymore. Needless to say, I will likely be sending several replacement packages to this woman, for her patience!

Idk, maybe I should learn how to say, "No." But, then, would I have said no to my kids? Or to my job, when it really was an unavoidable emergency?

I should have shouted, "NO!" to the flu, methinks -_-

Scratch, hold the chicken

2008-02-18T20:16:00.000-08:00

I've spent the majority of the day in my pjs, cuddled up with my honey, watching movies. It has been fantastic. However, I'm on this cooking kick: 30 new recipes in 30 days. I really love to cook, doncha know. I realized that I was rut-bound, though, and I have been gloriously inspired by Smitten Kitchen. Last night, I made a yummy pasta dish, and we polished off the leftovers this afternoon (actually eating leftovers is a rarity in this house).

I had intended to make Shrimp Tetrazzini tonight. After last night's mania, however, I just didn't have it in me. So, I jumped on this lovely chocolate pudding recipe, from Smitten Kitchen.

This recipe is so quick, and easy! 20 minutes to smooth, creamy, chocolatey yum ^_^

Not that I'm considering buying a double boiler anytime soon, but this bowl-on-pot contraption was a pain in the ass. The steam from below the bowl causes an air-hockey effect, making the bowl tip and slide around anytime I touch it. It wasn't too bad, though, and I will definitely make this again.

I'm going to futz round with it, and see if I can't come up with a good diabetes-friendly version, as this doesn't have an obscene amount of sugar in it to begin with. I'd also like to try to incorporate peanut butter, or maybe marshmallows. Like I said, I love to cook, but I've led a very sheltered cooking life, so I'm not exactly sure what I am doing most of the time ;)

Weekend in Review

2008-02-18T15:59:00.000-08:00

Saturday:
We went to see The Spiderwick Chronicles. It was good, but it could have been much better. The whole damn movie was about an evil ogre trying to steal The Spiderwick Chronicles, which was the life work of Arthur Spiderwick, who had discovered The Secrets of the un-seen fantasy world: fairies, goblins, HOG-goblins, etc...It was full of action, and my 5yr old daughter spent the majority of the movie cowering in my lap, begging me to cover her eyes, while she plugged her ears X] She claims to have liked the movie, though *shrug* My 7yr old son LOVED it. I only wish they had spent a little time talking about The Secrets, or the contents of The Spiderwick Chronicles. The movie is based on a series of books; I will definitely be buying them now.

Sunday:
We went to Alameda (that's an island off San Francisco, for you non-Californians) to visit my father-in-law, and his new baby. We went to a farmer's market, and feasted on whole-wheat banana muffins with fresh honey, fresh strawberries as big as a baseball, and the sweetest mandarin oranges I have ever tasted. Good times.

I made some fabulous pasta for dinner. Srsly, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of sliced mushrooms, and a can of green chilies, with a half pound of ground beef, some celery, onions, and zucchini, over spirally noodles ^_^ Try it, it's fantastic!

Sunday night:
We decided to check out a bar down the street that we've never been to. We learned how to play shuffle board, and played all night long (I won every game, ftr). An improbably attractive couple from San Fran came in, and we [kinda] taught them how to play, and we played boys against girls for a while. The boys lost. They lost hard X] Anyway, we totally hit it off with this couple, and ended up taking them home (to their hotel, not to our home). We traded contact info, and invited them for bloody marys, and some air hockey at the Boardwalk, but after a couple one-eyed-focusing text messages later, I think they are too hungover to want to do anything [with us] today. No0bs ;) I prefer the hungover excuse to "D0od, we're sober now, we don't wanna hang out with you." lol

This morning, I found my clothes from last night spread flat on the kitchen floor, completely covered in salt. My nice white sofa is a lovely shade of pink. And there were several Google searches for bus schedules on my desktop. My husband has filled in some blanks: he was making me Cosmos (lemon vodka martini with some cranberry juice), and I was having issues keeping my martini glass steady. He used salt to clean the cranberry juice from my sweater & jeans. We got into a fight because I mentioned suicide at the thought of not being able to have children any longer (I am not suicidal, I was drunk, damnit). I attempted to leave the house, to go somewhere, and he hid my keys in the microwave, hence the Google searches.

At least he was kind enough to offer to pay for my bus ticket.

For the record, I do not drink like that very often [anymore]. We have the kids for all of the next week, and very hectic work schedules, so this was kind of a last hurrah for us. After the drama last night, and this everlasting headache, I have determined that drinking excessively is not as cool as it used to be ;)

This is...what makes me laugh out loud.

2008-02-17T00:18:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...so trendy, so mindless...but ohmy how I love those goofy animal macros. I Can Has Cheezburger is my sanity X]

This is...what makes me laugh:

This is.........late -_-

2008-02-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah, I'm supposed to post my "This is..." photo on Sunday, but I was SO busy! We spent all day cleaning house, and, to be honest, I'm still not comfortable having anyone over. It's going to take several days of laundry to catch up ;_;

So, as far as This is...Sunday lunch, I got nothing. Because I did not eat lunch on Sunday! Dinner, however, was phenomenal. I really believe that one of the major factors in the ongoing awesomeness of my marriage is that we take the time to cook a meal together at least once a week. Sunday night, we had bbq porterhouse steak, with basil, oregano, marjoram, paprika, and...hell ,idk, he did the bbq part, lol. I made mashed taters from scratch, and steamed some fresh asparagus. Hubby made an awesome sauce for the asparagus with lemon juice, mayo, and some herbs. It was outstanding! Too bad I had left my camera elsewhere =[

In other news...I've been working on several things for my Etsy shop. No, there is nothing there right now, but I have several stamps in the works, and softies. I'm having an issue coming up with a name or theme for my shop. I suppose I should have worked that out before setting it up ~.^ Idk, I had a dream that I opened an Etsy shop, so when I woke, I just kinda did it. I did pretty well with Hippobottomus (cloth diaper and infant clothing biz I had a few years ago), maybe I'll dig up those patterns, and start making the HippoToes (booties), and HippoEars (hats) again.

