She said, "I only fold the clothes I wear," so we said: "Here, try these on:"

And then she was like, "Oh no you didn't" and we were like: "Oh yes we did."  And then we gave her a new hat:

~if you want to see a screwed up film, i recommend hard candy
~if you want to see a beautiful film that will make you cry, i recommend the fall
~if you want to see a brilliantly adapted book to film (a superb story), i recommend perfume: the story of a murderer

loxley had her 2 month check up yesterday and it was eventful. she weighed 10 lbs 9 oz (51st percentile) but she was a wopping 23.5 inches (91st percentile!). her doctor said she is very long and lean but should average out soon. i hope so...i've already had to move all her bumgeniuses to the second level. :( there are a lot of women i know that brag about their babies hitting milestones early...I AM NOT ONE OF THEM! i want my ginger snap to grow up at a "normal" pace so i can savor every second i have with her. my heart actually broke a little when some random woman told me she looked like a 3 month old. NO! she is only 2 months! *sniff* and so i move on... she also got her first round of vaccines so she's been a little fussy ball of fever, but not as bad as i was told she might be.

also!  the doctor is pretty sure her eyes will be blue...wished they would be her daddy's beautiful green, but at least they aren't my boring brown.

in other news: happiness =

the cost of sleep deprivation =

dragon book excerpts! =

i have begun to sense a theme to my clothing =

and loxley's =

birth announcement project =

what was going to be my labor project, but it got addictive a couple weeks before =

and finally...my darling apple tart/binky bear/dinky-doo/loxley tetra looking more and more like me everyday! =

And Matt gave the babe some ice cream to try in a most unusual way.

if i could teach a class on parenting, it would go something like this:

"hello class, there is one rule of parenting...here it is...do not plan anything...and if you do, know that you will probably change your tune.  class dismissed."

that's a big one.  NO PLANS PEOPLE...NO PLANS!

here's one that i had to change real quick: i had planned to use half prefold cloth diapers w/covers and the other half one size AIOs (bumGenius 3.0). welllllll turns out that i will be 86ing the prefolds in favor of all AIOs (which i will hopefully be purchasing tomorrow). here are the reasons:
1. she grows out of prefolds very quickly and, as it turns out, it would still cost about $200 more bucks over her diaper lifetime so why wouldn't i just pay another $100 onto that up front to get all AIO's?
2. no one (even people who have used prefolds before) will use them when changing her so that means i am the only person that has to put in the extra (albeit little) more to change her
3. the snappis are uncomfortable for her and pins scare me so i won't use them
4. the prefolds are WAY less absorbent and she cries a whole lot harder due to the discomfort of the sensation
5. AIOs are so much freakin easier and i am resolved to making everything as easy as possible

some random things: our libraries in portland are amazing. they sent us a welcome baby package that contained a card app. for Loxley, growing reader dvd & book, story book, AND 4 tickets for free books when we visit the library! i feel so blessed to live somewhere where reading is such an important part of daily life. it is wonderful to have that kind of support and encouragement.

sometimes i am completely scared of my daughter. i don't mean that she is rosemary's baby or anything, but sometimes i am just frightened that i will not be able to take care of her. like, she will cry and i will not be able to figure out what she needs. and sometimes i think i am the only person in the world that she doesn't like. she will pass out in everyone's arms if she is having a crying fit, but will calm down very slowly when i hold her. i have read that this is because she "shuts off" with other people because they are overstimulating her and that she "stays on" with me because she trusts me, but i feel absolutely horrid that i can't get my little apple tart to feel better immediately.

i feel a sense of panic sometimes that i am wasting time with Loxley when she is awake when i am not completely stimulating her.  if i am not talking, reading, bouncing, playing, or etc with her, i feel like she will be cognitively and/or emotionally stunted.

so much has changed since i became a mother and they are things i could not have foreseen:
1. i NEVER judge parents now (one exception: baby leashes...i don't think i'll ever be ok with those)
2. i have learned to do a lot with my feet
3. i have learned to survive on 6-7 hours of sleep
4. i used to be able to pay attention to a hundred things at once, but now (esp. when Loxley is crying) i can only focus on my baby
5. i have a LOT more patience for everything
6. i no longer waste energy on being offended/hurt/annoyed/angry at people. i just don't have the energy to care about negative things
7. i feel sympathy for people that i previously felt annoyed by...and i feel bad about how i used to view them
8. i thought that if i had a girl, i would still dislike pink but i admit that i almost cried after seeing my darling in her blue and green take home outfit...she looked like a boy and i hated it!

THINGS I WISH I HAD KNOWN:
1. baby poops are do not happen all at once; they are a process
2. yes, babies sleep a lot of the time, but it is erratic and most of the time you need to be holding them

3. belly buttons stink at first (of course, it IS rotting flesh...)

soundtrack of my current life:

love rollercoaster-red hot chili peppers (esp. the first few days of breastfeeding...man, if i could bottle whatever hormones were surging through my body to sell on the street...)

what a man-salt n peppa (<3 my husband is the best!)

...oh!  she's awake...tbc

And the video of Loxley and Zia :)

VIDEO: bestill my beating heart...she smiles in her sleep

Note: Double-left click the movie to expand the viewing area as you'll miss her head otherwise!

And some more photos:

Video of Loxley Foot-Printed

More photos/videos with Melinda are forthcoming...

loxley tetra was born at 6:25 on monday may 11th.

she is completely healthy and looks shockingly like me.  i mean, it is almost scary how alike we look!

thank you all for your well wishes and i will write her whole birth story later

for now, i am going to try to get some sleep while my little apple tart sleeps next to me

Blooper #1

Blooper #2

The Real Message

thank you.

now here's the point of this blog:

me: can you massage right here on my neck?

him: i can try

me: mmmmhmmm...right there...that hurts so good...do you feel that knot?

him: mhmm...you're very knotty...

*lol* get it?  knotty...naughty?...

ok, off for a walk.  like that will do anything.  but we'll see.

seriously.  incredible.

well, i have learned to trust my little fetus.  yes yes, my darling Algae is not being stubborn.  what is actually happening is that he/she knew that mommy and daddy wanted to see star trek but it would have been impossible because they would be taking care of their little baby pumpkin.  so, baby pumpkin decided not to arrive!  although it's not opening till tomorrow, "uncle" matt scored us all tickets for a showing tonight!  i think i'll go as a betazoid...

see what an awesome kid i made???  it's totally holding out on being borned (yes, i said borned on purpose) and having an awesome life because it is so self sacrificing.

i think i'll get Algae that pony after all...

Today is: beverage day: which is a day in which we kick back and enjoy our favorite beverage. mine? an ice cold coca cola!

international no diet day: which means that i will not have to feel guilty about drinking my coca cola! hmm...do you think that these two days were put together on purpose?

national nurses day: hmmmmmmm.....HINT HINT ALGAE! lets go pay tribute to the nurses of OHSU by letting them meet you!

and potentially the most ironic: national tourist appreciation day: which is a day in which i would really appreciate you if you decided to visit the outside world.

today's history: sigmund freud was born in 1856 (*lol*) the eiffel tower opened up in 1889 Ah, the Hindenburg explosion occurred in 1937 george clooney was born in 1961 paula jones presses sexual harassment charges against bill clinton in 1991 the last titanic survivor died in 2006

for serious now folks! these are great celebrations to be born into. but until this kid decides to vacate (i'm assuming they are still waiting for the moving van to arrive...which is a trial i completely understand and won't hold against them), i will be kicking back with my coca cola and playing paper mario

please, algae, please. i want to be able to brag about this. sure, cinco de mayo is a worthy day...and may 7th is national day of prayer...but...but...but...today is STAR WARS DAY! come on! don't you want to be known for something great just for being born?

from day 1 of finding out to today!

so here's the recap of our appt today:

dilation=1-2 cm

effacement=50%

mucus plug=gone

membranes=stripped (did NOT hurt like i was lead to believe it would)

algae's head is very very low evidently (which explains all the pelvic floor discomfort in the mornings!)

midwife said that everything looks great and thinks things will get moving very smoothly very soon

the midwife, poor thing, tried to humor me:

her: i don't like to make predictions, but i think it won't be long now

me: so...when you say not long...how long would that be?

her: i'd say sooner rather than later

me: so...when you say sooner...how long does that mean?

her: *a little ruffled but remaining calm* i'd say to go ahead and keep your 41 week appointment, but we'll probably end up canceling it

**************************

alright, so i will be honest and say that this last week of pregnancy...well, last 4-5 days has been really difficult for me.  no, it's not been painful or too uncomfortable.  it's been boring!  i have always heard that i will be miserable the last month, but never for this reason.  the physical has not been too bad.  of course, i expected much worse based on what i've been told.  but the nursery is done, house is completely sterile, bags packed, shopping done, bases covered, plans made...all i can really do now is keep up on laundry, make the bed, and play video games.  i kind of feel like i did in may of 07 when i was waiting for summer classes to begin.  i had nothing to keep me occupied until the next thing began.  sure, i have some books and crafts, but i am just too anxious to start those.  bah.  i should go ahead and start them.  i know!  i'll start working on the basket of clothing that needs mended.  yes yes, good good.  i will do that!

adieu all!  i'll keep you posted!

aunt sarah putting together the rocker from great aunt debi:

the crib/trundle drawer from jason:

odds and ends for the nursery:

*drumroll*

finished!

door with beautiful sea life decals

"panoramic" view

exciting changing station with mom's dancing/singing funshine bear

it is amazing how intrusive people can be with pregnant women.  i am simply startled at how many people will randomly come up to me and talk to me about the pregnancy.  and they ask the most personal questions.  like if i'm planning on breastfeeding and etc.  i don't think about it at the time, but afterward i am completely shocked by their audacity.  it's none of their damn business what i'm doing with my boobs thank you very much!

why, just today a neighbor (whom i have never met) knocked on my door and offered us a baby carrier.  i declined because we already have 2 but was very cheery and polite to her.  i hope she didn't think i was rude!  are you supposed to just accept gifts that are offered regardless?  i think it's sweet and everything that people are so kind, but it's a little eerie.  this person i have never met before i got pregnant...is she going to start inviting herself over to see my baby?  i just don't know what to make of it.

but!  onto other things!

random cool jar w/button wires from mumsie...works great with our current "decor":

here are some pictures from the baby shower (the theme was "hawaiian pirates in wonderland" in case you were wondering): our arrival "pre lei"-christopher, me, mary, sarah

"post lei"

incredible cake!  it's Algae dressed as pirate Alice with a cheshire cat!

