Life in a Handbasket

The Big Bang Theory...

2011-08-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

No, not another geeky space post! This is a geeky post about the show The Big Bang Theory. My husband and I love this show. We toss around TBBT quotes all the time. We look forward to TBBT tv nights most of all.

In one episode, Sheldon has a dream that a Gorn (creature from Star Trek: The Original Series) is sitting in his special seat and he cries out, "No, Gorn, No! That's where I sit." We both busted up laughing because there was a giant green creature sitting in his seat and that's all he said??

A week or so ago, I ran across this Deviant Art page, http://black-lupin.deviantart.com/art/19-Mini-Star-Trek-Cross-Stitch-141822942. How could I resist? I knew I had to stitch some of her cute Star Trek designs! As soon as I saw the Gorn, I know what I had to make...a seat cover for my husband computer chair! I still havent quite figured out how I am going to put this on his chair yet, but I'll post up another picture of it when I figure it all out. A nicer one that is all ironed and pretty. LOL

Lucy in the sky with.....

2011-08-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

Brandy the Astronaut!

Diamond planets! Who would have thought? I am not educated enough to be an astronaut, nor an astrophysicist But I love space anyway. My heart broke for Pluto. I cried for the Columbia...twice. Once for the first shuttle launch (tears of joy), and once when we lost her(tears of despair). I cried for Challenger. I cried for Atlantis, the final launch. I have stayed up late and woke up early to see the shuttles land and take off. I even saw the shuttle land in California and heard it's sonic boom from hundreds of miles from it's actual landing spot. I have seen satellites and the ISS looking like nothing but a star inching it's way across the night sky. I cant tell you how many times I have stayed up to see meteor showers or to try and get a glimpse of a comet going by. As a child I even had a star that I claimed as my own. I would go out on the swings next to my apartment and swing as high as I could, all the while keeping an eye on my star. I still know where it is. I have never looked it up though. I dont want to find out that someone else has claimed and named it some awful combination of letters and numbers. I am perfectly happy in my delusion that I have my own personal star.

In the Mercury capsule

So, when my inlaws came out to California from Texas last week, we took them up to the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland. It was so much more fun than I expected it to be. I am not really sure what I expected to begin with, but it wasnt this much fun. I got to dress up as an astronaut...or at least stick my head through a black cloth and have my face stick out of a helmet. I got to put my head in a nasty dirty helmet...but it was worth it! I sat in a Mercury capsule. I got to stand in an impression of astronaut footprints.

Walking on the moon

We had fun playing in the "Zero Gravity room". It was actually a camera with a space station looking background that flashed "jump" and took a picture of you jumping in the air looking like you were in zero gravity. We also got to be on tv with John Glenn on his first space walk. I'd show you my picture, but I look more like a zombie than a person walking on the moon, so you'll have to do with seeing my husband's picture. LOL There was a video game to try and land a lunar module. We saw a real moon rock. They had a scale that showed your weight on earth...*sigh*, the moon, and on Mars.

Footsteps of greatness

Unfortunately it was super foggy that night so we didnt get to try out any of the telescopes. We did get a nice slide show presentation from one of the volunteers. We learned a lot about the origins of the telescopes and the Space and Science Center.

To top off the night, they were having their summer SciFi Saturday series. We got to see Close Encounters of the Third Kind in their megadome theater. I havent seen that movie in years! It was one of my favorite movies as a kid. The only downside to the movie was some man who came and sat next to me during the movie. He had a thermos of beer that he had apparently been walking around with all day. So guess what happened when he opened it? It sprayed all down our row of seats with me getting the brunt of the beer blast in my face. I dont even like beer!!

Overall it was a great day out. Beautiful views, wonderful learning experience and fun. If you are ever in the Bay Area, I'd suggest a day trip there. You can even hike in the redwoods behind the center!

Something a little crafty.

2011-08-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

According to my blog, I havent crafted since early July. I have been crafting, I just havent been finishing anything! Until last weekend. While on the Lassen vacation I made some cute washer necklaces with my SIL, Mom, and nieces. They are so simple that the girls, 8 and 5, did their own by themselves. They are so fun we even got one of the young adult males to make a couple for his girlfriend who couldnt come on the trip with us.

I am not sure where my SIL got the instructions for this, or I would give proper credit. I did a quick search on Google and found multiple sites with tutorials on it.

Here's a quick run down. Supplies: Washers, scrapping paper, modge podge, scissors and/or exacto knife, Diamond Glaze or similar, file, and some sort of hemp twine or leather strips to hang it from, beads (optional).

Cut the paper to fit your washer. Glue onto "rough" side of the washer. Let dry. File away rough edges of paper and glue so the paper is just inside the washer. Get the dust off it and fill the top with Diamond Glaze. Make sure it doesnt run off the edges of the washer, but covers the edges of the paper to seal it. Let dry for 24 hours, Hang with twine and add beads or whatever.

I even found some complimentary papers and did 2 different sized washers and strung them together. The size of the washers depends on what you have on hand...or the size of the pattern on your paper. I saw one tutorial that said to only use laser printed copies of your paper or the colors would run. We didnt have any problems like that with the scrapping paper and modge podge.

Now I just need to start wearing jewelry!

Touching the sky....

2011-08-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

View from top of Mt. Lassen

Or at least getting 9000 feet closer to it. Not bad for this sea level gal.

Me near the bottom of the trail up Lassen

We had our annual family vacation. Every year my mother gives me and my brother and families a mini vacation that we all go on together. We pick a new location each time. This year was Lassen Volcanic National Park. Mom rented a cabin for all 13 of us to cram into. Sleeping arrangements werent too bad, but the 2 bathrooms were a problem. We really need at least 2.5 bathrooms! She brought dinners she had premade for us for each night, made breakfasts every morning, and we did picnic lunches on the go so we could all go hiking or whatever.

King's Creek with a view of Mt. Lassen

Unfortunately I didnt make it to the top of the mountain. I had to turn back because my tendinitis in my hip was acting up and there was so much snow it was getting slippery. But I did make it up far enough to have a great view! My husband, son, step dad and some friends made it to the top though!

Lassen was so pretty this time of year. They had record snow fall over the winter so there was still a ton of snow. The daytime temps were in the 70's so it was nice and cool for hiking. Because it's been a cool summer it was like spring in the park. Flowers were blooming everywhere! Purple, blue, yellow, pink, white. Everything was green and lush.

Me and my husband after a day of hiking lower trails

This has to be one of my favorite National Parks. Even better than Yosemite! We both cant wait to go back some day and see more.

We came home just in time for the inlaws to come for their annual visit with us. In fact, they are still here so I better run and get back to visiting! I hope everyone is having a great summer!

How my mind works

2011-08-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

I found this on Pinterest.com. I am not sure where it originally came from. The farthest back I could trace it was to some rock band's site that had pictures of sex, drugs and rock and roll...so I am not linking it. This is totally me, except for the "discouraged napping". You'd have to replace that with mindless watching of daytime talk shows and reality TV. It's nice to know I am not alone though.

Then there is grocery shopping. For my big once/twice a week shopping I make a nice menu and list everything I'll need. But if I have to run to the store for a forgotten item or for milk or whatever, it's a whole different story. My husband calls it "escalating". I tell him we are going to grab a gallon of milk...and in the car on the way there, I remember we also need some bananas. As we are getting out of the car, I realize I better grab some cat food since we are low. As we walk into the store, I decide that instead of spinach with dinner, I am more in the mood for broccoli. Oh, and I might as well grab a couple of other things since we are there. The 5 minute trip to the store to grab one thing has turned into a 30 minute trip with 3 full bags and costing $100. And that's not even the impulse buys.

I started the adventure with the intention of only getting milk. Honestly. Then things just kept popping into my head. We wouldnt go hungry without the items, but still needed them.