I'm mentally stuck on a pig with wings as my Etsy mascot. Psychoanalysis not too difficult for that one ;)

I'm also working on a stamp for my mom, and something for my grandmother's birthday, which is at the end of this month. Oh, and I have dipped my toes into decorated matchboxes. I figured I might as well, it's about the only thing I haven't tried =X

XLII

2008-02-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

I'm shaking my head...I'm shaking my head at you, Patriots.

Ooooh, New York, you picked a fabulous time to start playing like...oh...professional athletes O_o

Carvina O'Carver

2008-02-02T20:18:00.000-08:00

A whole post about carving eraser stamps?! Who'da guessed? ;)

I started carving eraser stamps back in November 2007. Ages ago, I know. Anyway, I've been keeping track of little tips and tricks as I have learned and failed, succeeded and repeated. I've also got a bunch of links, helpful to anyone that might be starting out, or thinking about starting out =]

Dive, dive! Don't worry if you don't know what the hell I'm talking about; I have links to all the tools and materials referenced later in the post.
-Pink erasers (Pink Pearl, Pink Pet, etc) are a pain in the ass. I've come across at least one tutorial online recommending these erasers. I started with them, and I was pleased with my stamps alright. Then I tried the more popular Staedtler Mars erasers, and my whole world changed! I could carve stamps so incredibly faster, and easier! The pink erasers are much harder, and the rubber tends to break, or gouge, rather than carving away cleanly. Some say that the harder pink rubber allows for finer detail; I assume now that I'm just not at that level of carving...yet.

-Xacto knives work just fine. Everything I read talked about linoleum cutters (linocutters), which are used to carve linoleum for block printing. I've recently been gifted a linocutter, and yes, they are faster, but I still revert back to my trusty Xacto knife for small areas, and most detail. I just feel I have better control with an Xacto knife. Maybe personal preference *shrug*

-Get yourself a nice soft, or extra black, pencil. If you don't know where or how to find one, walk into an art supply store, and ask. These transfer much easier.

-Carve deeper than you think you need to. I have seen such nice stamps, that look almost as pretty just as they are, as the prints they make. However, I have found that when you turn a stamp and press it down to make a print, the rubber compressed more than I expected it to. So, I have to carve deeper, so that the "background", or excess, area of the stamp doesn't pick up ink, and print.
-Turn your eraser! When you are carving around curves, it is imperative that you turn the eraser, rather than your wrist, and/or knife. You'll get much smoother curves this way. I've still not mastered perfectly smooth curves, but I'm getting closer!

-Less is more. You can always take more rubber off, but you can't put it back on. Test your carving out often, to see what still needs to be carved away. This also has the added benefit of coloring the raised areas, which oftentimes makes it easier to see what you need to take off.

-Take your time. After I had carved a few stamps, I was feeling quite confident, and I got excited, and I wanted to make MORE MORE MORE! So, I was carving quicker, and quicker, and my stamps were looking worse and worse >_< Take your time! If you are carving a stamp, chances are you intend to use the image more than once; take time to make it a nice one.

-Take advantage of your access to thousands of royalty-free images! There is this little stamp I have been trying to design. A simple little pie. Sounds easy enough; I am an artist, afterall! Well, this stupid little pie has given me so much trouble! I can't get it to look like I want it! After a few minutes of internet-lovin', I found: .
Pie! And it's free for use (non-commercial only). Print it out, or trace it directly from the computer screen, and there's a nice little pie ready to bee transferred and carved =]

-Don't be afraid to try new things. Erasers are cheap, yo! If you can't draw, if you can't think of anything to carve, just kinda....DO. Doodle. Hell, get out an eraser and a knife, and carve a freeform swirly shape, or flower. Often the coolest stamps are rough, raggedy, or random =]

-Carve on a piece of scrap paper, or notebook. It's much easier to pick up and dump the shavings off a scrap, than to try to sweep them up off a counter or tabletop.

-Keep a journal. I don't care if you've never kept a journal before. I don't even care if you don't know how to write! Find yourself a blank notebook of SOME form or another, and use it to sketch designs, and make test prints. It can be very inspiring to see how far you have come in carving. It also helps to inspire me when I get the itch to carve, and I'm not sure what I want, or need.

-Keep your stamps clean, for goodness sake! They take a lot of love and effort, so take care of them! When I am done using a stamp, or carving it, I put a little liquid soap in my palm, wet the stamp under running water, and I rub the stamp in my soapy palm. Rinse, pat dry, store.

-Speaking of storing, I have heard bad things about storing rubber stamps in airtight plastic containers. I haven't tried it, personally, so I can't speak on that. I store my stamps in an empty cigar box. It's a good size, a good shape, and it keeps my stamps out of dust & light, while still letting the rubber breathe. I happen to work in a bar, where I have access to plenty of people who smoke cigars, and give me their boxes. If you have access to cigar boxes, by all means (they are fun to decorate, too ;). Otherwise, they have those paper mache photo boxes they sell at every craft store would work just as well. I don't like to stack my stamps up; it just feels like it would be bad for them =X

-Oh, yeah, you can carve a stamp image on both sides of an eraser, if you so wish. Just make sure not to cut all the way through to the other side ;)

That's all I've got for things I've learned, or "If I knew then what I know now...".

Yay, shopping! I'm not affiliated with these websites, nor have I ordered from them. I simply used them as references for the things I am mentioning. All the tools and materials I use have been found at local art supply stores - not to be confused with craft stores - the Xacto knife eis the only item on this list I have found at a craft store.

Magic Rub erasers: These are okay, they are cheap, and you can find them pretty much anywhere. They tend to have a lot of bubbles and blemishes in them, and the rubber seems to kind of stick to my knife, making smooth curves difficult. Fine for more geometric, straight-line type designs, though.