******************

here are some pictures of the flannel baby wipes I made.  Sarah and I spent quite a bit of time picking out the fabrics.  they are 5x7 double layered flannel.  i paid 10 bucks for the fabric (1/2 yard of 8 fabrics) and made 60 wipes!  it took all of predator and an episode of house md just to cut them out and a couple hours to piece/sew together.  i'm really happy with the results!

from chuck..basically the most awesome present from the most awesome brother in law:

*******************

belly pix!

week 38

week 39

look mom!  i have a shelf!

********************************************

amazingly awesome baby things:

*********************** some crafts that are on my list:

i am no expert, but i really think that the ease of my pregnancy can be very much attributed to a wonderful husband/marriage, very supportive friends, and the acupuncture treatments i have been getting.  a note on acupuncture: i really have no basis of comparison so it's not like i can give you scientific proof of how well it works for me vs. how i would be if i didn't go, but i think that it does work very well for me as i leave that place every friday with a feeling that cannot be described accurately by anything other than the word "serene".

anyhow, belly pictures! weeks 35, 36, & 37 respectively

here are some of the awesome things we got:

travel system

baby wrap carrier

seahorse!

play mat!

cushy glider to rock my baby in

actually received 2 of these! they are completely precious!

bassinet

crib!

we also received cloth diapers, some storage baskets, blankets, clothing, books...we were completely blessed!

i will post pictures, but right now i'm going to go mail the thank you cards.

keep checking back for updates

click me!

scene I: at work

customer: *calls* hi, i just bought the 3 little pigs play set and the 3rd pig is missing.  all the houses, 2 pigs, and the wolf are there though

me: oh!  i'm really sorry about that.  let me just see if we have anymore...*checks* i'm really sorry but that was our last one.  what we can do though is let you use that set until we get another one in and then we can exchange it out for the new one if you'd like

customer: ok

me: let me just get your details...*while getting out the customer log* hey, by the way did you try looking in the wolf's stomach?

customer: *dead silence*

me: um, because in the story...the wolf eats the...

customer: *dead silence*

me: ok!  well, let me just get your name and number and i'll have the owner contact you as soon as she comes in thursday!

customer: ok.

***********************************************

scene II: at the midwife (today)

me: so at what week do you begin routinely checking the cervix?

midwife: we usually don't check it unless you are curious as to when the baby is coming

me: oh!  so it's more for prediction...i guess i never realized that.  i just thought it was something all practitioners do

midwife: yes, some doctors will have you start around 37 weeks, but it's really not medically necessary unless you have a special cervix

me: OH!  let me tell you...my cervix is VERY special...i am told all the time!

midwife: *serious* really?  what exactly have you been told?

me: um...it was a joke.  as in, my cervix is just really awesome?

***in her defense, she did try to recover and said later that they were really into cervixes there.  medical practitioners of almost every type get a pass if they at least try to have a sense of humor as most of them are just devoid of any emotion/patience/personality/etc. at all.

****************************************************************

belly pix!

week 33:

week 34 (aka WOAH GETTING BIG):

totally worth $2:

why?:

DANGIN IT!  i guess i'll have to move the kerosene heater away from the crib!:

me: i know what you mean.  in dragon warrior, if you die, you automatically respawn with your life and magic renewed, but they take half your money.  if you have 2 gold, they take one.  if you have a million, they take half a million.

him: half a million?

me: yeah, they have a sliding scale for resurrections.

*********************

at our appointment with the midwife on tuesday, she let us know that algae is currently in breech.  although algae moves around a ton and still has plenty of room, she recommended checking into acupuncture treatments; particularly moxibustion.

my only experience with acupuncture was watching christopher try it for his neuropathic pain.  it didn't work for him, but then again, his problems would have needed quite a bit more than one treatment to see any results.  i was not necessarily skeptical when she told me about it but i guess i was a little surprised for it to be recommended as i had completely written off acupuncture in my mind.

anyhow, i talk to the acupuncturist and read a few stories that people have about it and was thinking it sounded hokey but i signed up for a session anyway.

well, earlier today i was reading about herbal medicine and one of the books mentioned that a common argument against herbal medicine is that there is no research on the effectiveness of such remedies but there actually is.  i realized then that wow, i had totally taken for granted that there wasn't research because that is what i've always heard.  in fact, i would bet money that i've used this argument against this health care option myself.

with this new perception, i looked up research on moxibustion for breech babies and guess what?  yeah, i found a research article published in jama about it!  in case you don't feel like reading it, the research found that there was a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups that used moxibustion to turn breech babies.  i'm pretty excited to do this treatment now!

this morning, while i was making christopher breakfast, he began what i thought was going to be a very serious conversation, which is why i agreed to speak at 7 am in the first place (normally i just grunt and sometimes get up enough strength to tell him to be quiet).

him: babe, can i run a few scenarios by you and you can let me know what you think?

me: (thinking this will be important) sure

him: who would win in a fight?...ironman or dr. manhattan?

me: dr. manhattan

him: spiderman and batman or dr. manhattan?

me: dr. manhattan...predator or dr. manhattan?  dr. manhattan.  alien or dr. manhattan?  dr. manhattan.

him: always dr. manhattan?

me: that's why he's the indistructable man.  he's indistructable

him: you could make him leave the planet though by making him depressed.  his weakness is depression just like all humans.

me: fuckin-a.

***********************************************

pregnancy: an observation in the differences of male and female strangers

i have found that most women are either really really really sweet about me being pregnant while others take on superior-know-it-all attitudes.  women either say congrats and when are you due or they launch into their knowledge on the situation.  like yesterday i was getting a coffee and the barrista mentioned that she was curious about how caffeine and pregnancy mixed.  i told her that the actual research shows that caffeine has been linked to low birth weight, but that is only prevalent in cases where caffeine intake has be really high (5 cups or so a day...which is 4 more than my 1).  she said that she was concerned about being pregnant because of her addiction to caffeine.  i told her that i really haven't changed much but kind of go with the attitude that anything in moderation shouldn't be a problem with rare exception.

or at least i tried to do this.  i got most of it out, but the women in line after me kept interrupting me by telling the barrista her perspective on the whole deal...which was exactly what i was saying.  it was like she needed to get it out first or something.  what's worse is when i tried to agree with her by talking about things like the theory of the sterile environment as it plays into increasingly sick children, she would glance at me and continue talking to the barrista.  um, is it just me or was the original question directed at me and not this lady?

i've read that some women have problems dealing with the shift of attention to the baby after pregnancy and i would not be surprised if this was one of those cases.  i'm actually not sure how i feel about the attention i'm getting.  i don't think i'll be sad to see it go as there is a lot of negative attention from women that seem to have wet sand in their panties.

on the other hand, men are adorable when it comes to pregnant women.  i've had so many men randomly ask me when i'm due with huge smiles on their faces.  it is truly refreshing to know that there are men out there that actually LIKE children.  these guys will then go on to tell me all about their kids and how they assisted in the births and where their wives delivered ("where are you delivering?  oh!  that's where we went...blah blah blah...").  they always end the conversations with congrats and well wishes.

i would be willing to say that more men have shown happiness for me than women have even acknowledged me!  i am not sure i want to know why, but it probably has a lot to do with the fact that women tend to be very opinionated about how they raise their children and if you disagree with them then it is an all out war for them to convince you that they are right.

oh, and i also look really good pregnant and they were probably all miserable hags.  *tee hee*

*********************************************

  really good book...if algae is a boy, his middle name will be hatter in honor of hatter madigan from this book.

******************************************

we've been adding bits and pieces to the nursery here and there.  we painted, made some curtains, and found the CUTEST nightlight known to man!

sarah's long over due christmas present (along with her bad manners): 

leonard's 29th birthday at marrakesh restaurant...a very expensive but amazing experience (and they MEAN 5 course dinner):  

finally, belly pictures!!!

week 30:

week 31:

week 32:

him: JINX!

i am the proud owner of the above item. it is one of the best household appliances i have EVER owned. (although mine is purple!)

we have some insane mold here in portland and this steamer totally gets rid of it!  i am so excited to steam our whole apartment.  it cleans and sterilizes almost EVERYTHING...not just counter tops but even windows, mattresses, mirrors, upholstery...

and there are no chemicals!  for serious!  i have no idea why i am only now getting this.

Week 21 Week 22 Week 23 Week 24

Week 25 Week 26 Week 27 Week 28 Week 29

on the negative side, this means that i tend to have to wait for books to be returned/transfered to my branch.  a small price to pay...i assure you.

him: will there be egg salad tomorrow?

me: i don't know...will there be ice cream tonight?

him:  i don't know, but if you go to the store can you get me some beer?

me: *dumbfounded*

wow.

depending on where the stomach is being held, the hand/arm serves a function.  for example, if you see me holding my hand/arm on the top of my belly, take a closer look.  i am not cuddling my child to be so much as i am using my upper limb as a wedge between my boobs and ever growing upper belly.  if i don't do this, then a crevice forms where heat and moisture lock in creating an itchy and raw red line.

another position is under the belly.  this one is a bit sillier, i admit, but i haven't stopped doing it because i think it might help.  here's the issue: after sitting for a while, algae chills lower in my uterus.  when i stand up...they start to roll around like they are housed in their own jungle gym.  this sensation causes me to instantly grab hold for fear of the little guy/gal falling out.  yeah, i know it won't fall out...BUT having my hand there helps me push them back to a comfortable position.

so next time you see a preggo chick holding her belly, you might be right to think it's any number of things...but if you see me doing it, i'm either acting as my own over the shoulder boulder holder or hikin up my kid.

me: oh yes!  if it's a boy, his name will be link and if it's a girl, her name will be loxley

zia: *pause* oh...those are...different

me: (prepared for the knowing disapproval of names that aren't "jayden" or "ava") yea, we want to be different but these names aren't too different

zia: as long as you don't put an apostrophe anywhere in their name!  besides, babies grow into their names

me: oh yeah!  so my child will either turn out to be the hero of time or a character in a mel brooks movie.  either way it should be entertaining

probably posted before, but SO beautiful:

i know i've posted this song before, but it's a new video subject...and a heck of a song:

when i wake up at night with itchy feet, he wakes up and puts lotion on them

he makes me breakfast every morning (as well as lunch and dinner most days too...although that will change when he starts his new job on feb. 2)

i was eating a fruit salad he had made me when he came home with a slice of chocolate cake from the store

he thinks my big belly is pretty

going to make some mac n cheese!

so far (lol 3 days in) i have been able to keep to this reading "resolution".  thing is, a few days before new years i decided to ax the idea of making it a "resolution".  i had borrowed a few books from the library and decided that it would be silly to wait for new years to start reading.  but if i did start reading, then it would mess up all my careful calculations that i had planned out for optimal book reading output.  that's when i realized that, for the same reason i could never be a seamstress as a profession, it would be a bad idea to force reading onto myself.  i don't want to loose my passion for it and i don't think that adding extra pressure would be a good thing.

so...no new years resolutions.  well, not official ones.  let's put it this way: i plan to be nicer this year.  what was that?  you already thought i was nice?  oh, i am nice.  to most people.  but some people grate on my nerves like a bone joint without cartilage.  it is to these people that i am showing a lot more patience.  when i talk to them i tell myself "their problems do not effect me and so i will not be annoyed by their stupidity at screwing up their life".  it works like a charm.  i have a heck of a lot more patience now.