And that leads me to where I am today. I am sitting in the middle of my living room, which is actually more like an office. There's no couch. We have two computers in here with desks and chairs. I have a table for crafts and sewing. We have a cat tree in the corner. Lots of bookshelves with lots and lots of books. Half of the room is all piled up on one side of the room. Everything is a disaster. And why? Because I wanted to get rid of the plastic 4 drawer piece of crap dresser, that holds my craft stuff, a couple of weeks ago.

To get rid of the dresser I needed something else to put the stuff in...so off to Target to get a nicer, putittogetheryourself cupboard. Oh and look...there's a couple of small shelves that are on sale! So, in come the cupboard and shelves...hmmm...now I need to get rid of something else to fit the shelves. And now that I have to move the furniture on that side of the room to set up the new stuff and get rid of the old stuff, I should wash down the walls behind the old stuff. But you cant just do half the wall, you have to do the whole thing floor to ceiling. And I might as well clean the carpet while the furniture is being moved anyway. Oh yeah, since I have nice new cupboard, I should fix up my dumpster desk out back and finish it up. And now that I have all that new stuff for a crafting area, I should rearrange the living room so it all fits better and then I can shampoo ALL of the carpet and wash ALL of the walls. Now my computer desk is too big to actually fit in the new room configuration, so I need a new one...something else to put together.

Oh yeah, the inlaws will be here soon. And we are taking a long weekend with my family for a vacation. And I am sitting in the middle of unfinished wall washing, carpet cleaning, and furniture putting together. It wouldnt be so bad if I could actually just move everything out of the living room and have the whole space clear of stuff. I could just zoom through the walls and carpets. Our apartment is really small though, so just shoving everything to one side makes it nearly impossible to actually walk from room to room.

The good news is that the carpet looks awesome...even though the instructions say to repeat until the water is clear, I am just doing them until it is a lighter shade of yucky. The walls look great. Who knew our vertical blinds were so dirty?? Well, not any more! My new crafting area is gonna be awesome! It smells so much nicer in here now! (oh yeah...the smell from a couple of weeks ago was a perfect looking melon sitting on my china cabinet. No soft spots, no puddle of juice under it. Just a stench coming from it. I didnt open it...I was scared. I just tossed it. I wasnt going to eat anything that smelled that bad! Except cheese...cheese can smell bad and I'll eat it.)

Well, back to the salt mines. This mess isnt going to clean itself! (although that is not from a lack of me waiting for it to clean itself.)

Well, that stinks!

2011-07-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

What stinks, you may ask....well, it's something in my dining room. Something I cant find. I have moved the china cabinet, the small pantry cupboard, the microwave cart, everything in the room. Yesterday it smelled like rotting chicken...you know that sweet sickly smell? Today it's more like old broccoli. I cant pinpoint the exact spot that smells and it's driving me nuts. I am starting to wonder if something is dead in the wall or ceiling. I say this because the smell is the strongest right under the ceiling fan and there's no furniture under it. There is, however, a very bad patch job the handymen did when when they put in the ceiling fan that has small cracks in it.

I may go crazy trying to find the source!!

Redwoods in Oakland

Hiking for the last 2 weeks has been good. The week before last we went to Redwood Regional Park in Oakland. Yes, there are redwoods in Oakland! I know! I was shocked too. The trail description says it's a moderate trail. I think I might disagree, and not just because I feel and skinned the hell out of my left knee! The first part is nice and up and down small hills going around the Chabot Space and Science Center. Then you descend quickly. And you know what happens when you go down a trail? You have to come back up.

Up and up and up

The trail we went on was a loop, so we figured, no big deal. We went down, we can go back up the other side. And up, and up, and up, and up, and up...which was weird since we only went down, and down, and down. There was definitely way more going up than coming down. But that's because the back end of the trail goes up 200 feet higher than your starting point. All in all it was really beautiful, and worth all the uphill hiking. (just so you know how hard it was...there were 2 groups of people practicing for a big backpacking trip on the trail!)

Redwood regional park will definitely be visited again. We both loved it there despite my skinned knee and aching calves afterwards. It'll probably be a good summer hike too since it's nice and cool in the redwoods.

This past weekend we went to Don Castro Regional Recreation area in Hayward. It's a small lake with a swim lagoon, picnic areas, and some wooded areas. It was a short walk around the lake and you could hear the freeway no matter what part of the park you were in. It wasnt a bad walk, but if we want a short walk around a lake, we'll stay in Fremont and hit up Lake Elizabeth. It was nice to go see a new park and put it on our list, but we probably wont go again.

Next week I should have some crafting pictures to put up. My desk has it's first coat of teal paint...and some cat prints and fur. *sigh* Just like everything else in my house. I am recovering my old ironing board with some nifty new fabric. I am also making myself some mesh produce bags for grocery shopping. I may even have some preliminary pictures of my new crafting area. I have commandeered about 1/3 of the livingroom to set up a permanent crafting area instead of just a folding table that has to be put away all the time.

Distressing

2011-07-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so my dumpster desk has been pealed, sanded, glued, woodputtied, sanded more, and finally has it's first coat of primer on it. I am quickly realizing why so many people are doing the distressed painting on their refinished furniture. It's a great way to cover up all those painting and other mistakes. So far, the neighbor has fluffed his cigarette ashes down on my desk, my cats have jumped on the wet primer and, unfortunately, my neighborhood produces enough dust to cover a small desert. How am I ever going to get a nice flat, wonderful paint job done?? I probably wont. So, I have been looking up how to "distress" my desk. Ha!

So, the bags for my nieces were a BIG hit! I filled them with tons of my old crafting stuff and stuff I got on clearance at Joann's. There was ribbon, beads, paint, felt, fabric, ricrac, pompoms, glue, small craft kits, and all sorts of stuff. They were so excited! They immediately dumped everything out on the table and started gluing stuff together.

My brother wasnt too happy about it. He's a bit nervous that they'll become hoarders...which is understandable since it runs in our family. But his wife loved the gift...because it means the girls have plenty to do for a while this summer. LOL

The husband and I decided to go hiking this morning. We went up to Las Trampas Regional Wilderness in San Ramon. We've never been there before and it was a treat!

It was the perfect day for it. It started off really cool and foggy and by the time we got to the park and started our hike, the fog had cleared and the sun was bright. Luckily there was also a nice cool breeze. I imagine it's much too hot in the dead of summer. Ok, yes, I know it's nearly mid July, but we are having perfect weather right now...only about 75ish during the day and down to 50ish at night. I love it!

The park is beautiful grazing fields in rolling hills with oaks and brush going up the trail. It was a nice wide dirt road.We saw a few people, but not too many and everyone was very friendly. We even ran across a couple of cows grazing. As you can see, the view was beautiful today! The trail was a loop. Coming back it turned into a small dirt pathway through the oaks and brush. The sun was dappling through, and there was a small nearly dried up creek along the trail We definitely want to come back in the spring when the creek is bigger. This is most certainly going to be a repeat hike.

I guess I havent had my picture taken full body in a while...boy have I let myself go! I havent really gained much weight, but you can really tell that I havent been doing my strength training. My tummy has gone all flabby again! UGH! Yeah, that's gonna have to change. We talked about it this morning and we are going to quit World of Warcraft again. We were looking through old pictures and last time we quit we were going out and doing so much fun stuff....and then as soon as we started again, boom...exercise takes a back burner and so did all the fun stuff. We've both been thinking about it, but not saying anything to each other. Our minds always seem to be in sync, we just need our mouths to express it more often!

It's going to be great. I am excited already. I'll have so much more time for crafts and working on myself! And we'll get to work on the husband's back problems a lot better too. Maybe I'll get back to a few other things too that I havent been doing...more reading, writing, and whatever. It's a good thing.

Sew Busy!

2011-07-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

Super Simple Sacks

I hate sewing. Or maybe I just dont know how to do it right. Or maybe I just dont have the right tools. I have a Walmart special cheap little machine. I never really did any sewing as a child or learned how other than to cut out patterns which were already placed and pinned, then my Grandmas did all the rest of the work.