Staedtler Mars erasers: These carve so nicely, so smooth, and easy. They have a the major drawback of being very small, though =/ Worse yet, they have a raised design on them, which has to be rubbed off before carving (see my sad penguin to see what happens when you don't take the time to remove the raised design, lol). I bought mine at Staples (office supply store).

Alvin Jumbo White Plastic erasers: These are large, carve very easily, have no raised design...almost perfect! Except that they cost $2 apiece, which is pretty steep for as many stamps as I have been carving. I found them at an art supply store.

Staedtler Mastercarve: big, smooth, practically perfect! Hard to find in the real world, easy to find online. I found mine at a [different] art supply store, one that had a lot of block printing materials.

Speedball Linoleum Cutter: Neat little cutting tool. Makes carving considerably faster, but I find it difficult to use in tight areas, especially curves. The larger handle on this tool allows me to carve for longer periods of time before my wrists start hurting. I found mine at an art supply store, one that had a lot of block printing materials.

Xacto knife: This link goes to the knife and blade that I prefer. I have tried other shaped blades; this one seems to be the easiest to control. I couldn't carve without this guy! Hell, I couldn't do half the art-ing and crafting that I do without this guy ;) I picked one up for about $3 at Beverly's (run-on-the-mill craft store).

Ink pads and paper can be found pretty much anywhere...

Oooh, linkage!
Carving tutorial: There are many. This is my favorite.
Another tutorial: This one is nice, as well.
Tutorial on Flickr: mostly pictures, but shows a linoleum cutter in use.
Very very nice tutorial, with a ton of pics!: There is a link that says, "Labels: handcarvedstampstutorial," there at the bottom of this page. Click that to go to Part 2, and so forth. This tute is well thought out, and well executed.
Carve your stamps!: thousands of photos of hand carved stamps, on Flickr.
Stamp your art out: many photos of different things carvers have made with their stamps, also on Flickr.
Clipart: some simple designs, in case you needed an extra nudge! Remember to read the rules of use at the bottom of the page. These are not to be used for any commercial purposes! (again, not affiliated, but I'm a stickler for artists respecting each others' work).

WHEW!
Now that that's over with (for now....), I'm off to research linoleum carving. Because it looks cool. And that's just what I do ;) If you try your hand at carving rubber stamps, please send me a picture, or a link to a picture! I am still new to this, and I love seeing what others have done/are doing! Also, don't hesitate to message me with any questions, frustrations, or advice! =]

One for the road

2008-02-02T10:26:00.000-08:00

Blah, I don't even wanna go to work today. hiss is the first day at this job where I really just want to stay home and bum around ~.^ I'm sure I'll have fun when I get there. You know, being a bartender ~~would be fantastic if I could drink~~ is wonderful!

Here are a couple of stamps I've carved recently:

A lil' quail, and my hand-written name =]

I've thrown together the blog for hubby's booze-making: Buck's Bloody. There's nothing there just yet, but there will be later tonight!

...and the Daddy Tomato says:

2008-02-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

...ketchup.

Two swaps:

Pink & Lime, and Hearts

Cute lil' pincushions!
<
I'm getting better at these! They go together quickly, I love making 'em! These were made from two 3 3/8in squares (each) of wool felt, hand-sewn with 3 strands of embroidery floss. I still have a way to go on my blanketstitch. Especially starting a new length of thread in the middle of a project =X
These are both on their way to their new homes ^_^

A whole mess of ATCs:

They click through to the larger images in my Flickr set, where there are also closer-upper shots of some of these cards.
You know, I have a mild hatred of Hello Kitty (check it: Goodbye Kitty)...but the Sanrio-themed card I made was refreshing! I rarely work with pastels; I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I enjoyed working with shiny happy colors ;)

My son has been doing extremely well in school the past two weeks! We're taking him to the arcade tomorrow to celebrate =]

My daughter hasn't been feeling well. She was up at midnight barfing...and it was bad barf, like...she had corndogs for dinner =X Ewwwwwwwwwww.

My husband has started his first batch of wine! I requested apricot wine, and he obliged. I'm taking pictures, and will be making a blog to document his booze ~~habit~~ hobby ;) I'll be back with a link soon!

I have to work today. It's the first day of the drink price increases, so it should be ~~a pain in the ass~~ interesting! Oh, but....I got a raise two weeks ago, so the paycheck I'm picking up today should be a lil' fatter ^_^

I've started drinking coffee in the mornings again. We do not have a coffee pot; we have a stovetop espresso maker. It's nice to be a little closer to human in the mornings, lol ;)

Carver McCarvington

2008-01-29T15:43:00.000-08:00

First, a gift, from my wonderful husband =]

After we spent the weekend dragging the kids around in the pouring rain, looking for this carving block, he just happened to stumble upon it in a shop next door to the brewing shop he frequents. He surprised me at work with the Mastercarve the Speedball linocutter, and a set of blades (they store inside the handle!).

I haven't yet cut into the Mastercarve.

I have, however, cut into these Alvin Jumbo White Vinyl erasers. I have carved a few things from these; they work very well, are much larger than the Staedtler Mars erasers I had been using.

Birdy: The outline is carved into one side of the eraser, the "filling" is carved into the other side of the eraser. I don't actually intend to use them together. Sometimes I just want an outline, sometimes I want a filled shape.

Castle: I had drawn this several weeks ago, and am so pleased that I found an eraser large enough to carve it up =]

Finally, for a couple non-Carver McCarvington related things:

Marble Kitty...he's called that because I used marbles to weigh down his bottom X]

Bright Flight ATC. I finally had a good reason to use my Prismacolor colorless blender pencil ;) This is all hand drawn and colored with my Prismacolor pencils. I love using them, but my drawing inspiration has been limited lately *sigh*

I've got to make something for a swap....A handmade gift for my partner. My partner is a quilter. What can I hand-make for a quilter that she doesn't already have? =X I'm thinking I might make another Marble Kitty. Quilters like kitties, right? Geeze, you'd think I wouldn't have such a hard time with this, considering who my mom is! XD

I've also got 12 more ATCs to finish by 4pm Thursday. I'm not too horribly worried about that, although there are a couple of the themes I am having a hard time with. I'm not a big celeb-follower, so the famous person theme is giving me trouble. Likewise, I do not know what to do for the magazine theme. Should it be an ATC that looks like a magazine, or an ATC utilizing parts of a magazine? =X

Bah, I'll go work on the ones I can finish up today, and spend tomorrow on the tough stuff ;)

The cat says, "Meow!"