*********************

some pictures now!

belly!  22w3d 

ultrasound!  couldn't get full profile as algae was squirmin like a little worm, but we will complete the anatomy scan on jan. 15th.  (btw, during the scan they reworked my due date to be may 4th)

SNOW!   <--ice chunk off car

my first gnocchi!

algae's first teddy (which actually looks like an annoyed version of my teddy)

a gift from the best husband in the world!

finger puppets for ellie!

NEW YEARS SMOOCH!  (went to sleep directly after)

***********************

the job search is officially on.  i have applied to few positions i would really like and some not so much.

oh!  here's a funny job story.  i applied to a preschool and was given an interview.  fabulous place.  gorgeous.  would love to send my child there.  during the interview the owner made it clear that, althought the ad said $10+, this did not mean salary was dependent upon experience.  i explained that i have student loans coming up as well as child care.  she said i could bring algae, but that i'd only get a 15% discount.  *lol*  at $1240 a month to begin with, i don't think so!  i asked if there was a salary bump for having a master's degree.  she said that most of the people there have bachelors, several master's, and a few phd's.  hmm...a phd working for $10?  that's a little fishy to me.  i highly doubt that.

anyhow...she told me she'd let me know by friday.  i was hoping she would reject me so i wouldn't have to tell her that there was no way that i could work for anything less than $15...and that's with full benefits and bringing algae for free.  i got an email yesterday rejecting me.  *phew* but wait!  the reason she rejected me is because...get this...she found someone with higher credentials that me for the position.

ok, hang on.  so you were able to find someone with HIGHER credentials than an honors level master's degree to work for $10 an hour and crappy benefits?  you found someone with more education than me to help change diapers and babysit?  *ROFLMAO* yeah...right.   i seriously wanted to laugh in her face when i read it.  what a pretentious bitch.  i'm sorry, but that is just down right insulting.  maybe you found someone with more experience, but NOT credentials.  that's ridiculous.

*lol* *wipes tear away* that's some funny stuff.   i will be telling people that story and enjoying their perplexed, shocked, and disgusted looks at the audacity of this woman for the rest of my life.

and the search continues...the postings for a couple of the positions have just closed this past week so i am hoping to hear something within a week or so.  cross those fingers and pray!

me: hi, do you carry kwik sew patterns?

her: yes!  we have it's so easy and a lot of others.  was there a certain number you were looking for?

me: 3324

her: 3324...hmm...any particular size?

me: small preferably

her: hmm...do you know if that is by simplicity or mccalls?

me: no, it's by kwik sew.  it's a kwik sew pattern.  k.w.i.k.

her: ok...do you have it in front of you right now?

me: i see it online.  (why would i need to buy it if i had it in front of me?)

her: ok, let me ask someone...

......

......

her: ma'am?  it looks like we don't carry kwik sew in the store.

him: your pizza is getting cold.  are you going to eat it?

me: i'm very succeptable to cheese burn.

**************

today:

him: eat your grilled cheese before it gets cold!

me: i told you!  i am succeptable to cheese burn!

q: when are you due?

a: according to my calculations, May 3 but according to the first sonogram, May 7

q: do you know the sex?

a: no

q: are you going to find out?

a: no, we think it will be the coolest surprise on the planet!

q: then how will you know to buy pink or blue?

a: we're not into the whole gender thing.  besides, yellow and green are prettier!

q: do you have any names picked out?

a: yes

q: what are they?

a: i'd tell you but then i'd have to kill you.  ok, i'll tell you, but if i find out that anyone names their children the following names, i WILL draw blood.  and yes, i DO have a right to these names.  for a boy: link (as in legend of zelda link), for a girl: loxley (as in robin hood...the one from men in tights...)

q: will you name the baby after me?

a: no.  i don't want to honor you.  i want to name my children after people who matter: video game heroes and mel brooks characters

q: can i see your puffy belly???

a: of course!  here's a shot at 17 weeks (tomorrow will be 20 weeks and i promise i'll start posing more belly shots)

q: you're pregnant?  but you aren't throwing up/don't look miserable/aren't always talking about it.

a: i eat a lot of ginger/i'm happy to be pregnant/i don't want to bore people with my life so i only talk about it when asked

q: are you going to work now that you have a baby on the way?

a: i don't see why not.  as long as i'm cleared by my midwife i'll be working till i go into labor.

q: are you going back to work after the baby is born?

a: yup, i'll take a few months off, but i am not sure i could ever stay at home permanently.  i might gnaw off my arm or something

q: if it's a boy, will you get him circumcised?

a: no.

q: why not?  don't you know it's more hygienic?

a: why would i?  don't you know it's not more hygienic?  besides, i'm not jewish

q: but what about his future girlfriends/wife?

a: if those bitches can't handle an uncircumcised penis then they won't deserve him.  besides, i thought MEN weren't suppose to be into pretty things...why would we make his penis pretty?  *lol* pretty penis!

q: are you going to have a natural birth?

a: hopefully a water birth or at MINIMUM laboring in water

q: are you going to use baby powder?

a: um, i haven't really thoug.......

(asker cuts me off and continues)...because you can't use baby powder!  it will give the baby an upper respiratory infection!

q: are you going to have bumpers in the crib?

a: well we...

(asker cuts me off and continues)...because you can't!  the baby will suffocate!

q: are you going to have the baby baptized?

a: no, we believe that baptism is a personal choice.  we aren't catholic and don't believe in original sin and we also don't believe in baptism as a sign of dedicating our child to the church.  the bible doesn't say to baptize babies.  our interpretation is that it is a choice that must be consciously made by the individual.

that's all the questions i can remember off the top of my head!  i'm sure i'll get more down the road, but for now, this probably covers all the questions you guys might have

I have been inundated with a plethora of questions which I will collectively address in a separate post in a day or do.

Thanks for the well wishes and congratulations!

but that will all be changing. i will be posting a lot more once i'm back in my normal environment. PROMISE!

so now i sign off to eat some blueberry pancakes and get ready for my flight...did i mention that it will be FIRST CLASS??? yeah, i have no idea how that happened, but evidently when i purchased my flight i somehow picked a first class ticket instead of coach. non-refundable. OH FRIGGIN WELL!!! i figure that this mistake is the perfect ending to my time here and a heck of a graduation present as i am supposed to be walking for my diploma tomorrow.

see you in portland!

tee hee!

*sigh*

ok, so i've been up to a lot, but also not much.

i spend about 50 hrs/week on work then a little bit of time during the week on fun.  weekends have been packed with tons of things.  my sister visited one weekend, the next we went on a trip to new orleans (THE FRENCH QUARTER IS AMAZING!), then boating, and on it goes.  i like doing things, but it feels like i have no down time to just veg out.  i mean, i've only read 3 books since i've been here!  that's craziness!

so, i am half way through and can't wait to finish.  i love my job/coworkers, but i really need portland!  although i am trying to make this halloween good (with help from my super amazing sister in law who sent me the most adorable care package ever), i know that i will not be able to fully enjoy it.  the weather down here is way to warm/sunny for anything spooky to occur.  i HAVE made a great costume though.  it's kind of my take on american mcgee's alice.  instead of a blue dress, i used black/white striped material and for the apron i used a cloth pattern with chess pieces (ala through the looking glass).

sorry i haven't posted pictures, but i have no editing software down here and downloading anything more than a java update on my mom's pc would crash it so i won't be posting pix till my return.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

HEY CHRISTOPHER: AM I STILL A PHAGGY N00B??

we also picked up our own political pez. mine (donkey of course) is she-man and her's (not that she's a *shudder* repub...just likes elephants) is named he-ra. (get it? she ra and he man?)

here's the deal: i am in florida until december 11th finishing my internship.  it's a super job that is so sci fi that it would blow your mind.  basically, not only do i do individual therapy, but i also provide eeg administration for well, basically, brain repair.  the sci fi part is that people actually control video games with their minds.  it's wicked!

ok, so christopher is still in oregon :( i miss him greatly, but we talk/email all the time.  i'll be back with my stinky friend soon enough!  just have to deal with it, you know?  sometimes you just have to suck it up and do things you need to do.

i haven't been writing cause there is not too much else to say.  i have a great boss and have made friends with a fabbity fab chica down here.  i work 6 days a week and spend the other day cleaning/grocery shopping/prepping for the next week.

12 weeks and 5 days!

oh, and the reason i am reading up on the brain is because my clinicals will be in a neurobiofeedback clinic. generally, in normal therapy, we can only assume that progress has been made. with neurofeedback, we have a tangible record of where we began and the current position. i am super excited about it and want to learn as much as i can on the topic.