But I did tons of sewing this weekend and I enjoyed it! I found this super simple sack pattern and it was so easy, I made 2 over the weekend! My nieces birthday party will be next weekend and I thought it'd be cute to make the bags for them and stuff them with crafting supplies. The bags are done...the stuffing needs to be done before Saturday. Arent they just the cutest things?? And seriously, I made 2 over the weekend! Me!! It usually takes me a day or two just to sew up a cross stitch ornament that's less than 4 in by 4 in!

Zoe's very own Cthulu

I also managed to finish up the Hello Cthulu into a little wall or door hanging. I really hope my friend likes it. It seemed right up her alley. I love all the bright and girly colors with it too. This was so fun to put together. I loved the irony of making Cthulu into something cute and girly. I hope he doesnt eat me now! :O

I saved this design a few years back, and now the site that used to have it is defunct....so no links for it.

And while I was doing all this sewing and changing out of threads and bobbins, the cats had a field day. Bobbins are like cat magnets. Come to think of it, the cutting board is also a cat magnet. Everytime I turned around there was a cat on the cutting board!

Anyway, one of the cats would grab a bobbin and then proceed to unwind it around my craft table. Then I have to rewind it and untangle or cut out the knots. It's a mess. So, I was looking for bobbin storage and came across this idea on an old message board. I dont remember where it is now, but the message was from 2006 or something. It's so quick and easy and CHEAP! Now my bobbins dont come unwound now matter how many times the cats knock them off my desk!

49cent cat proofing

All we had to do was go to the hardware store and pick up some 1/2 inch clear tubing and cut into the same width as the bobbins and then make a slice down one side. Voila! Bobbin covers that only cost 49cents...for a bunch. One foot of the tubing was 49cents and so far I have made 6 of the bobbin covers and have only used about 1/3 of the tubing. Each cover takes about 30 seconds to make.

Sew, there we go. That's how I spent my 4th of July weekend. I got so much stuff done, it was amazing! I love weekends like that. Hope your weekend was just a wonderful.

Happy 4th!

2011-07-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

Use your Independence wisely tomorrow! It's been bought and paid for many times over and is in danger at all times. As for me, I'll be spending a quiet day at home, doing some sewing, crafting, painting, etc. Of course, we'll have burgers, corn on the cob and coleslaw, because it wouldnt be the 4th without them.

My husband thinks I am crazy because I remembered this picture I took of the American Flag over 5 years ago and went digging through all of our photos to find it! Haha.

Creamy Spiced Coleslaw (slightly modified from allrecipes.com)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 (16 ounce) package shredded coleslaw mix

In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, sugar, salt, pepper, celery seed, garlic powder, onion powder and cider vinegar. Toss coleslaw mix with dressing to coat. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Finished for Friday...or just starting...

2011-07-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I finished something! So I figured I'd join Lit and Laundry's Finished for Friday.

I cant remember where I got this idea from. My advance apologies to the blog that I saw it on and forgot to bookmark. My excuse is that since I got bitten by the crafting bugs, I've probably looked at over 100 craft blogs. It's a cute reusing idea though! Thank you!

Anyway...I turned an old cereal box into a nice letter holder for my daughter. My daughter doesnt live here, but I am sure the mailman thinks she does. She gets more mail than I do. I usually put her mail on the edge of my desk, but the cats always knock it off. Or she goes through my paper mound and messes up my chaotic organization of my mail. So, here's my solution. It's hanging on the wall next to the door. I'll just plop her stuff in there. The cats cant reach it (I hope) and she wont need to go through my stuff.

Before

After

This is not a commercial for the cereal. That wasnt even the box I used. I just forgot to take the before picture so I grabbed the next box of cereal we had! All I did was modge podge some scrapbook paper on the box that I cut in half. I used my crop-a-dile to put in an eyelet in each corner and strung it with ribbon. I used some stickers to put her name on it, and Voila!

Now for the starting. I have a ton of things I want to do around here. We've lived in this apartment since 2003? or 2004? Somewhere around there. I have finally decided it's home. I need to start fixing things to my liking. I want to repaint the whole thing. I cant stand the putty grey of the walls. And everything is shiny. Everything looks dingy and dark even when it's all cleaned up. Technically, we arent allowed to paint. I didnt let that stop me 3 years ago when I painted my bedroom a soft peachy color. Shhhh...dont tell the landlord! I made sure it would easily be covered with their standard putty grey. But now I want a new color. And new paint in the rest of the place.

I also need to make myself a usable crafting spot. Right now, I have an old table, some really ugly plastic "dressers" and a couple of cardboard boxes. As you can see, it's not that cute to inspire good crafting. There's not much room. This doesnt even include my stained glass (which is outside the window in the same ugly plastic "dressers"), or my stitching, which is stuff in my bedroom closet. So, the dumpster desk is going to replace the table. The table will go outside with the glass. And I am thinking of taking my grandma's old china cabinet, painting it something cute and adding some cubbies, etc. The problem is my mom. "The china cabinet is part of the set with the table and the chairs. They are real (insert whatever wood they are here) and are worth a lot of money of we refinish them and get rid of the nicks, etc." Really? Who's gonna do all that work? I'd rather slap some cute paint on it and actually use it. It's not really going to be worth that much. If it was a million or something, I'd get it all fixed up and sell it. It's probably worth a couple of thousand tops...if it was pristine...which it isnt. I know my initials are in it. :P But do I want to incur the wrath of my mother?? Or I could do it and just keep her out of my house for the rest of her life?

Imperfections

2011-06-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, straight from the spoon.

I am eating Nutella for breakfast because the commercials tell me it's part of a wholesome breakfast. Dont the commercials always tell the truth? Dont worry, I dont really believe it. And, besides, I read the label. It's definitely a candy product and shouldnt be eaten at breakfast. That didnt stop me though. Yes, I am working on eating better and exercising. Sometimes, lazy takes control though.

See my awesome new colorful
kitchen towels?

I forgot to do laundry on Friday, my assigned (by me) laundry day. Why did I forget? I was working on that dumpster desk all day! (pictures will be coming in a day or two when I finish the primer!) I did a couple of loads on Saturday...or rather I delegated the loads to my son and husband. Because my husband doesnt have enough to do with 2 hours of commuting to his full time job 5 days a week and full time school schedule. The good news is that no one had to wear dirty underwear or socks today. Yes, that happens more often than I like to admit.

So, I was making homemade Whoopie Pies for the family dinner yesterday. They were so good! Here's the recipe for the chocolate ones. http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2003/01/whoopiepies And here's the recipe for the vanilla ones. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/berry-cream-whoopie-pies-recipe I just used the fluff recipe from the chocolate page. Then I divided up the fluff and stirred in new flavors...like orange (orange extract and rind), nutella, peanut butter, fresh strawberries (which looks weird after sitting for a while since the berries "bleed"), mint (extract again), and left some plain. They were a huge hit with the adults. The orange fluff with either vanilla or chocolate cookies was the best. Peanut butter was awesome too. But that isnt the story...

I had been looking at cooking blogs all morning looking for good whoppie pie recipes. Every blog had a picture perfect kitchen before and after the baking session. As I stood in my post ~~apocalyptic~~ whoopie pie baking session, my kitchen looked nothing like those other ones. Yeah, I know...clean as you go along, blah blah blah. Well, with having to rotate the baking sheets every 5 minutes and getting the next baking sheets ready to go (the one recipe said the cakes would flatten out if not baked right away...and I wanted fluffy cakes with my fluff!), and making the different flavored fluffs, cleaning as I went along wasnt really an option. It was more of a maelstrom of baking and fluffing with powdered sugar and flour flying all over from my mixer and marshmallow cream sticking to everything within a 3 foot radius.

After I started the clean up. Yes, I said after.