2008-01-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

I drew and carved these three stamps while at work on a particularly slow Monday night (Jan 21).

They are carved with a standard Xacto knife, from 2 Stanford Magic Rub erasers. This is a new eraser for me, and I do not like it as much as I love the Staedtler Mars erasers, but I like it better than the Pink Pearl erasers. The Magic Rub erasers have a lot of bubbles in them, and are not quite as soft as the Mars erasers.

The kitty cat was made at the request of my husband, and I am so happy with it! I already have some nifty ideas for him =]

The lightbulb came from me trying to think of things that started with the letter L. It was the simplest of these three carvings.

The cupcake is one I have been meaning to do for a while. I'm not on the "OMGZ I LOVE CUPCAKES!!" bandwagon, but I knew that I would be able to use this in many ATCs. It was a total pain the the ass to carve X]

Shot in the Art

2008-01-23T15:12:00.000-08:00

Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling. ~G.K. Chesterton

Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue. Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way they really are or people might think we're stupid. ~Jules Feiffer

Listen carefully to first criticisms made of your work. Note just what it is about your work that critics don't like - then cultivate it. That's the only part of your work that's individual and worth keeping. ~Jean Cocteau

Art is spirituality in drag. ~Jennifer Yane

Great art is as irrational as great music. It is mad with its own loveliness. ~George Jean Nathan, House of Satan

Everything in creation has its appointed painter or poet and remains in bondage like the princess in the fairy tale 'til its appropriate liberator comes to set it free. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The buttocks are the most aesthetically pleasing part of the body because they are non-functional. Although they conceal an essential orifice, these pointless globes are as near as the human form can ever come to abstract art. ~Kenneth Tynan 

The artist is the opposite of the politically minded individual, the opposite of the reformer, the opposite of the idealist. The artist does not tinker with the universe, he recreates it out of his own experience and understanding of life. ~Henry Miller

   No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist. ~Oscar Wilde

Very few people possess true artistic ability. It is therefore both unseemly and unproductive to irritate the situation by making an effort. If you have a burning, restless urge to write or paint, simply eat something sweet and the feeling will pass. ~Fran Lebowitz

An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one. ~Charles Horton Cooley   

Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his inner vision and its ultimate expression. ~Isaac Bashevis Singer

Art is the only way to run away without leaving home. ~Twyla Tharp

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. ~Henry Ward Beecher   

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. ~Scott Adams

10 Things I Don't Have to Hate About You Anymore

2008-01-22T14:31:00.000-08:00

What a sad, sad day.

Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon.

*sniffle*

Hard at work?

2008-01-21T23:25:00.000-08:00

Warning: there will likely be a lot of swearing and obscenities in this post.

I love my job. I love the people that come into my bar. It's like one big family.

You know what happens in big families? You get a loser that everyone loves because they have to, but no one can fucking stand for more than 5 minutes. You get the one that thinks they are the glue holding everything together, and is so sensitive, you hear the eggshells cracking before you even get your foot in the door. You have the successful one, who is so damn full of themselves, you have to rent a separate room for their ego.

There is more gossip and drama than I remember having in high school. Everyone hates whoever is not in the room at the moment. Everyone loves whoever is in the room at the moment.

Trust no one.

I don't have a lot of work experience, to be honest. But, really, is it asking that much that we act like, oh....I don't know....ADULTS?! Can we please take responsibility for our actions? Am I the only fucking person on Earth that realizes that it's not always someone else's fault??

Another bartender I work with came in after closing a few days back, and decided to stay after I left, assuring me that she wasn't drinking, and would lock up. OKay, fine. She trained me, she's worked here 5 years, she knows what she's doing. A customer that was on his way home,, but still in the parking lot, warns me that I can't let her stay by herself, and that he was going to call the boss man if I didn't do something about it. WTF? Am I supposed to drag her out of the bar? Alright, whatever, I go back in, and talk to her. I ask her if I could get in trouble for letting her stay, asked if she could get in trouble for being there, etc. She assured me that all was well, that the OTHER bartender that works with us did that all the time, and she even offered to call the boss man herself. I was appeased. After all, she's the one they appointed to train me, right?

So, on the way home, I had to drop off the keys to that Other Bartender. She asked if I locked up, and all, and I told her about the co-worker that stayed behind. It was so minor to me at that point, because I was convinced that there was no problem with it. Other Bartender kinda flips a little, and by this point, I am freaking exhausted. Seriously, I got about 4 hours of sleep the night before, and spent 8 hours running around on my feet. So, Charles and I go out to dinner, and swing by the bar afterwards to see if there are still people there. There are. I called the boss's wife, who I am friends with. She says don't worry, she'll talk to the boss man, and make sure it all gets smoothed over.

Well, this Other Bartender takes it upon herself to tell everyone else over the next few days about the one that stayed late after closing. So, now, my FRIEND, who happens to work with me, is PISSED OFF, thinking I called the boss and ratted her out.

.....

Are you serious? I spent almost two hours trying to convince her that I wasn't tattling, because she had convinced me that she wasn't doing anything wrong. Now I've lost two great friends (her + her boyfriend). I had considered them my best friends in this whole damn city!

I'm so fed up with this job, and it's constant gossip and ass-kissing. I feel like I'm being taken advantage of at every turn, I can't trust ANYONE. Shit, the only reason I got a job was to make some friends, and now I don't even think I have the energy to keep them!