....and i can't believe that harry potter vi has been postponed for release until next year.  that's bollix.

the only problem is that i have to go out of state to do it. i'll be away from home for 15 weeks. but, after i'm done, i will then have a world of opportunity ahead of me. just need to tough it out.

i've noticed something very adaptive in my decision making. whenever things don't go as planned, i might get nervous at the prospect of doing it another way, but soon i am off raving about all the positive possibilities that the new scenario may bring. internship=case in point. i didn't want to go out of state, but there are so many good things that can come of it. another time=when i was in high school, i applied for an exchange program to france. i wasn't placed in a family there, but a family in italy wanted me. for the first 3 minutes i was like "i don't speak italian!" "*whine* but i want to go to france!"...and then i switched over to all the cool things i could do there. i could eat tons of pasta. i could see the leaning tower of pisa (which i did!). i could meet guys in the mafia and ride in a gondola.

i love the fact that i don't dwell on the negative of the future but that i see it for it's possibilities rather than what i feel is unfair.

*phew* wow, that was a nuts trip.

for nursery art:

walking to get breaking dawn at midnight 8/2:

random portland pictures:

crosswalk paint is such a pretty green!

baby doll on the roof

someone still loves you boris yeltson (best track=think i want to die)

harry and the potters (*lol*)

delerium (who will be in portland sept 12!)

midlake (best track=roscoe)

imogen heap (best track=speeding cars)

camera obscura (all good tracks!)

bic runga (again, all good tracks)

leonard has final fantasy x-2. i'm toying with the idea of going over to pick it up right now, but i have hoarded the ps3 for too long today. i think i'll give christopher a shot and start on my long awaited book that i finally got via interlibrary loan. i have been wanting to read the forbidden game trilogy for about a year now! the wait paid off because i was able to get an edition that had all 3 books in one.

finished breaking dawn (the third longest book i now own...the two others being harry potter v and essential psychopathology and it's treatment...kind of a strange yin yang there, i know). However, i will say very little about it because i have a strict promise with myself that i do not talk about books until at least a month after they are published. that way, people that are dying to read them (ie harry potter) will have already read them so i don't risk offending anyone or spoiling the surprise for the truly dedicated. if it takes you more than a month, you probably don't care enough to have your heart broken if you hear something that spoils it for you.

having said that: breaking dawn is nuts. things happen that you think might, but they don't. it sped up my heart as well as broke it. i actually cried in 3 spots. nuts man. nuts.

and that's all till those of you that i know read this and are also getting through the book (sarah v., lauren p., kyle s., ruthie m., andrea k., jessica s., leah d....etc) have completed it. (let me know when you do because i want to freak out with you as well as share some theories...)

also in books, belly laughs is a really quick, hilarious read for anyone thinking about pregnancy, which i am...THINKING NOT DOING!.....................................yet..................................tee hee it had me laughing out loud which doesn't happen with many books. not very informative, but jenny mccarthy has a way with words.

in other news: christopher and i have been sick since flugtag on saturday. i swear to you that i now know that the phrase "puking your guts out" is VERY literal. i thought my intestines were going to come up through my mouth. poor christopher had it worse though. i have no idea what set it off. my guess would be undercooked chinese food, but i didn't have any. is food poisoning contagious? *shrug* anyway, we're almost recovered.

on the topic of internship: PRAY FOR ME EVERYONE IN THE WORLD! i cannot find an internship to save my life. "have you applied everywhere you can?" you may be asking. my response: yes. i have. i lost count at 31 facilities. basically the main problems are 1, funding has been cut by the government for mental health *grr*, 2, positions are for a whole year (mine is only 15 weeks), and 3, facilities only want to deal with particular schools.

the most frustrating part though, is this: a good portion of the places that have rejected me want me to contact them as soon as i complete my degree!  what??  i was stunned and flattered by the first few, but each time it happens now i just have to grit my teeth through thanking them kindly.  they want me for a job after i get my degree, but i can't get my degree until they give me a job!!!  freakin catch 22 out the arse here people!

well, the good thing is that at least i know there are plenty of jobs that i could get as soon as i pass over this mountain.

i have a couple places that i am really pressing hard for, but worst comes to worst, i'll just get a part time job/volunteer for fall and finish my degree in the spring. totally sucks to do it that way, especially when i worked so hard to be ahead of the game!

poodle (well scottie dog) skirt costume (with full tuille skirt beneath):

last but not least: birthday pictures. not many, but some.

yuna melinda and "the boy who decided that a candy necklace and dora the explorer party hat was a costume"

matador leah

band fag tyler (literally)

matador leah and sailor hallie getting pwned (BY ME) at star wars trivial pursuit

matador leah, sailor hallie, "ceiling" fan leonard, "creepy uncle" matthew playing pop5

creepy uncle matthew and bathing beauty ellie

drawing on my balloons!

see?!?!

good thing sailor hallie brought me more!

that way bathing beauty ellie would having something to drag around to us all night...and i do mean ALL NIGHT. someone that will remained unnamed (HINT: CHRISTOPHER) decided that it would be ok to give a 2 1/2 year old a jumbo sized candy necklace to play with. one would hardly think that he should be surprised as said child was LITERALLY bouncing off the furniture till midnight when she crrrraaaashhhhed on the floor...but he was. "look! there she goes again jumping from the couch to the chair!" he would declare with utter shock every few minutes...gee...i wonder why? playing smash brothers

pop 5 again

i think what happens is that some nights i have slept with covers and others not. some nights i wear shorts/tank top, others pants/tee shirt. my temperature is not track able because of these extraneous variables. i am sure that i could control for them, but i cannot control the weather. some nights it is window open for a fresh brisk breeze, others it is a bit too chilly.

so that ovulation plan is going the way of the dodo. i think we will just buy an ovulation kit when we start to try for kids. kinda sucks because this could have been an inexpensive way to chart my fertility for several months before hand. ah well, thems the breaks, eh?

i am going to start monitoring my basal body temperature so if anyone has done this, could you let me know if it worked for you? i read a lot about it (mostly from this and this site) but could use any advice you might have for ensuring accurate results.

*******end update*************

wow. so my birthday is next wednesday and we had planned to invite my sister/her boyfriend/his daughter and my brother/his girlfriend. a small little family deal. well, yesterday at work i was joking around with my coworker, hallie, and she asked me to hang out with her.

woah. this does not happen often. or it didn't used to. sure, i've had friends, but more acquaintances than anything. i have never been super ms. popular (except when i was one of the only females to work at a pc tech support center *lol*). anyhow, i decided to go out on a whim and invite her. she was super excited as i explained that i was dressing up in a costume and decorating cupcakes (i got an early gift---cake decorating supplies!)

so hallie is in and will be coming as peter pan. today though i decided to ask ruthie, another awesomely awesome chica, to come to. she was super excited as well and wants to dress up like harry potter since her hair is too short to be hermione. the next thing i know, kyle, the owner's son, gets all excited about my birthday because i said my costume will be yuna from ffx and that's one of his favorite games...so i ask him to come. later on, i invited leah to come and she became giddy and asked me tons of questions about costumes!

*lol* i friggin love portland! as it stands, there will be close to 15 people coming. i can't believe it! maybe it is portland or maybe it is just me giving people a chance, but i don't think i have ever been so confident socially before. i mean, these people are so much like me. they don't get annoyed when i talk about conservation or jealous that i am so crafty. on the contrary, they discuss what they are doing to be more environmentally aware and showing me their projects too!

wOOt for portland!

party list

costume-

hand made invitations

food-

1. hummus/pita

2. mini pizzas

3. CUPCAKES!

4. beer/punch

5. fruit salad

6. 7 layer dip/chips

7. Christopher's special baked tacos

8. tabbouli

hmm...might need more...if anyone has suggestions, send them my way! i'm looking for finger food type recipes.

fabbity fab band: dirty martini ************************** fabbity fab book:

first off, the owner of the toy store i work at said she might buy and sell costumes i make in the store. i've made a few examples for her to consider which are girls size 7/little bo peep and little red riding hood:

the pictures don't do them justice! they are so cute!

more crafts:

pithy hat (pattern no longer available):

reconstructed shirt/sweater:

fairy washcloth for ellie:

living room curtains:

reusable bulk bags:

lovely love people:

sarah d. & i:

c, sarah sis, & i:

mumsie, sarah sis, & i:

***********People who look like people***********

ever see the movie kiss kiss bang bang? well, there is a scene where two of the characters are refering to people around them as being famous people. it reminded me of my deal here. (GREAT movie btw...highly recommended)

de niro in walmart:

tommy lee jones reserving an interlibrary loan:

mary mccormick checking out the latest in chick lit:

here's an interesting one. couldn't tell if this was peter boyle or gossack from wind waker reading teen magazine:

finally, a blurry picture of me being lorraine from mad tv (brother was laughing too hard to get a good shot):

to end this much needed update, here is an amazing display of confectionary genius

"Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears."- Edgar Allen Poe

And this is just a cool quote:

"A woman is like a tea bag- you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water."- Eleanor Roosevelt

i would like to preface the following with a caveat:

i am not pregnant (yet/that i know of). when i am, i will tell you all

alright so recently i stopped taking oral contraceptives/old vitamins and have replaced both with a mega pre natal in preparation for becoming pregnant IN A FEW MONTHS (note: NOT NOW). because of this, my hormones have been way out of whack and i have been mildly depressed. i have been sleeping a lot more and have had almost no energy. i have noticed that i feel exhausted after faking enthusiasm for a couple of minutes because it takes so much effort.

i am slowly feeling better every day and know that in a few weeks i will be readjusted.

i just beg of everyone to be patient with me right now and not to get upset if i don't update here/call/email/hang out/anything else. *lol* ahem, sarah: "it's not you, it's me. seriously though, all i want is to be left alone. just typing this entry (for 3 minutes) has made me tired and a little sad. i don't want anyone to take my bad mood personally (as i have been made aware that at least 4 people have already). please please please know that it isn't anything that anyone has done but just a rough patch that i will be over in a couple of weeks.

one last thing: i DO NOT want to talk about any of this on a one on one basis! i know several of you will want to contact me to try to help, but realize that this will only make things worse as it will exhaust me trying to make you feel like you've helped me so that you don't feel bad. only time can help.

ps sorry if i sound mean in this. i am really trying to be nice, but i am just really unbalanced right now.

in this post: state sign pictures & maps!

now, i have no doubt that you are all on the edge of your seats to see these amazing pictures, but i must insist that you take some deep breaths, drink plenty of water, and remember to answer nature when she calls.

so we decided (and by we, i mean me) to take most of our pictures in sepia tones in order to keep with the concept of being pioneers.  we were, after all, fleeing our eastern village for a new and promising life in the west.   anyhow, we took pictures of all the state signs and followed up with a kiss (we've officially made out in 16 states to date).  the only color picture was oregon...but that one was blurry.

we visited 2 states more than we meant to; utah as a detour (just to say we were there) and washington (random party invite the day we arrived in portland).