So I was talking with my SIL about blogs and how everyone looks so perfect all the time. I had even found a blog where the blogger was admiting to not being as perfect as her blog suggests and as proof, she posted a picture of dirty dishes in her sink....like 10 of them. Really? So, that got us thinking. Maybe I need to revive my cooking blog and call it "Cooking for Realz" (added the Z so I wouldnt be confused with that Food Network star) or something and show what cooking really looks like for a lot of people. It never looks like commercials, or tv shows, or cooking blogs. I blame June Cleaver actually....with her fancy pearls and lipstick in the kitchen!

Yeah, I can do better than this. It's one of my "weakness'" that I am working on. It's just really hard! Some may call me lazy, but what do you expect when I spend the majority of my day with a bunch of cats?

How could I make the bed when Leeroy
was still sleeping in it??

I got a bug....

2011-06-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

A crafting bug. Seriously. For the past week I have scoured over countless crafting blogs and websites. I want to make things. I want to cut, paint, nail, screw, glue, sand, etc. (mini rant here....are there really only 2-3 actual crafters blogging out there and everyone else is just linking their posts??? 90% of the craft blogs I see are just links to other people linking to other people linking to the actual crafter....Which I will start doing as soon as this desk is finished so I can show off what I did and give it proper credit. LOL)

Lacy checking out the dumpster desk

My husband is skeptical. *looks out at the back porch and see's the desk that's been sitting there for 2 years waiting to be refinished* But I dont know why. *glances back at the desk* I always finish what I start! *shuts the shades to the back porch*

Ok, fine. It's too nice to have the shades closed all day! Sometimes I get sidetracked. But I am going to go ahead and finish this stupid desk so I can start other fun stuff.

Kiwi inspecting my sanding job.

I really want the desk. It's made of great wood and it's really sturdy. It was just very poorly spray painted black. It's mostly sanded now...except for the parts you cant see in this picture. LOL And I want to poorly paint it in a different color other than black. It'll be perfect to put my sewing machine on. Nice storage for my threads and needles and other stuff.

If I want to get to all the other cute stuff. I better get moving on this. The other stuff I want to make is pretty simple...except for the tv stand. That may be harder than refinishing this desk.

The other problem with this crafting bug is that I need tools. I have cheapo hammers, screwdrivers, pliers, etc. I need some real power stuff! I found a great small circular saw I want. I need a good electric drill/driver. I already have an electric sander....otherwise that desk would have been back out at the dumpster! How crazy is this? I also want a small nail gun or at least a nice heavy duty stapler. So, what's the problem with wanting all of that? Room...I have been working on getting rid of stuff this last year! Now I want to collect more! I am thinking of getting one of those outdoor storage benches to put the tools in. It'll keep them dry and out of the apartment...right? Of if I get all of the tools...I can make an outdoor storage bench!

Ok...here's my Pinterest link to all the things I want to make. http://pinterest.com/branlaadee/things-to-make/ I was really creative with the board name and called it "Things to make". I can feel my creative juices flowing already!

Pie in the sky.

2011-06-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

What a week! This week has been unusually busy. Running errands here and there. Dealing with tech support and a busted computer and dead pixels on a new monitor. Finally got them to replace both. Now to box up the broken ones and send them back. Took the neighbors cat to the vet...for 2 hours. :| Doc appointment for Brad. Grocery shopping. Other shopping. Getting the car's broken window regulator fixed. Running here, running there, hours on the phone, blah blah blah. I am just not used to all of that action in 1 week. By Tuesday, I was already exhausted. That's never a good sign!

On the plus side, we finally know what's wrong with Brad's back. He hurt his back quite a few years ago and it keeps flaring up on him. They always try and throw drugs at him...which worked in the past. A little too well. Rehab and AA took care of that though. He's been clean and sober for 3 years next week. Then they have him do 3 weeks of physical therapy and release him. Well, this flare up....no drugs. The PT didnt work. He's been in a lot of pain for a couple of months now. It was so bad that at one point he had to stay in bed for a couple of days because he couldnt move. They finally did x-rays. Nothing. They did some poking your nerve thing. Nothing. Then they broke out the big guns and did an MRI. Apparently he has a herniated disk.

He's happy to finally know what's wrong and that it's not all in his head. The fix for this isnt pleasant. He's on light duty until at least August 1. He also has to go get a cortisone shot in his spine. He's gonna have to take pain meds and stuff for this. It is too painful to do it with just Advil or Tylenol. I thought I'd freak out about this, but I am ok with it. He has a plan which makes me feel more comfortable. He's staying in touch with his sponsor and other guys in his group that have had to deal with taking pain meds. I know he can make it through this without relapsing. I just hope he does.

His doc is up on Oakland, which is a bit of a drive for us. I always go with him for moral support....and because my LNS is sorta on the way back home from there. hehe So after I dropped him off at work, I stopped by Needle in a Haystack and got the threads I needed for "Here Comes Treble". I also picked up a cute little pirate design, and a Lighthouse needleminder. I like it so much better than my cat one...but only because I have to look at 7 cats already all day!

This weekend is Father's Day. We dont have anything special planned. My father lives in Mexico now. My mom hasnt said anything about doing something with my stepdad and I am sure my kids will be doing something with their dad. So, that means, I'll probably have a nice and relaxing weekend. Hopefully Brad's back will be good enough for a hike this weekend.

We interrupt his program to say....WTF neighbors!!??!! They are throwing stuff over the edge of the patio and down the front stairs. I am not talking about balls or toys, but lamps and furniture and pots and pans. Holy moly folks, settle down!

Here's a picture of me and my dad. It was taking at his old property up in Laytonville, CA. I love this picture. It's one of the few I have of me and my dad together and one of the very few of him smiling. He always said he doesnt like his picture taken. The picture is probably at least 10 years old now.

Happy Father's Day Dad! In your honor I made cheery-o-cream cheese pie last night. Only I didnt do cherry, I did some fresh strawberries from the farmer's market. They were delicious! This has always been a family favorite pie. It's quick and easy and oh so tasty! I remember my dad always requesting this at family gatherings.

Cherry-o-Cream Cheese Pie

1 package (8oz) cream cheese softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
9 in pie crust
Berries or fruit

Mix cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice until smooth and pour into a prebaked pie crust. Top with canned pie filling or other fruit. Refrigerate for a couple of hours until set.

I like this with regular pie crust, but other family members like it with Nilla Wafer crust better. You can buy the crust or make it yourself. Homemade is always better, but not always achievable. Especially in summer when you dont want to turn on the oven.

This was originally a cherry cream cheese pie. We used canned pitted cherries and mixed the juice with a little cornstarch to thicken it up. Let it cool and then put it on the pie. I tend to like fresh strawberries instead. We've also used the canned pie filling in cherry, raspberry or blueberry. Any kind of berry is good. Apricot wasnt so good. I love apricots, but they just didnt do that well.

I have also used the low fat cream cheese. It works fine, it just doesnt set up as tight as the full fat. Nonfat cream cheese doesnt really set up at all.

I better get off the computer and do all the housework that didnt get done while on the phone and running errands this week! Next post will have some stitching pictures...I hope!

Lazy Sundays

2011-06-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

My favorite days. Maybe they should have been put on my "love" list. Today is one of those days. I made a quick and easy breakfast for all of us. I made my grandma's baked pancakes with blackberries. Super easy and quick

Grandma's baked pancakes
1/4 cup flour
1/4 milk
1 large egg

Mix, pour in to a greased pie pan and bake for 10-15 minutes at 450.

This is for a single serving, it can be doubled, tripled or quadrupled. I also like to add in some vanilla, and/or a sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg. I also add fruit sometimes, like the blackberries, or raspberries, or apples. We always top the whole thing off with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and some fresh squeezed lemon juice.