Yeah yeah, I know, if she were a real friend, she wouldn't have put me in that situation. Hell, if she had asked me not to tell anyone, I wouldn't have. I knew she wasn't drinking from the bar, or taking anything. She wasn't drinking at the bar, she wasn't having people over. She was just relaxing, listening to music, because she didn't want to wake her sleeping roommate.

Ugh. I'm sick to my stomach -_-

Artsy Fartsy

2008-01-19T23:11:00.000-08:00

I have nothing new, except a few ATCs. I sent out 4 ATCs this morning, and I forgot to take pictures of them (DOH!). I am really proud of them, too =/
I have been working on a set of 20 ATCs for a challenge over at Swap-bot. Each ATC has a different (predetermined) theme. It is rather challenging!

Here's what I've got so far:

The themes are (clockwise): Hearts, My Favorite Hobby, Superhero, and Blue.

Yeah, I know, I've completed the easiest themes *sigh*

I'm not very pleased with the Blue one, but I think that has more to do with the fact that my husband mentioned that it looked very busy. I was pretty happy with it before he said that, lol. I have several other ideas for that theme, however, so if I have time (HA!), I may do that one up again.

My Favorite Hobby is sewing for my children. The background is text from The Frog Prince. I love this card X] The dress is adapted from a pattern in this book, by Alicia Paulson. It's made of wool felt, cotton calico, and some random embellishments. The pink swirlies on the background were made with the first eraser stamp I ever carved. This is the first time I have actually used it, too! *squeeeee!*

The Hearts card is something I've doodled since I was a young teenager. I just did it up all fartsy with metallic gel pens on black cardstock. *LOVE* this one =]

Black Cat is a Marvel super villain that got busy with Spiderman several years ago. She's always been my favorite ~~mainstream~~ comic book character, and I figured she was superhero-related enough for the Superhero theme. Hand-drawn from a reference, inked with black and white permanent markers. The edges are inked with a black ink pad (loving this technique, now that I have figured it out!). I dunno, does it need more? I've been going back and forth on it. Maybe some glitter, or something ~.^

That's all for now. I've got the kids down this weekend, and I took the weekend off so I could spend lots of time with them. Charles is on leave until Tuesday, and we're going to go shoot off the baking soda & vinegar rocket we built today! Ooh, I should get pictures of it before we destroy it, hehe. Self, thank you for reeminding me! You're very welcome, Self.

I should sleep more

OMFG

2008-01-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

The pizza was cold, the toppings are wrong, and the driver didn't even say thank you when I tipped him! He didn't even offer me my change!

This is enough to convince me to change pizza places ~>=O

And, seriously, I ordered grilled chicken, and they mistook it for garlic. GRILLED CHICKEN vs. GARLIC. That boggles my mind *sigh*

When it rains, it pours

2008-01-04T13:38:00.000-08:00

My computer is back in the shop, for the 3rd time in the past 6 months =[ I should get it back around the end of next week.

My husband was kind enough to share the stomach flu with me, so I haven't been sleeping hardly at all the past couple nights. I'm so incredibly nauseated; I'm seriously considering just moving into the bathroom >_<

Then there's the rain.....ah, yes, the rain the wind, the trees falling all over the place. The little trickle of a creek in our backyard is a good 4ft deep now,a nd has somehow created it's own little waterfall. I was supposed to go pick up the kids today, but there are highways closed all over the place, and I'm sick....there's no way I could make it over the hill in one piece ;_; Charles said he may go pick them up later tonight, when he gets off work. Idk, I miss them so much during the week, but I know it wouldn't be fair to expose them to this stomach flu. Charles is still sick; he needs to go fill the prescription his doc gave him two days ago! Hell, idc if he takes the anti-nausea pills, I want them! hehe

Ugh, I'm so scatterbrained =[

This storm is so weird; we're getting 1-2" of rain an HOUR, and winds over 60mph...but there is no lightning or thunder! What a rip-off!

I ordered a pizza, so I can get something in my stomach (maybe it will help settle it?). I hate tipping the pizza delivery guy, because they already tack on a delivery charge of almost $3...but, I might throw an extra buck or two at him today, for driving out in this weather. The website says my pizza was boxed, and placed on teh rack to be delivered over 20mins ago, though; the pizza place is only about half mile away. I hate getting cold pizza ~.^

And a Happy New Year

2007-12-26T16:48:00.000-08:00

I'm exhausted, and ready to hibernate for a week. BUt first! Here are some pictures of the things I have been working on (and completing!). Click the pics for descriptions, and whatnot:
Jewelry Pouch

Hand-painted, Hand-stamped Christmas Cards & Gift Tags

Robot Stamps in Altered Box

Crochet Baby Cap & Patchwork Cube Frame

Softie Cupcakes

The beautiful, gigantic quilt my mother made for us!

Feed me, Seymour!

2007-12-13T20:18:00.000-08:00

I'm STARVING. I made pork shoulder, mashed taters, and green & wax beans for dinner. That's almost balanced; unfortunately, I used the last of the milk in the potatoes, so I'll have to make up the dairy group with peach yogurt for dessert.

Anyway, dinner has been ready for almost 40 minutes, all desperately trying to stay warm in the oven. My husband is not home, yet. I'm not gonna wait much longer for him!

Stuff to look at:

Arrrrghhh! The sweetness! it's killing me!

Gift tags my mother made. This isn't the best picture of them, but I tried! I'll have to make up one of those awesome lightbox thingys she linked me to in my last post X]

My stamps now have a happy little home in a re-purposed cigar box ^_^

Okay, I'm going to go eat my dinner now. Alone. I hate this stupid recruiting job *pout* -_-

Give it to me baby

2007-12-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

I want THIS. I need THIS.

Goalies are hot

2007-12-05T10:38:00.001-08:00

I've got to finish 2 Snowflake-themed ATCs, and a holiday-themed Dotee Doll today. Also, I will drag my sniffly ass to the post office.