*lol* yeah, so the  whole map thing...i'm not sure about you, but i've found that there are some hilarious names on maps.  for example:

...more later...i have LOTS of crafts/food to post...

BIG update coming probably tomorrow. i have a week off and will be posting a lot from the last month.

ps i had a dream last night that michelle obama was a good friend of mine and i had a pool party with her and 10 of her kids (although they only have 2). it was awesome

anyhow, i wanted to mention that we are planning on changing our last name to my maiden name soon.  those of you that know both our last names shouldn't be scratching your head right now.  it's simple: i had a very easy to pronounce, spell, and remember name and i changed it to his hard to pronounce (only 3 people have done so on the 1st try so far), spell, and remember name.  heck, most of my family doesn't even know my last name.  and those that do always pronounce it wrong.

i will post a billion pictures as soon as i get all our stuff unpacked and put away.  promise.  cross my heart.

just need to fill out the apps and wait for our stuff!

will update more later

no internet between now and then, but hey, the pioneers didn't have it so why should we. i wish i had had time to make a bonnet...oh well

adieu!

it: for change of address, say change of address

me: change of address

it: if this is a family move, say family

me: family

it: if this is a temporary move, say temporary

me: HELP!

it: sure, here's some help!  a temporary change of address means...

at that point i was laughing so hard that i didn't hear the rest.  just to be sure though, i said help again and received the same reply.  who would have thought that an automated voice could recognize a human in distress and seek to comfort said human with a soothing voice and lengthy explanation of basic terminology.  priceless

itenerary:

5/10 7:00 am: leave for zanesville

5/10 7:00 pm dinner with angie

5/11 visit with maternal side of family/visit paternal grandparents graves

5/12 11:00 am lunch with sarah/drive to toledo

5/13 visit with rachel

5/14 REUNITE WITH <3SARAH<3

5/16 PRINCE CASPIAN!

5/17 5:00 pm going away party

5/18 9:45 am church

5/18 noon return home

<3<3<3<3<3

if you'd like to make plans while we're up there, call me asap!

good journey!

*rolls eyes* of COURSE i worked in grad school. anyone that says it isn't real work is a moron. the picture below represents only about 1/3 of the materials i had to purchase/research for this degree. i have about 300 pdf files on my pc of research articles that i chose to save digitally instead of killing trees.

my new wedding gift policy is as follows:

couples will not receive anything until they reach their 1 year anniversary.  in "high risk" cases, a 3 year anniversary will be needed before any money leaves my pocket.

pasta. that's about all i remember making. oh, and scrambled pancakes (this is where you don't make round pancakes but just scramble the batter like you would eggs)

What were you cooking/baking one year ago?

i started my adventures in indian cooking about a year ago. besides that i was making lots of mexican including chimichangas, tacos, fajitas...last summer we also started drinking smoothies a bit. my love affair also began with yogurt. Five snacks you enjoy:

string cheese, le petit ecolier, plain yogurt with cocoa powder/sugar, melba toast, and orange sherbet Five recipes you know by heart:

potato leek soup, avocado tacos, greek pizza, home made ravioli, and hummus

Five culinary luxuries you would indulge in if you were a millionaire:

kitchenaid artisan mixer in either pistachio green or reef blue, calphalon knives, calphalon pans, calphalon dutch oven, and some professional cooking lessons

Five foods you love to cook/bake:

indian food of all sorts, chocolate deserts, tea & cakes, smoothies, and rich soups (heavy cream a must)

Five things you cannot/will not eat:

anything with the following ingredients (unless their amounts are obscenely minuscule so as not to be detected*): cloves, cinnamon, mushrooms, meat*, anise

*the one exception is that i will not make anything under any circumstances with meat no matter how small of an amount.

Five favorite culinary toys:

i don't have many yet, but my hard anodized pans make me happy. also, my tea making accoutrement, ginsu knives, yogurt maker, and air popcorn maker

********************** LATTE ART **********************

david midthunder (meyowww): (fyi, my husband gave me permission to look at native american men because he knows i think they are pretty)

LAST CLASS=THURSDAY 10:30!!!

long have i avoided projects that require knits only and long have i struggled to find a way to use different fabrics when i simply had to make a certain item.  i have researched online, taken lessons from my mother in law, and practiced with different tensions/threads/needles/stretching while sewing until i thought i'd lose my mind.  yes, the world of jersey knit eluded me and i began the long process of accepting my fate.

but then i found some unbelievably beautiful brown knit jersey...for a dollar a yard.  it was so soft and the texture and colors both rich--very unusual for clearance fabric of any kind.  so i bought it.  i had to.  sure, i knew it would just lay in my fabric box until i was rich enough to afford a serger but i had to have it.  that was december 07.

over the past few months i have taken it out, matched it up with different patters, held it tightly as i cried bitter tears, and then returned it to the box...more than once.

but last night, with a sudden burst of happiness at our upcoming move to portland, i felt like i could accomplish anything.  thankfully, i decided that i would finally start making a dress out of the jersey fabric instead of proving my omnipotence by "flying" off the roof.  i altered a pattern, cut out the pieces, and took several deep breaths as i filled the bobbin, changed to a ball point needle, and threaded my machine.

then i paused.  i was going to do this right.  i was going to go by the directions given by the manufacturer.  i read through some of the manual and *gasp* came across something i hadn't seen before.  there are straight and zig zag stitches, BUT my machine has another stitch that i never noticed before.  listed as a straight stitch, the "triple stretch stitch" is a built in stitch for stretch fabrics.  wha???

could it be?  a stitch built in for jersey?  my heart started to pound and my palms sweat as i made my way to my machine to try out this stitch on a scrap.  had my whole life been a lie?  was there actually another way to sew jersey on a non-serger machine besides a mixture of straight and zig zag stitches?  i took a few deep breaths and willed my hands to steady themselves.  i inserted the fabric, flipped down the presser foot, and pressed the foot pedal gently.

it worked.  the stitches looked neat from the outside seam line and allowed for stretch without popping a stitch!  when i compared it to a straight and zig zag, there was no comparison.  Jesus loves me.

************

it's funny but this type of situation has happened before.  i will avoid or fear something because of whatever reason, but then when i finally suck it up and try, many times i find that a "miracle" makes my prior fear diminish.  for example, in undergrad i had to take a biology class.  i had not had a good time with it in h.s. so i avoided taking it until my last year.  in this case i kind of had to, but i still got a miracle to help me out which was a really amazing professor that made everything easy (i mean understanding the material not that there was simply no work to do).  it seems like facing the fear is good enough for the powers that be so i am given slack when i finally do forge ahead.  anyone else have this happen?

oh, and here is a more recent example.  i had to write a million papers this semester.  it got down to the last 2 and i was just draiiiiinnnnneed.  i resigned myself and told myself to just shut up and do it.  i finished one and then the next day i was able to get the professor to make the last paper i had to write optional!  so i don't have to do it!  i resigned and God gave me some slack.  nice.

btw, the reason that the second paper became optional is because i had already included all the material i would have written in that paper in several other papers this semester.  i said that i felt confident that everything that was required for this last paper could already be found in the prior 10.  she agreed to allow us to submit the last paper as a supplement if we felt necessary.

cah-ching!

i'm off to sew now.  i have a whole new world of possibilities to explore.

Remaining projects:

Behavior Modification

• Project write up
• Group learning check
• Final Exam

• Group session reviews x 2
• Synthesis paper
• Final Exam

• Group presentation paper
• Group presentation powerpoint
• Group presentation presentation

• Section 3 paper
• Personality Disorder trait sheets
• Final Exam

16 MORE DAYS

LNA;EOIDHVNC;OIAERSHNGVCOIALHEKNRDSFGVO;ALEIKRDSNFG

love!:

kaleidescope touch screen pictures:

the "offending" picture:

the left page of the guest book is what you want to look at. i wrote the m <3 c and "i pwn noobs" but my darling husband, in a move classic to his character, went more abstract.

the "5" was a representation of the fact that they make you wear a sticker with the date on it to signify you have paid. the phrase "i wish my heart had 5 atriums" is his oddball sense of humor. he's studying diseases right now you see and has anatomy on the mind. another side effect of studying diseases manifests itself as a growing anxiety that you have every illness read about...which you then spend a good portion of dinner trying to convince your spouse, in graphic detail, that you do. lastly, as you may know, the heart has 4 atrium (no s needed to pluralize) or chambers which is what makes the wish for 5 that much more funny.

after the museum, we went to whole foods where we ate lunch, saw frodo baggins, and bought chocolate

a little bit of everything...and no where near as good tasting as it looks:

nasty lunch, but inspired me to make fried tofu that night:

EH MR. FRODO!:

yummy:

a visual representation of the consequences of opening carbonated water too quickly (warning, some material may be inappropriate for younger viewers:

i saw prettiness when looking at the sky on my walk to work:

i don't know about you, but i absolutely love cute/funny animal videos/pictures. a great site is ultrakawaii

does anyone remember those magic eye puzzles from the 90's? i had to write a list for a class recently of 10 things that i do well. i didn't think about it at the time, but i should have listed seeing these pictures. i found some really great ones today too!

the following come from this site:

this site has a ton of great ones. here's a few of my favs:

random awesome ones:

FREAKIN ANIMATED ONES! these are a bit harder, but worth it. so cool:

and finally, the ultimate challenge...magic eye tetris. i swear. it's cool as all ice water.

april fools, ya'll.

so i made vegetable samosas and mattar paneer:

although the items are insanely expensive and i don't see myself actually purchasing anything, this store has some amazing things like this and this and this

yankee candle company ceases to amaze me every season. this time, it's their dune grass scent that has captured my heart.

so i thought naming our son link was going to be controversial...our daughter might just be named Yuna.

how did people name their children before video games?

tonight i came home to tofu lasagna w/ garlic bread....AND FINAL FANTASY X!!! he is my favorite person and makes me smile!

other than that, i was rooting through some pictures and found a series i started on the boat in florida.  i only got a few shots, but it was going to be this set of funny faces like the ones we all see in inanimate objects.   here's some of my faves

"ninja seat"

By letting it go it all gets done.