It's one of my favorite breakfasts. It always reminds me of sitting at the round table in my grandma's kitchen. The one with the triangle chairs that were so easy to tip over. Ha! She had her lazy susan in the middle of the table with the salt, pepper, the old Tuperware powdered sugar mill (which I now own), tabasco(a story for another day about what an awful big sister I was! LOL) and a lot of other condiments. My brother and I would run down to her house on the weekends or summer mornings for breakfast. She also made the best dollar sized pancakes. I still cant get those right. Some day!

While eating breakfast we put on our first disk of Battlestar Galatica (2010). Amazon had a great day on the full series last week, so I scooped it up! It's been fun rewatching it knowing what we know now. We watched the whole series already when it was on SciFi.

We opened up the house, all the windows and shades. The sun is out today. It never showed up yesterday. There's barely a breeze. The birds are all chirping and the cats are all out on the patio rolling in the sun. Other than the birds, it's pretty quiet outside, which is weird since we are less than a block from a major intersection and less than 3 blocks from the hospital. There's always sirens and cars racing by.

I already have dinner in the crock pot. Mom's crock ribs. All I need to do is steam some artichokes and cube up some potatoes to roast to go with the ribs.

Mom's Crock Ribs
1 slab baby back ribs
1 onion thinly sliced
2-3 lemons thinly sliced
1 bottle of your favorite bbq sauce
1 bottle of beer, or if you are like us, sparkling apple cider since we dont drink
salt and pepper.

Salt and pepper the ribs. Broil for 5 minutes on each side until browned. Cut into individual ribs and layer in the crockpot with sliced onions and lemons. Mix bbq sauce and beer/juice and pour over ribs. Cook on high until the meat starts falling off the bones.

Hello Cthulhu

Nothing left to do today but stitch and watch more Battlestar Galatica. It's not even 1PM yet. Speaking of stitching, I have a small "almost" finish. My friend just had her baby yesterday. I have been working on a Cthulu version of Hello Kitty. The website I got it from is long gone. It was otherwonders.com/hanging. The design is by someone called Magpie. Sometimes I am grateful for my hoarding ways, because I saved this design because of them.

I know this might not seem like a design for a baby, but if you knew Ness, you'd know it fits her just fine. I am thinking of making it into a little pillow using some of the fabrics behind it or making it into a door hanging. I really want to put some sort of cute cthulhuic saying on it for her, or the babies name or something. I just cant think of anything clever. Anyone have any ideas??

I am also getting ready to start a new Ink Circles. My middle daughter has a tattoo of a treble on her shoulder with some sort of other musical symbols that I know nothing about..something about tempo or beats or whatever. When I saw Ink Circles "Here Comes Treble" I knew I had to do it for my daughter. She's always been my "trouble" child, so the double entendre couldnt be resisted. I havent made her a cross stitch other than a Christmas ornament here and there since she was first born. Unfortunately that one was destroyed when our garage flooded one year and it was still packed in a box from our move. :(

I do need to plan a trip up to Needle in a Haystack to pick up the threads if anyone wants to plan a trip up there with me in the next couple of weeks.

Ok, I am going to head back to my lazy day. I just thought I'd update some stitching since I havent done that in a long while and see if anyone has anything clever to put on the Hello Cthulhu. I hope everyone else has a nice relaxing day today!

Things I love.

2011-06-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

1. My husband and family. No question. Even when they make me mad, I still love them more than anything. They drive me nuts, but mostly they just make me happy.

2. Music. What's my favorite? All of it. No matter what kind of mood I am in, I can turn on my iTunes and my mood will change for the better. I love the sound of a single piano, an acoustic guitar, an orchestra of violins, banging of drums.

3. The Redwoods. I know I complained about them a lot in my childhood, but they really are special to me. Whenever I walk in them I feel like a little fairy fluttering around giants. I am constantly in awe of them every time I visit.

4. The Ocean. I love being rocked to sleep while out on the ocean in a boat. I love the lullaby the ocean sings when I am near the shore. I love the feel of the water washing over my toes even when it's frigidly cold.

5. Reading. I love curling up in a sunny window on a cold day and getting lost in a story. I love sitting under a tree on a summer day getting lost in a story. I love sitting in the DMV and not worrying about how long my wait will be because I have my book. Having a good story makes everything better.

6. Cooking and good food. I love going in the kitchen without an idea of what I am going to make and just tossing something together. I love finding new recipes to try and adapt.

7. Tea. Hot tea. Cold tea. Luke warm tea. Black tea. Green tea. Herbal tea. Fruity tea. Big, giant mugs and glasses of tea.

8. Stitching. The relaxation of little crosses one after another, coming together to make a design or picture. The million colors of thread all laid out waiting to be drawn in and out of the fabric.

9. Clean cotton sheets. I love climbing between a set of clean, crisp cotton sheets on a hot summer night. Especially right after a shower.

10. Wild flowers or overgrown flowers. Not flowers in a vase. Not neatly trimmed flowers in a garden. The flowers on the side of a road or along a trail. Flowers growing over a fence all free and flowing. Flowers that wave to you in the wind. Flowers that pop up in the cracks of cement or rocks, and peep at you through a hole in a fence.

Just changing my mood. The last post was just a rant and now I am focused on the important stuff again.

Lost in Translation

2011-05-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

I said something the other day as a joke. I thought it was a really small thing, but it turns out it hurt someone. I try to be conscience of when I hurt people and try to make amends.

They also said something that bothered me. And when there are misunderstandings I try to resolve them as well.

My initial reaction wasnt that great. I basically just said I'd keep my mouth shut and move along. After thinking about that, I felt it wasnt right, and that I really needed to apologize. Since this person lives in a different state, I sent an email. I explained I was sorry for what I said. Tried to tell them the spirit it was originally meant in. I also tried to fix their misunderstanding of another situation and tell them it wasnt about them, that the thing in the past was actually about me. I read and reread my email quite a few times. I revised it to take out anything I thought that could be con strewed as snarky. Over all it was a very heartfelt apology, because I truely felt bad that my joking comment was taken to heart.

The response I got back was not quite what I expected. I was again berated for my comment. Told I was disrespectful and they went on and on about things that werent really the point of the email.

Then I made my second mistake of the day. I answered that email. I acknowledged their anger towards me. Said I tried to apologize and that I realized it wasnt accepted, and said I would leave them alone so they wouldnt have to worry about walking on eggshells around me. Honestly, I thought I was bowing out gracefully and moving on.

Now this next email really caught me off guard. Somehow I had escalated this whole thing into some sort of personal war. She said she wasnt angry, but that I would have to live with the consequences of my comment, that I was disrespectful to her life, I was childish and needed to "grow the fuck" up. They said they didnt ask for my apology, which they didnt. I offered it up because I had hurt them and felt it was the right thing. I feel if an apology has to be asked for, it's probably too late. That's just me though. Really? Not angry at me?

Honestly, I am at a total loss as to why there is so much hatred. I tried to do the right thing. Somehow it blew up in my face. What do you do in a situation like this? She says everything is fine, and I can do what I want and it doesnt bother her...but really? After that scathing email, I am pretty sure it does bother her.

I just needed to get that out there a bit. I was hoping that by writing things out I would see where I went wrong and could see it through different eyes. Honestly, I am still just as confused. Maybe sleeping on it will bring some clarity.

Passion

2011-04-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

I am the dumb one in my family.

I dont mean that in a bad way...or maybe I do. Sometimes I dont know. It's not that I *am* dumb. I think compared to the average person, I do alright. But in my family, I am not as smart as the rest of them. I have always been told my dad is a genius, but just didnt know how to use this superhero power properly. My brother knows everything and glided through school work....at 2nd grade he was helping me with my work and I am 5 years older than him. My mother knows everything, and lets me know she knows everything...or maybe she knows it all...or she's a know-it-all. But that's a different story for a different time. Then there's me.