While I'm here (again), I finished that mermaid Dotee Doll:

She's already on her way to her new home =]

In other news, I got in a big fight with my husband on Sunday, and we're still barely talking. He thinks I spend too much money at the craft store. I spend about 10% of our after-bills money at the craft store. Much less than that now, since I started working, actually; I don't use his money to bankroll my hobby anymore. Honestly, I think he's stressed out to his limit, and having issues with the fact that, yeah, I'm working now, but I really love my job. I'm tempted a "neener" here, but that would just be childish x_X

I explained to him last night that I really don't like being in charge of the bills and budget, and that if he would like to do it, he is perfectly welcome to the task; however, if he is going to trust me to take care of the bills and budget, he needs to trust me. I think it was effective; we slept in the same room for the first time last night.

We need to trade in our SUV for something smaller. I really don't want to; I love my car (btw, it's only "my car" when we have to buy gas). We spend 40% of our after-bills money on gasoline ($3.45/gal now). We drive 160mi every weekend to get the kids (round-trip); other than that, we don't really go far.

It's totally worth it, to see my kids whenever I want to, though ^_^

CRE8R

2007-12-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

OMG, this cold just won't go away! I've fallen behind on 2 of my 1 on 1 swaps =[ I have them packaged & ready to ship, but I've been sleeping like shit, and during the day, just kinda...being. Staring at the walls. Well, not really. I've been making stuff, too, but, yanno, that's just what I do.

These are some of the stamps in my sketchbook that I am carving for December.

The robot faces and heads will all be individual stamps, and I am going to put them together with a nice blank journal, some ink pads, and metallic gel pens for Isaac, for Christmas =]

I'm planning on using the Christmas-y stamps on cards and gift tags.

The skulls are really just for me, but I think I'll make one up for my swap partner in the Skull Love Swap.

I love carving the Staedtler Mars erasers, but how do I get rid of the raised pattern on them??! =X I don't want little swirlies on my penguin -_-

I also need something wider; I wonder if they make different sizes of that eraser?

This blog is so fun, and has incredible patterns, including these two here!
Some bitsy elf clogs, and peppermint stars, made for a 1 on 1 swap (I traded them for a mix CD *full* of awesome Christmas music). These took me about 2-3 hours to make them all, but I took time out for dinner:

Damn, I make some GOOOOOOOOOOOD cheesesteaks!!

For dessert, we had fried plantains, with ginger & cinnamon (sorry Mom, I just love ginger ;) Oh oh! We also had these:

My yellow pear tomatoes! The only two that ripened before the cold weather killed off my plant *sniffle* There are almost 2 dozen baby tomatoes on the plant that are all shriveled up =[

Still, it's the first time I have gotten edible fruit from my garden (and I've been trying for almost 10 years!).

They were delicious =]

Flight of the Busy Bee

2007-12-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

Cripes! Where haven't I been??!

I went to the emergency room yesterday. Severe dizziness and nausea. I couldn't open my eyes without falling over, because I was sooo dizzy.

Survey says:
Severe vertigo, caused by infection in my throat screwing with my inner ear.

I went to the E.R. for a COLD.

Anyway, this is what I have been doing lately:

Mermaid Dotee Doll

My first amigurumi ^_^ Cute little teddy bear, modified from a pattern in this Softies book. Excellent book for learning to make softies, but only one amigurumi pattern I wish I had more....and I wish I had more yarn!)

A couple sketchy drawinglings

A new ATC! This one has some tulle across it that doesn't show well. Come to think of it, all these pics are kinda blurry. Symptom of this wretched cold I've had =X

And, finally, some Skellington ornaments I've been working on. I really like how the mouths came out =] They are done and stuffed now, just haven't had the daylight to snap a new picture!

I need a nap.

Sick & Twisted

2007-11-24T10:46:00.000-08:00

I have been fighting this cold for over a week, and have finally conceded *sniffle* I'm weak, and tired, and I hurt all over. I work today, and tomorrow, and I cannot call out, because there is no one else in town to take my shifts. I only wish that my body would settle on a temperature. Even with drugs (I've got infinite faith in medication, tbh), I'm coldhotcoldhotcoldhotcoldhot *grr*

Thanksgiving was great, I didn't get sick until the next day =] I have pictures, too, but I don't think I've got it in me to sit and upload, resize, post, blog them just yet. Suffice to say, we've got enough food to feed us for the next week, and all were fat and happy (except my daughter...what 5yr old hates candied yams???).

I suppose I ought to go shower, and start psyching myself up for work. Thank goodness it's a Saturday afternoon, the slowest day I work.

The Wind Beneath My Wings

2007-11-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

My desk: This is as tidy and organized as it gets. It is in the corner of my living room.

My happy place: it needs to be bigger!

Desktop: I can't wait to get some erasers, to carve better stamps!

Trading is such sweet sorrow

2007-11-12T12:07:00.000-08:00

I've finished all my ATCs for the Silhouette ATCs Swap. I might have to make another; I have grown quite attached to the birdy one X]

I'm really enjoying these, although I am starting to feel like they aren't realy representing me, and my *usual* art. I think I will have to try painting and drawing some ATCs, and maybe make some out of fabric. I've seen some really neat fabric ATCs =]

We went to the flea market yesterday, and I picked up some awesome, and rather risque, trading cards, that I can use for ATCs. I also got an envelope stuffed with random stationary bits, and stickers =] The flea market was fun; too bad they are closing it down after next weekend! Apparently, the location (the flea market is held at the drive-in theater a couple blocks down from my house) was sold, and the new owners paid an extra $10mil to void the contract held by the flea market people. the flea market people had a contract stating that they could have the flea market there for the next 2 years, but the new owners didn't want that. This makes me wonder if they are also going to shut down the theaters -_-

Today, I am going to go photograph my overwhelming fabric stash, because I have been trading it away! Trading it for Christmas presents for the kids, card and ATC making supplies, and I've even traded some away for some jewelry that I really loved =] So, I'm not really de-stuff-ing, but I'm trading larger stuff for smaller stuff ;) lol

Like a Virgin

2007-11-08T15:05:00.000-08:00

I bit the bullet, and dove into my very first ATC today! ^_^

*huzzah!*

I'm quite pleased with it. I am seriously lacking any kind of gold in any part of my art/craft stash (I'd always found that admirable up 'till now). I think this ATC needs some accents with a gold gel pen. But I don't have one. Oh well. It's still awesome! The clicky pic up there will take you to more of a description on how I made it.