-Lao Tzu

a girl in heaven:

mom in wonderland:

********people who look like people update*********

once again, i had no camera, but i swear i saw someone who looked like a middle aged clemmie from reno 911.

i did, however, have a camera on hand when i spotted the missing mario brother (he's working at marble slab...who'd have thought?):

********update complete******

great book

i really want this

i would like to announce to everyone that we found the pink port a potty...and as an added bonus, a industrial sized pink trash receptacle, houses, and trucks. left the camera cord in florida, so there will be a slight picture posting delay.

i was really good at making myself laugh this past week. this was accomplished in many ways, the most common of which was a slew of what i consider funny phrases repeated over and over at the appropriate time. in oregon it was "that's what she said" but this trip gave me more opportunities to expand my horizons. below are a few:

most commonly uttered while driving through alabama (2 way tie)

"ROOOOOOOLLLLLLLL TIDDDDDDEEEE!" and "oh yea, you could die there"-the latter of which was spoken every time i saw a place that looked like the opening scene from a bad b horror movie (which was a lot)

most commonly uttered on while on the fishing boat in the ocean:

"we're gonna need a bigger boat!" (i know, real original right?)

most commonly uttered when someone in my family says anything about anything:

"cite your source" (this might not sound funny, but used at the appropriate time, like if someone says that they heard that it will be sunny today, asking them to cite their source gets a good laugh.)

me: do you smell cinnamon rolls?

him: it's probably the bacon.

me: *pause* *stare* since when does bacon smell like cinnamon rolls?

him: well, these are honey glazed

me: oh.

"you could fly this plane from atlanta to panama city beach on 42 pounds of potatoes"-random passenger behind me

"we have a redneck walmart in my town"-random person behind me at a training session for work

"piglet?...why...are you swimming...in the popcorn?" -pooh

dooce had a great link on her site recently. i had to repost cause it's hilarious. baby care cartoons (enjoy!)

another attempt at art:

this was taken through a window. it's like a ghost building outside

this is just plain funny. found this swept up in some leaves.

my "happy it's almost spring" present from istopher:

so this last week i saw people that look like the following but i couldn't get pics :(

it's amazing how often i see people that look like they are from a piece of brian froud art.

i want to read this:

last weekend was amazing. i went indian crazy and made some amazing things. i found a great book at the library called the spice box and the recipes, unlike ones i've tried online, appear to be authentic and better yet, easy. here's some of my goodies: making naan

pea and potato curry (with our naan)

making paneer

matter paneer w/chipatis!

making ghee

blueberry tofu bars

the carrot

more pictures can be found at my flickr page.

i finished my wrist warmers!

the taupe sweater i was working on is being torn out. the size i made was way larger than i need. i'm tellin ya man, big needles are deceiving! i've also decided to rip out my lys sweater and make something more simple from the yarn like the march basic. it would get more wear and with the little time i have to craft now it's all about utility!

i can't believe i'm going to say this, but we're going to panama city beach for spring break. (?!?!) i know, right? well we're actually going to visit mom as this will be our best chance to see her before we move to the other side of the world..err..country. so, i'm making her a yoga bag. out of fabric that completely personifies her.

yes...she is a bright orange kinda gal.

i have to say that when i look back on my life so far i've done a lot of things that i was at first sour that i'd never be able to do. i've been to europe (and then some), i've seen niagara falls, i've been to hawaii for christmas (malakaliki maka!), and coming soon, panama city beach for spring break. of course, if i were you i wouldn't waste my time scanning mtv shows trying to catch me in a bikini. i might wear business suits now, but i'm still a little goth tart at heart. forshiz.

sarah & matt <3...couldn't find a maggie dog, but monkey will do right?

i am totally making sarah's dress in real life now!  it's uber cute.

and yes, matt does normally look like that.  jeans.  that's it.

i might get addicted to this site, so watch out.

by the by...i never realized how much my darling looked like edward cullen

What Famous Student Are You?

Are you a N00B? Find out at LiquidGeneration.com!

You Should Avoid Stress Stress at work is defined as, "high psychological demands from work activities, and low decision-making powers on the job"

You Should Avoid Tick Bites Tick bites open you to the risk of lyme disease, which can be deadly to your developing baby

You Should Avoid Herpes Herpes when transfered to the baby during delivery, can lead to severe complications. The easiest way to avoid this possibility is to avoid contracting herpes

ok, so come on.  are there people that actively seek out these things?  like, "oh damn, now i can't get that std i have been working towards because of this damn baby!"

from twinkle's big city knits:

if you are thinking about one of the projects from this book, here's some caveats...1, you need big needles that are expensive. i lucked out and found my size 19 (!) needle on clearance for 4.50...regularly over 15 bucks. 2, the yarn is SUPER bulky. yes. SUPER. that's size 6. there's not much selection and it will make a small ding in your wallet. (this project is about 12 bucks of yarn ON 40% OFF SALE!) 3, don't be fooled by the sizing. this is super bulky large knit. there is a tremendous amount of stretch in the projects. i have a 36' chest and the size i am making is 32' and it's still a bit big.

from a random blog

i am super excited to finish these. SARAH: you might want to try this pattern. here is your motivation: you love this type of glove, you already have the right needles, the yarn (supposing you don't have it) is your basic inexpensive worsted weight, it's a quick pattern, it's uber cute, we can match if you have a pair...email me if you need any more motivation...

and lastly, from berroco:

this is an ambitious undertaking so it will probably be put away and taken out over the course of the next few weeks, but it's uber cute and i have some great yarn for it! berroco actually has a ton of great (free!) patterns for those of you looking for something to do.

my goal is that after i finish the twinkle sweater and orange glovies, i will move on to these leg warmers. i've not done a project with so many color changes, but these look adorable.

we saw AVP II last night. during the majority of the movie i was thinking "wow, i can't wait to get home to watch the first one" cause this one was awful. but let me explain. i will say that it was filmed very well. no cheesy graphics or any such bologna. they broke a lot of social mores in film (ie killing children/unborn babies...a lot of them), but it was nice to see a non b graded movie push the audience.

having said that. ok, a couple things that really bothered me, but i think i can explain them out. first off, the film starts out at the end of the last with a predator watching a recap of what happened on that ship. then the pred gets all mad and goes off to find the aliens who have boom, crash landed in middle america. PROBLEM: who the crap was this pred? he couldn't have been someone in power because 1, he would have alerted others that he was leaving as a good leader should and 2, he looked like the bruce lee version (skiinnnnyyyy) of preds. i mean, i had no idea that anorexia had spread across the universe!

alright, so revenge pred gets to earth and starts hunting the aliens meanwhile they are all impregnating the city folk. la di da. bad plot. blah blah. so, here's where i get a little pissy. preds kills innocents! woah! not cool. one of the reasons i love pred so much is because he is a freaking warrior not some alien jerk that has no respect for rules of war. i was upset about that until i was finishing off my morning yogurt. here's the difference: this pred isn't on earth as a test of his predatorhood. he's there to get rid of the aliens and oh yeah, he's pissy about his friends getting killed. surely the rules of predation no longer apply. sucks to see a pred take the low road, but oh well.

ok, so the plot was over all dumb, but it got me thinking about something else. so, when the alien impregnated the predator, the result was a predalien right? hmm...then does that mean that when aliens impregnate humans they are part human too? what parts of us to they absorb? that would make a great dinner conversation.

some good books:

and here are some pictures that i took that i like:

mom's grass

mom's neighbor's grass

the grass actually IS greener

CLICK HERE and you shall be rewarded with some belly laughs. and give it a sec to load.

this is our new venture into adulthood...a real tv stand.

yummy dinner; salsa and black bean soup:

florida was great! it was a little cold the first couple days, but the last day was excellent. here's a small photo story:

leaving my baby :(

grandpa, uncle don, aunt debi, mom, and grandma:

my favorite goat...i can't resist the jheri curl

mom and i on HER dock...pretty view

STORY: we're in the car on the way to the beach and mom says she thought about getting me a plastic shovel and pail so i could play. of course everyone laughed. i waited patiently for their laughter to die down and then informed my mother that my father in law had, in fact, given me a plastic shovel in both hawaii AND oregon. so there. the next thing i know, mom slams the breaks and hits a hard left into a store. "what are we doing mom?" "getting you a pail and shovel" LOL.

it's a pretty sweet set. pail, shovel, sifter, boat, and um, watering can? i laid them on the beach side by side and asked my uncle don "which one of these is not like the others?" (tee hee)

no i didn't make it, but check out the bride in the background! i didn't get a picture of my sand creation because i had to run away from it quickly to see some dolphins, BUT, just so you know, it was a delicious looking banana split sand sundae.

mom, me, and uncle don finding shells:

STORY: mom told me stories about "re conning the head." for several years i've heard about it and couldn't quite understand what she was talking about, but i can now say that i have done so myself. i have re conned the head. the "head" is actually one of the sections of this amazing miniature golf course. the "head" is a replica of the easter island statues. evidently this is a privately owned facility which mom discovered one night with a friend and they decided to check it out. turns out that the "head" has stairs in it that lead to the very top which gives a great view of, well, down below. although we were in broad daylight, mom insisted that i re con the head with her ninja style. here's our story:

"hey mom, how'd you get over there?"

"you have to climb the fence moe!" (note: although i could have just walked through the front, mom was adement that i go full ninja and told me i had to jump the fence. sweet isn't it? mothers teaching their daughters to tresspass...so is the beauty of life...i am forced to rebel against the law to please my mother.)

there's more stairs than you'd think

DUCK! there's a helicopter!

hi grandma!