I'm average. I cant think of any special skills that make me stand out from everyone else. I dont have a "thing". A thing I am passionate about. A thing that I love above all things. A thing I know more about than anyone else. A thing I want to do for the rest of my life. I dont have a PASSION.

I decided to sign up for the community college for the fall semester. I said I wanted to become a physical therapist assistant. Sounds like a good thing to do. Then I told someone and they asked me...What kind of physical therapist? Hm. Good question. I didnt realize there was different kinds. Maybe this isnt what I want to do? I mean, I havent even really checked into it. It was just sort of a whim. Am I wrong? Do I want to be something else?

So this all has me thinking? What is my passion? What do I want to be when I grow up? Why didnt I decide this when I was 18 like most other people? Can I go to school without knowing why I am going? Am I smart enough to go to college? Can I handle it? Where do I want to put my handprint in life?

This is definitely a decision that cant be made in the space of one blog post. It's going to have to take a lot of soul searching and maybe even some trial and error. I think I'll apply for school anyway and see where it leads.

As a side note....running. Well, I have ran to the car nearly every morning this last week. I know it doesnt sound like much. But one day I talked myself into thinking it was physically impossible for me to run. Like I didnt know how to do it, or if I tried to do it, I'd only be able to walk. Yeah, I dont know. I am messed up in the head sometimes. But since running to my car daily, I am pretty sure I can go farther now. C25K is downloaded on my iPod and ready to go now. Sometimes I need baby steps to get me going.

Dreams and Nightmares

2011-04-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I used to have 2 reoccurring dreams. One was that some man dressed in a black cape, hat and mask (like Zorro) picked me up and threw me over his shoulder and was taking me away. I tried to scream, but no noise would come out. I remember it clearly to this day. My other reoccurring dream was that my Gma's house was on fire and my parents would only let me grab one of my fancy, lacy dresses to take with me. We had them laid out on the bed, but I was taking too long, so I had to leave them all behind. We came back after the fire and the roof was gone, but my dresses were untouched on the bed, but they said I couldnt have them because they were burned. I dont remember how many times I had those dreams, I just know it was often. In fact, I would wake myself up when I saw the guy in the Zorro outfit coming after me, so I wouldnt have the rest of the dream.

I've been having another reoccurring dream lately. I dream that I am running. Not running away. Not running towards, just running, like for exercise. I am not scared at all, but feel happy and pleased with myself for actually running. I have looked up dream interpretation sites and most deal with running scared. Some say that if you are running alone it means you are going to achieve something or gain riches. Some say that even if you arent scared in the dream, you are running to free yourself from something.

Running Shoes?

So, I have been thinking about this dream a lot. I am freeing myself from a lot of stuff. I am decluttering the house. I am tossing things left and right. I am reorganizing things to make the simpler. We've cut back on bills. I am cutting back on junk food and eating simpler. But what if the dream is literal? I love when I wake up from the dream. I feel good. What if I am supposed to be running? I have avoided running as a physical exercise all my life. I would fake passing out in PE in school so I wouldnt have to run (I hope Coach Barron never reads this! LOL) What if I am missing out on something wonderful?

So, I found a program on SparkPeople a while ago. I actually went and found a podcast of it to put on my iPod. It's called "Couch to 5K". Supposedly it trains you from nothing to running a 5K in 9 weeks...or whatever your pace is. You can repeat weeks if you need to. I think I am going to start it. It looks fairly easy. It starts with 3 days a week of warm up walking for 5 minutes then 90 seconds of walking and 60 seconds of running for 20 minutes and a 5 minute cool down. It sounds doable.

So, when will this start? Will it be a dream or a nightmare? Who knows. I am just pretty sure I am going to try it. I need to get over my embarrassment of being seen running outside of my house. I've been trying to carve out 30 minutes of time that I wont be seen by the high school kids down the street...or the jr. high school kids a little further down the street. I may just have to overcome it all and just do it.

Gifts

2011-04-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

There are so many ways to pick a gift. Some people just run out and grab the first thing they see. Some spend weeks figuring out the perfect thing. Some give what they'd like to get. Some dont seem to put any thought into gifts at all. Some just do whatever is easiest...regift, cash, whatever. I am guilty of all of these ways of picking a gift. I have stopped at Walgreen's on my way to a party and just grabbed the first thing off the shelf. I have given people things I thought were cool and wanted for myself. I have spent weeks finding just the right thing. I have also just stopped by the bank and grabbed some twenties.

I remember a while back my Grandma gave me a Christmas gift. I opened it and thought it was addressed wrong. My Grandma has always been one of my best friends and I thought she knew me better than just about anyone else. Her gifts always meant so much to me before that. But that year she got me a sweater that was; 1. Two sizes too small. 2. Red. I never wear red and dont like red. 3. Had a giant fur collar. Fur collar? Really? 4. It was dry clean only and I had 2 little babies. I even asked her if she meant it for someone else...like my cousin who loved red, had no kids, and was into fancy clothes. Nope...she thought I'd like it.

The gift giver

Well, today I was the recipient of another one of those kinds of gifts. Sure, the fellow meant well. He worked hard to get the gift and probably put a lot of thought into it. He thought it was fun and wanted me to play with it too. I, on the other hand, thought it was awful! And I wasnt sure it was even meant for me...until he tossed it at my feet.

The gift

Our "worst feral cat ever", aka Oreo, brought me a rat. The rat is a lot bigger than what it looks like in the picture. It's a little over 6 inches long, not including tail. I could hear Oreo tossing something around in the corner but the chair was in the way, so I couldnt see what he was doing. He finally brought it out from behind the chair and tossed it right at me and then sat there watching me....then running away from me as I let out a scream. Much craziness ensued as I ran out back and couldnt find the shovel, so I settled for the rake which was twisted up in an old vine and a garden decoration. So, now I am covered in spider webs, ants, dead leaves, rat guts and who knows what else.

Again, my worse gifts ever involve fur and the color red. You cant see the red in the picture because it's on the other side of the rat. I hope everyone learned this lesson...Brandy does not like gifts that are red and/or that have fur.

Tastes Great and Less Crunchy.

2011-03-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

I think R2D2 managed to stop the trash compactor. Monday I sat around and stressed over everything I had to do all week and we ate out....ugh. I am getting to the point where I hate eating out and instead of it being a treat, it's something to dread. Every time we eat out, we get stomach aches. I always feel bloated and sluggy the next day, no matter what I order. We slowly been eliminating restaurants from our going out list. It started about 3 years ago when my husband and I both got food poisoning from Taco Bell. I grew up on Taco Bell and love it. But having food poisoning that lasts 36 hours with another person with it too and only 1 bathroom...well, it wasnt pretty.

Since then we just keep putting places on our "no fly" list. McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, KFC, etc. Right now when we go out we go to these places and these places only....Subway, Eric's Deli, Papa Murphy's Pizza, Outback, and Chili's. And Chili's is working it's way on the no fly list. We go a few other places if people take us to them, but not because we want to.

We've also decided that I can cook better than any of those places. Seriously, there is nothing they serve that is more tasty than what I can make at home. There is nothing I make at home that upsets our stomach or makes us feel ooggy. I need some serious detox from the Baconfest and eating out Monday. So I made some of my granola to sprinkle on my yogurt in the morning. I wont eat yogurt unless it has something crunchy in it. It's not in this picture, but I also added some sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, wheat germ and ground flax seeds this time for some extra oomph!

Apricot Almond Granola
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 20 (1/4 cup)

Ingredients:
6 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup maple syrup (use the real stuff)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
cooking spray
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots

Directions:
Heat oven to 300 degrees
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Add syrup, honey, juice and extract; toss well. Spread mixture evenly into a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 300 for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Stir in cranberries and apricots. Cool completely. Store in a zip-top plastic bag.

Then last night for dinner we had whole wheat pasta, zucchini and yellow squash ribbons with some olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, fresh parsley and fresh basil. No real recipe for that. I just threw it together. It was awesome!