I've been very slowly collecting paper crafts stuffs; mostly from Goodwill (soooo many cards, and papers, and vintage ads, etc). I have a basket on my desk for papercrafting supplies, and I intend to keep it to that basket.

We all know how far my intentions get me.

Carebear Stare!

2007-11-08T09:46:00.000-08:00

My daughter wanted to be a purple Carebear this year. Great. They don't make purple Carebear costumes, they only make pink Carebear costumes....and she was a pink Carebear for the last 2 years! lol

This is made out of 300wt Malden Mills fleece. It's got a velour finish on the inside, and a sherpa finish on the out. The tummy is lightly stuffed (you shoulda heard her at the Halloween party at school: "Go ahead, punch my stomach!" ;)

Anyway, she loved it, she was warm, all is good =]

It's been a week, and the costume is no longer purple. It is some sort of greenish brown color now. Of course, she's only taken it off to go to school...I suppose it does look like comfy pjs O_o

My Faint Lady

2007-11-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

There I was, working my 2nd day at my new job.

Oh, yeah, I got a new job, as a bartender at the VFW.

So there I was. Still in training, still learning, still loving the people. Suddenly, I got really shaky, while making a vodka cranberry. Okay, bar's nearly empty, I'll just get this guy his drink, and sit down for a few minutes. Of course, he paid with a twenty, so I had to make all kinds of change. Then, he wanted to play the dice, so I had to get that for him, and put the money in the pot. This is the point where I start seeing flashing lights, and sweating profusely. I went to sit down, and found myself feeling like I was being crushed. Excused myself to the restroom, where I sat in the rediculously tiny stall for a good 5-10 minutes, with my head on my knees.

Where did this sudden faint spell come from? WHY did it have to happen in the middle of the day, in teh middle of my shift??

I was so embarrassed. Luckily, the woman I was training with was really cool, and she sent me home. Luckily still, I had made the very out-of-character decision that my husband should drive me to work today, so I didn't have to drive home.

I'm so mad at my body right now! I can't afford this fainting thing! So, now, I get to go pick up the kids from school tomorrow, and head right back to work, to get back into training. Then I work again on Saturday. And the thing that is really bothering me is that I have fallen behind on a couple swaps because of all this! I'm going to try to get them out today, but I feel that they will still end up going out tomorrow, making them 2 whole days late =[ I'm jsut afraid to drive right now. Oh, and I feel like CRAP.

As I was leaving work, the lady I was working with said, "Go home, get some rest, and get yourself a pregnancy test."

O_o

Click click, bang bang

2007-10-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

I joined a new group, and I intend to stick with it. It's the 365 Days group, at Flickr.

Basically, the idea is to take and upload a self-portrait every day, for one year.

I'm hoping to catch some important things in the upcoming year, such as getting pregnant (*fingers crossed*), quitting smoking, and...well, that's really all I can think of right now, lol X]

I think it will be interesting to see how my hobbies change throughout the year, as well. This year, I've gone from beadwork, to painting, to pencil drawing, to digital artwork, 3D texturing, to sewing clothing, t-shirt surgery, sewing hair-clips, making softies, little marble magnets, ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), and collages! I'm sure there has been more, actually....that's all I can think of that I have done in the past 3 months ;)

I have not quite decided when I want to start, tho...Perhaps today. I know I want to start this week, so I can be sure to catch the ATC (Army Training Conference) in Reno this weekend. My first formal event, the first time I have been to Reno at a "legal" age, and a lot of activity, new people, and hopefully, excitement!

Marble MADNESS!

2007-10-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

I finally tried 'em, and I love 'em! X] I can never have enough magnets, yanno....I wanted to make them for a swap partner that mentioned she collects fridge magnets. I used a moon picture I found in a vitamin catalog to try it out, and it was easy, and quick =] So, now I have a lovely set of magnets to send out, and I am feeling great about the package I have made up for her =]

(the tutorial part is for a friend of mine)

I'm having a hard time finding the plastic for what I want to do to my pins, so I might have to hold off on that for a while. The kids finally settled on what they want to be for Halloween (a ninja, and a purple Carebear), so I can get started on that. I bought a pair of scallop-edge scissors today, hoping they would work on felt, for my Dinkys. They don't. But, I also bought an assortment of cardstock and specialty papers to make Christmas cards, so I'm sure the scissors will come in handy.

Oh, and I found an AWESOME art supply store downtown today! I must have walked past it a hundred times before finding it. I picked up some clearanced vellum, and a squishy art eraser (the kind that is like clay...been needing one of those). And I got Hubby a nifty little hopping bug toy for his desk at work. he was using it to launch things across the office last I heard form him ;)

Swappin' tha deck, ARRR!

2007-10-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

Oh my. I signed up for Swap-bot last night.

-help meeeeeeeeee-
Some "notes to self":
* I will not join more than 2 swaps at a time.
* I will only join 1 international swap at a time.
* I will only join one quick swap (send-out date less than 2wks away) at a time.
* I will not zallow the dollar total of any and all swaps I am in climb above $30.
* I will not join swaps when their send-out date is towards the end of a pay period.
* I will remember that there is a post office 2 blocks down Soquel, instead of forgetting, and going to the p.o. way out in Capitola.