I AM NINJA!

so that was the reconnaissance mission. that course was amazing though. it boasted many a photo opt.

so my grandparents are pretty much the coolest old people on the planet. they still hold hands and kiss! lol! super cute.

so i've started a new section on my blog and it's called "people who look like people." ever see someone that looks a lot like someone else? i do. and i've started taking pictures. please note though that it is difficult at times to take someone's picture without their knowledge, so please excuse the blurriness. oh yeah, and try to suspend disbelief. these are just people that i think look like someone. TIP: if you are having trouble seeing what i see, squint your eyes and shake your head slightly while you look at the pictures. here are my first submissions:

= todd packer from the office:

= mark twain:

= abe lincoln:

(for matt: "no, i didn't say abe lincoln! i said HEY BLINKIN! hold the reins man. damn.)

the return <3

so the trip was great and i had a marvelous time.  my mom is awesomely awesome in a way that i never saw till this trip.  she rocks hard core!  and if you ever find yourself wondering how i got so cute:

recent good reads:

if you haven't joined yet, you need to join www.shelfari.com and add me as a friend so i can get some more book suggestions! i'm mvelusc

me: it freaking snowed and the car is covered. do you know where the ice scraper is?

him: no...just use the scraper for the grill.

me: oh yeah. i'm sure steel wool would be great on the windshield.

ps can anyone else find the death face in this picture?

aunt debi: *wisper* look at grandpa

me: *lol* *ahem* GOLF BALLS!

him: *opens eyes*

everyone: *LMAO* *ROFL*

grandpa: *lol* oh...harry potter!

me: grandpa, that's 7 books, this is a trilogy. think! they made movies out of them! there were hobbits!

grandpa: *lol*

me: it's called the lord of the rings trilogy. so, what's the name of the trilogy?

grandpa: honey, *lol* i wouldn't know the name of that trilogy if you told me!

me: *rofl* *lmao* I JUST DID! so, yeah, literally you are right! you wouldn't know!

me: grandpa "what sport is played with a three-pound hockey puck?"

him: hmm...hockey...hmmm

me: ok, what would a 3 pound puck do?

everyone around: SIIIINNNNKKKKK

him: oh...i don't know...

everyone: siiiiiinnnnkkkk

me: ok 3 pounds is heavy...what would that do?

him: hmm...

everyone: sink in water!

him: hmmm...

me: ok, grandpa, *lol* ok, WHAT would be the purpose of using a HOCKEY puck that is 3 POUNDS?

him: oooh! i don't know!!

everyone: siiiiiinnkkkkk

me: ok, if the puck were in water and it sank, what would it be?

him: underwater

me: ok, and what is a hockey puck used for?

him: hockey

me: ok, put those together!!!!

everyone: UNDERWATER HOCKEY!

him: oh, underwater hockey?

everyone: *lol*

ok, here's when he cried:

me: OH!! grandpa! "what deputy headmistress teaches transfiguration at hogwarts?" repeat after me, "minerva mcgonagall".

him: *lol*

me: minerva

him: *lol* *tear*

me: mi...ner...va....mc...gon...a...gall...

him: *lmao* *rofl* *wipes eyes*

me: just say it!!!! minerva mcgonagall!!!!

him: *lol* minerva mcgonagall!!!

....it was flippin hilarious! he was literally wiping the tears from his eyes cause he thought it was such a funny name. and i think the fact that he had professed how much he thought harry potter was silly played into it. my grandpa is so funny. when we were watching order of the phoenix last night, i heard my aunt behind me say "dad, what are you doing?" i turned around to see my grandfather sitting at the counter with his back to the tv just looking at the ground. he said "oh, that movie is just silly" and he procedded to just look at the floor patiently until it was over. just sitting in a chair doing nothing. NOTHING FOLKS!! he is ca ray zay! but in a good way. he cracks me up!

i am going to have fantastic chocolate and my grandma to make me an endless plate of grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches.

i am also happy to announce that i have been sticking to my new years resolution. it's the most popular one out there folks! eating better and getting in shape. so far i have been eating a lot more fresh foods, weighing portions, and working out several times a week. i gotta tell you though, those first few days were hard, but once i got over them, it has been full speed ahead. i am no longer tempted to make a meal out of a bag of movie popcorn (butter and salt layered through). i feel so much better too. i am in a better mood, i have more energy, and i just feel...well, better. i feel more flexible, my back doesn't hurt as much, and my joints don't lock up as much either. pretty good stuff.

adieu my lovelies...

ps join shelfari and be my friend. i need some good reading ideas!

during:

after:

pretty red head yum yums!!

and hey, i know i haven't been posting much. it was the first week back and i've started several new projects (like "project get mel's bum in the gym"). i promise to write and post a plethora of pictures soon. very soon. maybe tomorrow. but don't hold your breath.

me: *laugh* *pause* are you serious?

him: about giving these out?  dead serious.  it will be an experiment.

i/we spent the time there doing the following things in random order:

going to the beach

knitting

looking at pretty things

eating great food

counting gingerbread houses

driving

reading

thinking

analyzing

watching b rated horror movies

listening to rain

walking

going to really unique stores (goodwills there are fairy breeding grounds i swear!)

oregon is beautiful and we are going to move to portland.

more later. must sleep. pictures soon

hendrick's brother

my first picture:

his first picture (and no, i have no clue why i am sticking out my tongue so don't ask):

well...as luck would have it, we will be getting a new camera for christmas! YEAY!

here she is and yes, i realize it's pink. i think it's funny to have a pink camera. anyhow, i got a little dizzy trying to research a new camera, but then i realized that i didn't need to do tons of research. i have loved my cybershot for over 3 years now. it's never given me problems. the only reason i'm in want of a new one is for the higher mps. so another cybershot it is. this one has image stabilization, movie, 7.2 mp, 9 point focus...*sigh* everything a girl could ask for. thanks santa!

i finished the other day. it was alright. nothing big.

some great cd's:

we leave for oregon on monday.  i'm super psyched!

doesn't leo tolstoy look like gimli? =

lamp amazing brownie pan! yesss! i used to eat play-do. now i can smell like it better than the one i have to put a towel over cutie patooty *sniff* it's so beautiful lol

with school ending soon, i have to admit that i'm starting to get a little nervous. i have actually been looking at more programs i can get into. i admit that nothing besides apparel design really interests me apart from psychology. i really don't want to do a dissertation though. like, really really don't want to. like, the idea of starting a new career appeals to me more. seriously.

*groan* ok, ok. i'll look for phd programs in counseling psych. shut up already.

anyhow, here are some i found

oak natural twig this and this together wood

how could i ever think i could choose just one?

me: no, there's a new carton on the door.

him: oh *takes the new carton LEAVES the expired carton*

this seems to be a running theme in our relationship.

me: don't worry. if we had a problem with you it would be about your personality flaws.

*laughs all around*

me: see!  i KNEW i was funny!

lindsay: i never had a doubt

boss: commencement is at 2 pm on the 14th

me: i'll be sleeping

boss: you'll be sleeping at 2 pm?

me: oh wait, is that the 14th?  no, i'll be saving hyrule from the twilight realm.  they are all counting on me.

all: *blank stares*

me: you know, legend of zelda?

boss: *looks at a coworker* kim, we need to do a research project about people who think video games are reality.

me: *pee* *turn on water*

him: why are you wasting gallons of water?

me: i can't wash my hands in cold water, can i?

him: some people in tennessee don't even have water.

me: look, it wasn't brown so i didn't flush it down! see, i save water.

but...

...something quick...

the official "i need a haircut" picture:

the official "wow, the stylist didn't butcher me" picture:

he should have added that instead we value sex, money, and prestige. what a waste. all those things do is make people miserable as you always have to work for them and can never just enjoy them.

just need them to dry then i can put the buttons and elastic on.

n00bage: 

the best game ever (kinda):

i don't know why i gave it a chance. absolutely awful. not even the 3D action was enough to keep me interested for more than 30 minutes. drag on drag on drag on.

i will say that it was very well filmed. beautifully filmed. plot=totally suck

i am not joking. i am seriously in a daze of ickyness. i need to sleep this one off.

a total don't look now moment:

will wonders never cease?:

special breakfast! i don't know what got into him:

cheesy potato soup with soy bacon bits:

happy birthday kim kim!

i truly wanted to steal her daughter. she came into the office and while everyone was singing happy birthday to kim, walked over to me and said "i like your shoes" to which i replied, "i like yours too!" as she had on some really rad sparkely flats. the she smiled and hugged my legs. i could have cried it was so sweet. the rest of the party kind of went that way. she would come up to me and smile and hug me. at the end i told her i was taking her home so she grabbed around my neck and i pretended to take her out of the office. surprised at the lack of protest, she called my bluff and i took her back to her parents (but not before she was distracted by the candy dish and i held her up to choose her poison).

the most delicious chip ever (extra curly):

when i was little my grandma jones used to pick out all the curly chips in the bag and give them to me. she thinks i'm special!

a common occurrence in clarksville...with commentary:

i was waiting to get an oil change and was flipping though reality magazines. they have some really bizarre ways of advertising their product. for example:

here is a taste of just a few comments i had on this piece:

******************ADDENDUM**************

my ever so smart, darling, adorable, cleaver, witty, and not to mention miniaturized version of me, lauren, has pointed out the the following picture/diatribe combo is inaccurate as the dog in the following picture is actually a boxer, not a pit bull...but i'm leaving it in here for a few reasons.  first, to show that i am fallable.  yes, it can happen.  2, to show that even someone that knows a bit about dogs can get the breed wrong and therefore misreport events thus strengthening my argument.  and lastly, because i spent a while writing in and i don't feel like deleting it.  so there.