Since I got off my ass on Monday, I have also managed to do 4 loads of laundry, clean the kitchen, fill a box to go to the GoodWill, finished my weekly menu, go grocery shopping and I got my first 2 doc appointments for me out of the way. I also signed up for a 28 Day Bootcamp on Sparkpeople.com. They have a video that's about 10 minutes long to do every day, plus 30 minutes of cardio 5 days a week. I have manged to keep up with that for the last 3 days.

The dentist said my teeth and gums are good! No work needed except to replace a couple of fillings I have had since I was a teenager. And that is not a rush of any kind. He's just keeping an eye on them. My eye doc said physically my eyes are looking good. The nerve is healthy, the retina is nice and clear, pressure is good. I am getting a new pair of reading glasses though. She also said I could go up to a +2 for stitching if I need it. Friday is my mammogram. Hopefully the boobs will get a good check up too! Then next week I have my physical. I havent had a real physical in about 20 years. I already had my bloodwork done a month or so ago. It all looked pretty good, so I expect good things from that doc too.

So, even though my yogurt is crunchy again....time is feeling less crunchy and I am getting things done! I guess I just needed my little mini breakdown to pick myself up and get going.

Finding Time

2011-03-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

A Time for Everything Ecclesiastes 3. 1-8

For everything there is a season,
   a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die;
   a time to plant and a time to harvest;
A time to kill and a time to heal;
   a time to tear down and a time to build up;
A time to cry and a time to laugh;
   a time to grieve and a time to dance;
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones;
   a time to embrace and a time to turn away;
A time to search and a time to quit searching;
   a time to keep and a time to throw away;
A time to tear and a time to mend;
   a time to be quiet and a time to speak;
A time to love and a time to hate;
   a time for war and a time for peace.

Or if you are not into the Bible, then maybe this can work for you. Either way, these are wise words.

I am not religious by any means. And I wont BS you with the "I'm Spiritual" speech either. The truth is, I am lost...or maybe just confused? I am agnostic. I am pretty sure there is something greater than me, but I have no idea what or who it is. Mother Nature? God? Allah? Shiva? Jehovah? Zeus? The Flying Spaghetti Monster? And honestly, I am not sure it really matters. As the great Shepherd Book once said: "I don't care what you believe in, just believe in it." Yes, I just used a quote from a sci-fi movie to sum up my religious beliefs. Humans need belief and faith, that's about what I know. I hope I didnt offend anyone. That's not my intention. I just got a little off track. This post is supposed to be about time.

Back to time.

I am in such a time crunch this week. I am feeling stressed with no time for anything. I feel like I am in the garbage compacter in Star Wars. (yes, I am letting my sci-fi geekiness shine today!) Everything is just squeezing in on me. Between today and Saturday my husband and I have 6 doctor appointments. I have my 6 month dentist appointment. I also have my mammogram this week, which totally sucks because it's PMS week and the girls are SORE! We each have our yearly eye appointments. He also has 2 physical therapy appointments for his back. None of the appointments overlap...hopefully. We have 2 that might be a close call. It wouldnt be so bad if we had more than 1 car, but we dont. Thankfully next week only has 5 appts scheduled. :| (that was sarcasm, just in case you didnt catch it...and yes, we really do have 5 next week too!)

Today is grocery shopping day, and I didnt get a chance to make my weekly menu up this weekend because of the big family dinner on Sunday. We also didnt get any laundry done over the weekend, so I need to get both of us some clean clothes. I have to make a call about my magazine subscription. Somehow I ended up with 2 subs. I called to have them combined. I got a renewal notice this week saying my sub is expiring....it should be going until 2013 now. The house is a mess... especially the kitchen...again with the big family dinner taking blame. LOL My son needs rides to go turn in work applications. I have to get over to the local community college and meet with the guidance counselor for school in the fall. I can probably push this one back a week or two, but want to make sure it gets done.

Here's a biggy I am really dreading. I have to finally get things settled with the DMV. This will not be fun. I tried it 2 years ago and didnt get anywhere. This time I need to get it fixed. In 2006(?) I let my daughter use my old Honda. She ended up totaling it. I called this place that took my old Saturn away and scrapped it. You give them the signed over title and the car and they scrap it for free and do all the paperwork. It was so smooth with the Saturn I decided to let them do the Honda too. Things went well, until they never turned in the paperwork to the DMV about it being scrapped. So, the DMV has been charging me registration for the last 4 years. Two years ago, I went in and told them the story and you know what they told me? I had to have the title and the license plate and turn them in with the paperwork from the scrap yard...which is find an dandy, but the scrap yard scrapped the car, license plate and all, took the title and lost it, and lost all the other paperwork too. The DMV lady said there was no way to help me without the required items!! The scrap yard said they never heard of me...except for the Saturn. WTF??? So, me and the DMV need to sit down and have a nice long talk about how to resolve this. Do I need to report it stolen? Is there something else they can do? The scrap yard picked up the car while I wasnt home, so I didnt get a receipt. Yes, I know...stupid of me. Whatever...too late now. I have learned my lesson.

And here's the thing most wont understand. Our two guild masters in World of Warcraft quit this week. Yes, I am a gamer. I dont talk about it much on here though, but it's true. I am a senior officer in the guild so it puts a little extra stress on me to make sure everyone else in the guild is comfortable and doesnt get all freaked out. Yeah, I know...it's just a game. It's only online, blah blah blah. But there are real people who spend a lot of their time invested in our little group. We cant have it just crashing down and wasted all the invested time. What makes it worse, I was planning on stepping down from a leadership role because of time constraints. Well, having a bunch step down at once is bad. It's like when a company loses the CEO, COO and the CFO all at once...you know you are on a sinking ship and people start to bail.

Even my character, Lunarune, knows how to spend some time relaxing and destressing. She always goes fishing when she needs a break.

I also HAVE to get back into my exercise routine. This is also not an option. I have to get Brad to do his exercises for his back. Yes, I know, he's an adult and it's not my responsibility to make him do things, but I really need to and it'll make me do mine strength training too! I need to spend more time cooking healthy meals instead of running to Subway. I need to get up and have a healthy breakfast instead of grabbing whatever is laying around. I need to not forget to eat in the middle of the day because I a busy with everything else. I also need to keep up with my blog. Sounds weird, but it makes me think about things and sometimes see them from a different perspective. It's for my mental health to keep this up.

When I was younger, I used to be able to handle stress better. I took a child birth class that taught us how to use meditation to bring down our heart rate, manage pain and reduce blood pressure. I could go from a racing heart to down below my resting rate in a matter of a couple of minutes. I could feel stress and pain flow from my body. Somewhere along the line I lost it. Now I get stressed thinking about being stressed. I wonder if they'll let me back in a child birth class to relearn this stuff??

Anyway, I am going to go take a few deep breaths, crack open my old dusty Bible and meditate on Ecclesiastes for a while. Then maybe I'll break out my yoga or belly dancing dvd and do my exercise. Although, it is sunny out for the first time in weeks. Maybe I'll tie on my running shoes and go for a walk. It's a time for me.

Doing the right thing.

2011-03-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

I am not just talking about the moral right things like helping little old ladies across the street or returning lost wallets. I am talking about doing things that are right for us, our health and our lives, personally. Eating good for you foods, exercising, generally taking care of ourselves. Making ourselves a priority.

It sounds like it should be simple. I have spent most of my life taking care of other people. My little brother when my mom had to work, my kids, my grandparents, my husband, other people's kids. I am practically a guru at taking care of other people. I've fed them all healthy meals, looked after their medications, taken them to the doc, made them exercise, helped them overcome bad habits, everything for them.

Now my brother is a grown man doing great for himself and his family. My kids are practically grown. I only have one 19 year old boy at home. My grandma I have been taking care of moved away. My husband is clean and sober and a year away from getting his Bachelors. I dont do daycare anymore. I ran out of people to take care of.