So, the first swaps I have joined are a Red Ribbon swap, for AIDS Awareness Day (Dec. 1). I will have two partners in that one, and will be making something red ribbon and wearable. If my partner happens to be in the U.S. (it's an international swap), I will most likely send out a yellow ribbon, as well. I'm all about encouraging people to support the troops. All anyone hears about these days are anti-war, anti-military, anti-government....I don't think anyone realizes the effect even a simple yellow ribbon has on us. It's enough to make our whole DAY. Anyway....that's an entirely different post.

Secondly, I joined a Newbie Swap, to get my rating up, so I can join the swaps I realy *want* to join ;) I'm excited about the Newbie Swap! I'll only get one partner, but something about getting to know them covertly, and making up a package tailored to someone else...Idk, this just sounds like *FUN* =]

In other news...

I've decided the layette set will have a gardening theme. Hubby voted for bunny theme, I vetoed. Baby's parents are gardeners, and I doodled out some cute little sweet peas and punkins...I'm having visions of making a whole army of toys and blankets now!

I won't.

But maybe I can convince the children to be sweet peas and punkins for Halloween X] LOL!

Halo, World!

2007-10-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

Started -AND- finished the Dinky angel today! I really don't like his face. I've already taken it out twice, I'm not sure how much more the fabric can take in that area. ::Grrrr:: Oh, and I need to get some longer, thinner needles, that still have eyes large enough for two strands of floss.

This is for my friend, Michael. I have been working on a painting for him of a blue angel for...oh...about a year now =X After seeing the dinky dragon, he requested a dinky angel to tide him over until I get the painting finished.

Speaking of painting, I have come to the realization that I am a weirdo. I know, shocking, huh? I can't paint here! I had no problems painting in Georgia, and I did it quite often. But, something feels "off" here. I've never been one to buy into the idea that I needed a certain type of "energy", or whatever you wanna call it, to paint. Seriously, though, when I try to paint, it feels so alien, I just can't do it ::sigh::

Hokey Pokey

2007-10-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

So, I spend the majority of my crafting time sitting on the sofa, with my embroidery scissors, a skein or two of embroidery floss, my current project, and my standard tomato pincushion. Problem is, that little tomato pincushion is always rolling away! I'm constantly digging it out from under the sofa, from between the cushions, and the worst is when I reposition myself, and get stabbed in the butt by my wayward pincushion X[

So, of course, I made a new one. A flatter, prettier one! Woot! =]

Stupid, blurry pics *shakes fist*
It's dark, and I just didn't have the patience for properly photographing it. But it's cute. Really really cute. I don't even like brown, but this brown & pink combo really does it for me.

The embroidery took me two evenings, but it probably would have gone faster without Hubby's intense amusment at tickling me while I have a needle in my hand.

October, a time for change

2007-10-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

OK, not really...but how about trying something new? I think I'll start making a list of my crafty goals every month, so I can see just how productive I am not being, heh ;)

OK October!

* Finish quilting flannel baby quilt.

* Bind and finish flannel baby quilt.

* Bind and finish country flag quilt.

* Angel Dinky

* Soldier Dinky

* Lyndsay Dinky

* Rhy Dinky

* Halloween costumes:
-ninja for Hero
-purple Carebear for The General

* Complete brown & pink pincusion

* DIYShrinky my yellow pins

* Two Red Ribbon Pins

* Layette set for baby Carmen:
* hat
* booties
* mittens
* recieving blanket
* warm blanket
* picture frame
* softie
(I'm thinking a bunny theme for all this...bunnies are easy, and pretty classic-baby, right? Or maybe a cat....cats are cuter than bunnies, I think...) *EDIT: (I'm thinking giraffe now, because I have a nice soft fleece panel with cute giraffes on it)

Is that too much for one month? I guess we'll see....

Kyla Nicole

How to achieve Awesomeness at age 30

Things That Make You Wanna Slit Your Wristies.

Alive, sans kickin'

Knock It Off!

Lucky Number 7!

Maybe Baby

the shining tunnel at the end of the light

And one for the road...

Had my first ultrasound today.

Savage selvages!

I just can't help myself!

Baby, it's cold, I mean hot, I mean cold, I mean....

How could I forget?!

I'm only missing the yellow slicker and umbrella

SCREW THIS, I'M TAKING MY BALL, AND GOING HOME!

Bear head, not a bare head (pt 2)

9257946572687 Cards...almost

6th Picture

The hit heard 'round the World

Do Wah Dotee

What is a cockle shell, anyway?

I'm not dead, yet!

Not my Mind on my Money

Black and white and read all over!

We're all mad here

Chili Cheese Fridas

Baby come back

Houston, we have a problem

Chicken soup, please

When you teach your son, you teach your son's son

Inch by inch

Give it away, give it away...(blog candy!)

WOW WOW!

An un-partridge in an un-pear tree! *tutorial!*

Know when to quit!

This is...a work in progress

For those about to rock

Slowdown the birthday train!

Pining away

Over the river, and through the woods

Absolutely innocent blog title!

Mid-morning Quickie

Tute-ing my own horn!

Wake me up, before you go go

I'll Turn This Car Around!

You remind me of the babe

Class of 2020

For da birds

Flight of the Busy Bee

By any other name...

I Etsy, therefore I am

There is a difference between looking hand-crafted, and looking hand-made.

*♥**♥**♥**♥**♥**♥**♥**♥**♥**♥**♥**♥**♥**♥**♥**♥**♥**♥**♥**♥*

An Apple a day

It is a success to be one...

Mary, Mary...

Another one bites the dust

I see pregnant people

I am pregnant.

Papa don't preach

Spring me right 'round, baby

Scratch, hold the chicken

Weekend in Review

This is...what makes me laugh out loud.

This is.........late -_-

XLII

Carvina O'Carver

One for the road

...and the Daddy Tomato says:

Carver McCarvington

The cat says, "Meow!"

Shot in the Art

10 Things I Don't Have to Hate About You Anymore

Hard at work?

Artsy Fartsy

OMFG

When it rains, it pours

And a Happy New Year

Feed me, Seymour!

An un-partridge in an un-pear tree! tutorial!

*♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥**♥*