Did I? Did I really run out of people to take care of? No, I have just forgotten the most important person I need to take care of. Me. Dont I look pleasant here? Scowl on my face. An extra 100lbs all over me. We've barely walked a mile and I am already huffing and puffing and my face is all red. Obviously I havent been taking care of my self or doing the right thing. I completely let myself go! My poor husband! He's spent the last 3 years getting his shit together and mine is screwed up. You can even see the psychological mess here. It shows on my face. It shows in my posture. I look defeated. I felt defeated. You can definitely see the physical mess. Flabby, fat, out of shape.

So, I started to try and take care of myself. After 5 months I had gone from 247 to less than 220. I had totally changed my eating habits. I was eating 3 squares a day and a couple of small snacks. I was eating way more fruits and veggies. I had swapped out all my pasta, rice, bread, etc for whole grain items. I was doing 60 minutes of strength exercise a week. I was doing at least 120 minutes of cardio a week. I felt better all around. I was no longer getting daily stomach aches. My moods were so much better. My PMS was almost nonexistent. You can just feel the good energy coming off me.

Then I stopped. Why? I dont know. I should be a pro at this. I have had so much practice with other people. But it doesnt work that way. It's sooooo hard! How do people find the motivation? I know people who will get up at ungodly hours every morning to take a 2 hour spin on their bike (you know who you are!!). My first reaction is that they are crazy....super, duper, crazy. Who gets up at 3AM to exercise when they have a 6AM flight somewhere? On the other hand, I admire her ability to be that dedicated to herself. What an example she is! If you dont have time to take care of yourself, make it happen. Put yourself first.

I have all the tools to be successful at losing weight and getting fit. I even know how to use the tools. I proved that to myself already. I know what I need to do and how to do it. I just dont do it. I need to figure out why I dont do it. Am I not worth it? Am I lazy? Do I lack motivation? It wasnt really that hard before. I set my alarm. Exercised for 30 minutes. Ate breakfast. Showered. Went on with my day. blah blah blah. Lately I have been going to bed at 10:30PM. I get up at 5:30AM and sleep drive my husband to the train. Then I crawl back in bed and sleep until 9AM or later. That's 11 hours in bed!! Now who's the crazy one?? Definitely me.

This is definitely going to take some further thought from me. Maybe it's just the winter blues? Whatever it is, I need to get over it ASAP. So, here's the plan. I am going back to tracking my food and exercise on Sparkpeople. I am going to start setting my alarm every night so I get up in the morning. Yes, even this weekend. Tonight I will do my strength exercise even if Brad doesnt do his. Here's my new before picture. It was taken on the beach this last weekend. I am a priority. I am worth it. I can do it. It is easy.

Ebb and Flow

2011-03-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

Things come and go in life. Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's not. Only time will tell which is which. Items thrown in the ocean are often carried out to sea. Sometimes the tide will toss them back on shore within seconds or minutes. Sometimes the sea will carry the item through the currents and over the waves, too greedy to let it go. Sometimes the sea just borrows and item, tossing it back on shore months or years later.

My husband and I have started collecting sea glass. This is glass that's been tumbled in the surf until it's edges are softened and it's frosted by the sand and rocks. It comes in all colors and can be found on just about any beach. Some beaches are more prone to sea glass though. One of these beaches we visited last weekend. We took a long weekend up the Northern California coast to a town called Westport.

It's about a half hour north of Fort Bragg and the famous Glass Beach. The little bottle in the picture above is some shells and sea glass that we have found. As you can see, the beach is made up of just about even parts of rock, sand and sea glass. It's amazing to see in person.

How did all that glass get there? The first story I heard was that there used to be a glass factory on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Fort Bragg. One particually nasty winter the storms pounded the cliff below the factory until eventually the factory and all of it's glass fell into the ocean.

It sounds romantic in a sad way, the ocean overtaking the factory and losing all that lovely glass to have it returned to shore in the form of sea glass that is so pretty

The real story is a bit less romantic. Ft. Bragg has a lot of damage after the 1906 earthquake (you know the one...it leveled San Francisco). There was so much debris from the business' and houses that were damaged that they had no where to put all the garbage. They ended up tossing it over the cliffs and into the ocean. It became and official dump in the 1940's and on up until the 1960's. Can you imagine throwing your garbage into such a beautiful place??

In a way, I am glad they did it. It's good to know that something so nasty and dirty can turn into something so beautiful and special.

The weekend on the coast renewed my husband's and my love of the ocean. I managed to finish "The Lighthouse" by Bent Creek. I am looking up interesting crafting ideas for my sea glass. And of course, Martha Stewart never fails me. And how about a framed sea glass heart?

I have even been considering making my own fake sea glass. I have two shoe boxes full of tiny glass scraps from my stained glass making. The pieces are too small for making stained glass with, but might be perfect for sea glass crafts. All I need to do us buff out the sharp edges and then use the glass frosting acid to make them look like sea glass. It'll be a lot of work, but I think it'd be fun and I wouldn't have to worry about tossing out thousands of pieces of glass since they are of no use to me.

An a more personal note, the ocean just tossed back and old "friend" via Facebook this morning. This woman I considered my best friend for a while. We lived about a block away from each other. Our families did everything together. Then I decided I needed to divorce my first husband. I went to her and she hurt me deeply. She said that if I divorced my husband that, basically, we wouldn't be friends anymore. I did what I needed to do and left my husband. That's been 12-13 years ago and we've hardly spoken more than 100 words to each other since then. This morning, she shows up in my friends request. Just when I am wanting to rid myself of unneeded people in my life.

So, do I accept the request and hope she's something beautiful coming out of something nasty like the sea glass? Do I ignore the request? What if I accept and find out she's just a dead and decaying whale on the shore? Life is about taking chances and even giving second chances. It wont be the end of the world if I accept and it turns out bad. I have the power to delete the relationship online, and it's not like the relationship will go any further than Facebook at this point anyway. I am just going to go with the flow and accept.

Deconstruction

2011-03-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

Anti-crafting? Un-crafting? De-crafting? This is a latch hook rug that my grandmother started with all the scraps from old projects. She used to make latch hook rugs all the time for her pets to lay on. She put it in a box and gave it to me to give away to someone who'd want to finish it. The box got knocked over and my cats just love the rug!

I, on the other hand, dont love it so much. I dont want my poor kitties to go without their own, personal, latch hook rug though. So, I am spending my tv time pulling out each individual piece of yarn. My husband and I have decided we want to do our bedroom in an ocean theme, so I will redo the rug in blues and greens to go with that.

I kinda feel bad about undoing all of my Gma's work, but it has to be done. I am trying to let go of things I dont love and dont want. I dont love the rug as it was started. I do love the idea of making a rug of my color choosing with my Gmas old supplies.

I dont know why it's so hard for me to give things up. My house is filled with clutter. Not nearly as bad and my grandmother or my great aunts houses were, but bad enough. I started to go through stuff and toss things. That lasted for about 3 days. Last year I started losing weight (which I dont love), and lost about 30lbs. Then I stopped. At least I havent gained it all back.

So maybe this rug will symbolize the start of purging again. Purging my home of unwanted, unneeded items. Purging my life of unneeded people. Purging my body of unneeded fat. Purging my soul of unneeded worry and stress. I want my home to be beautiful. I want my life to be simple. I want my body to be healthy. I want my soul to be free.

Do over!

2011-03-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

That's right. I called a do-over on this blog. Out with the old, in with the new.

From now on, this will be a little bit more personal and less about stitching...although there will still be stitching! I just need a place to vent, keep track of hopes and dreams, think things through, and all that fancy stuff. I have so many things going on with life or that I want to have happen, that I need a central place to put it all. It's too hard having a separate blog for recipes, stitching, weight loss, etc. I just dont have time for all of that silliness.

So, now I have a brand new look, and, hopefully in the next day or so, I'll have something interesting to say. Ha!