********************************************

nothing says "buy property from me" like a pit bull:

i think that the lady just didn't think about how pit bulls are viewed in society but just wanted to show that she is "just like you" and has animals. however, i must give her props for actually owning a pit bull. my mom thinks that they should be eradicated because she's seen so many people hurt by them in the hospitals she's worked at, but what most people don't realize is that it's not the pit bulls fault! there are a lot of shitey people in the world and some of them train these dogs to fight. the staffordshire terrior (pit bull) is actually one of the most loving and devoted breeds of dog out there. their attacks are due to their desire to please their owner.

aw..a schnauzer...that's better.

my love dove got me monopoly for the pc since he has lost all the confidence he could spare loosing to me in RL. here's what i did to the computer characters, just to give you an idea of how fierce i am.:

need a closer look?

my properties...this is what i do to my victi..err worthy opponents:

new pretty shirt:

made it from the same pattern as:

so flipping easy. i highly recommend it as an easy project for new sewers

i will make 1 item of clothing free for the first person who can leave a comment explaining why this is funny. hint: think about something i like and combine it with what this literally is. (oh, and these are soy if you were wondering...but that has nothing to do with the answer). think kids. think:

i finally joined wardrobe remix as i have been drooling over the site for weeks now. it will take a lot of dedication to keep it up as i need to get over the fact that i don't generally like having my picture taken. but this shall pass as i know i am making a difference in the world by sharing my POV on fashion and accessories.

i can't help it but i started 3 books and i am halfway through all of them. i keep trading off as i just can't stay away from any of them for long enough to finish one.

the dark hills divide: the land of elyon: i read a couple chapters of this earlier this year and wasn't taken. i picked it up again at a whim and have since fell in love with it. mostly i think this is due to the characters being close representations of the people i love so much in real life. most of the characters pick on each other relentlessly but there is no ill will and no one takes offense. that's just their sense of humor. i dream of a time when i can have friends like this. i already do actually, but they are few in number and spaced out geographically. we need to get together and start a commune. the book actually got me thinking a lot about why it is that people are put off by me. like i said, i like to pick at people, but i have realized that most people are very insecure and anxious about how they are perceived. any jibe, no matter how innocent plunges them into defense mode. i have not made them laugh but rather made them feel like they need to make sure they perform double time to counter act any possible damage i might have created by making those around us think badly of them. for example, once upon a time i met a girl and she asked me my major. i said psychology and she said, with a truly perplexed/disgusted face "WHY?" i could not help but to crack up. i thought it was hilarious. she laughed to and thanked me for getting her joke. taking a cue from her, i met someone some time later and asked their major but this time when i asked the question "WHY?" with what i believed to be the same facial structure/vocal timing as my mentor, she became visibly insulted. i told her i was just picking at her but it was too late. she was insulted that i could possibly "challenge" her like that even if only in jest. the only thing more frustrating than this is that when people are one on one with me, they actually CAN take the jokes. it's only when there are others around that my prods become "insults"

shucks. anyhow, so yeah, the characters in this book are fabbity fab.

the silver crown: this one is strangely addictive. a normal girl receives a crown on her 10th birthday then all hell breaks loose. i think it's so interesting because it's a modern (well, modern for the 60's) story mixed in with seemingly ancient mysticism. but even the "older" feel is updated. think: baz luhrmann's take on romeo and juliet. updated old style. me likey.

theodosia and the serpents of chaos: theo is an adorable chicka who is hella smarter than most of the adults around her. they all treat her like she can't take care of herself but i find it strangely familiar that the adults are actually the ones that are being taken care of by her...it's not like they can magic away ancient egyptian curses.

sorry, but i just couldn't get into ender's game. i like to think i'm pretty good at suspending disbelief, but a 6 year old that smart that isn't an idiot savant? sorry, it's just not in me.

As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.-Albert Einstein

soooooooo true!!!

so i was checking for ideas for a yankee swap i'll be attending over thanksgiving and i've found my personality type: the hipster. i never knew i could be pegged.

i want this

TWILIGHT PRINCESS UPDATE: i have collected all the mirror shards and returned to the mirror chamber. i will not attempt a victory until Christmas break however as it is sure to take me hours and hours and...well, you get the point.

martian child is one of the best movies i have seen all year. my love for john cusack is now solidified.

i was going to post this quote as my email signature, but i think some people would get offended as i am usually being emailed by someone asking me to do something they don't want to do.

but hey hey, what's the deal with everyone starting christmas already?  i was pretty annoyed when i heard christmas music playing in the grocery store the other day, but i know they are just trying to get me to buy stuff.  what made me angry was when i drove to class yesterday and noticed that the freaking city of clarksville has decided to put up their freaking christmas wreaths on the light posts!  Wha?  WHY???  can't we enjoy november and all it's thankgivenessess?

it is really inappropriate.  is this because i live in the bible belt?  anyone else running into this festive snag?

*sigh* but i do have to say that i'm excited about the new holiday yankee candle smells.  i haven't looked into them too much, but i'll be rounding up my favs soon.

anyhow, here are some mega sweet tutorials on a few things:

1st, a hoodie: part 1 part 2

2nd, a really great stone wire wrapping video. and the dude is hilarious to boot.

bulldogs and chimps. the perfect combo:

death in the rearview:

einstein bagel's mascot:

halloween edgar allen poe signature for dinner

taste the rainbow

x men sign outside my office window

yeah! new sweater. only took about 3 hours. great knit fabric at a major discount:

lastly, i started reading ender's game today. i am really wishy washy about it. i'm not really digging any of the characters and my willing suspension of disbelief is being stretched to it's limits. i'm not sure if i'll be able to get through in.

A woman is like a tea bag- you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.-Eleanor Roosevelt

i do not know how to describe the way i feel right now.  it is the most amazing sense of accomplishment i have ever had. it has been a very happy halloween.  and i get to put the date of october 31st on the final copy i will submit to the college of graduate studies.  forever shall halloween be commemorated with this accomplishment.

G.H.O.S.T. was super fun!  since everyone in my group was affiliated with psychology, we spent some time devising evil psychological experiments on the children that happened by.  things such as leaving a large bowl full of goodies unattended to see is someone would try to take it...or only giving the obnoxious kids banana flavored candy as a punishment for being so unnecessarily alive so as to teach the brats a lesson.

in reality, we did give banana flavors to the bad apples, but for the most part the short people in attendance suffered no wrath from the psych students.

...although, at the very end a little girl called me a "bitch" because i wouldn't let her take anymore candy from my bowl after i had already given her a handful (which she didn't thank me for).  i tell you it took more strength then i though i had to restrain myself from grabbing her arm, shaking her, and demanding to know where her parents were.  i am pretty sure though that it wasn't so much my inner control so much as the knowledge that a child that acts like that probably doesn't belong to parents that are much nicer and it probably wouldn't be a good thing to pry them away from whatever prime time tv show and/or illegal substance they are self medicating with (possible because their kids suck?) in order to alert them to the fact that their offspring is hellspun and in need of some serious beating.

ahem.  i took some great pictures though!

our table: 

my "act like violet would" pose:

my "just take the damn thing" pose:

the absolutely coolest child's costume i've ever seen:

the second coolest: (the eyes light up and dim!)

honorable mention:

winner "best cheap imaginative costume":

jack skellington (complete with stilts!):

i found him first:

the best group you'd meet at G.H.O.S.T.:

and the worst:

our alex de large pumpkin:

there is a fun game in my future.

so i took some spooky pictures of the building i work in.  wonderfully halloweeny

here she is played by the adorable emily browning:

i will need to alter several patterns to pull this off, but here's my start-

for the violet/black pettycoat/chemise:

now i need to get some black or blackish violet or blackish green organza for the puffed sleeves and that will be the under clothes.

the corset will be made like this:

and i'll try to get a violet/black material. purple laces.

now, the overskirt. i need to use the same organza i am getting for the sleeves.

the overskirt is a bit of a challenge. detail of the real skirt: absolutely beautiful. i don't think i could pull that off. ah well. i'll find something good anyhow!

final touches: ribbon for hair (check), black boots (check), fishnet elbow gloves (no check).

oh...and i think i am going to get a different wedding ring/band. diamonds are an evil business. i think my new ring will be this:

just need to find a matching peridot band.

lastly, friends, rebel angels by libba bray is worth a read.

i would like to redact a very unfortunate mistake that i posted last week. i led you all to believe that i had a certain pez dispenser of a certain hero of mine. turns out, it was actually his nemesis. the real iorek byrnison is here. in my care now. and here is what he thinks of the pez dispenser named iofur raknison:

coincidentally as it may seem, i "filmed" this battle while listening to the them from psycho.

pretty new fabric with which i mean to make many scarves for people i like:

gniochi con burro e parmigiano fresco:

halloween in full swing at my crib:

+ oven @ 350 degrees + 30 minutes=

i wish the camera did it justice, but it's really nice! i think i'll make another over winter break!

risotto parmigiano:

great books:

him: you just said twice when i got home. how is it possible to be seven now?

me: it's rush hour.

LOL FREAKING CHICKEN WING LOL!

I could not at any age be content to take my place in a corner by the fireside and simply look on.-Eleanor Roosevelt. she's awesome.

The physicists say that I am a mathematician, and the mathematicians say that I am a physicist. I am a completely isolated man and though everybody knows me, there are very few people who really know me.-Einstein. i feel your pain, man.

here are some pictures of the cloudy lightning we had tonight:

ahem.

candy apple evolution

delicioso, but i have to say that this is the beginning and end of my candy apple making ventures. i am a caramel apple girl through and through. i should have listened to stephen colbert.

the best 2 remedies for a sore throat...a cute boy and orange sherbert (but not just any orange sherbert...it needs to be in push pop form):

great jrr tolkien quote i read today: Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.

it really says a lot about some recent events in my life.

i'm off to watch the fellowship of the ring. i love that movie!

this chica

  De favoriete neef   Die beste Schwägerin

grande soeur

lovely lunch: olive tapenade...

festive treat...

pricey, but worth it!...

my very own iorek byrnison...

...and a vest i whipped up...

"excalibur" spaghetti squash <3

i started reading tonight. it isn't half bad...

me: so use the new ones then

him: *throws expired tortillas BACK INTO the fridge and removes new ones*

-stephen colbert

hmm....do i want to make the suit right now though? i don't really need it now. i could spend the time making other items that i could wear now...

what to do what to do. i need inspiration. yes, inspiration indeed.

oh, i got dragged to see the seeker. i know i said it would be awful, but it was so much worse. they got every thing wrongity wrong wrong. tisk tisk. *sigh* it could have been a decent adaptation if not for some of the completely ridiculously unbelievable dialogue and ending. listen, i'm uber pro when it comes to the willing suspension of disbelief. you gotta trust me on this one. here's one example (and the most preposterous of them all): in the end, which had changed quite a bit from the actual book, the main character freed his twin brother from a snowglobe where he had been kept prisoner his whole life. oh...and the main character never knew he had a twin till shortly before this because somehow, in 14 years, it had never come up by either his parents or his many older siblings. and then, to add insult to the audience further, both of the boys went home where the missing boy was welcomed by his siblings/parents with wide eyes and handshakes... huh?? a person missing for 14 years comes back and you shake his hand? if that happened in my family, people would be freaking out and probably fainting. if this film's ending is a realistic portrayal of how a normal family would react given this situation, then i must say that my whole family should be institutionalized for being overly sensitive.

oh! one more thing. on the way out, i heard a girl, who couldn't have been more than a few years younger than me, commenting to her friend that the reason it is getting bad reviews is because no one read the book. WHA?? actually, if i HADN'T read the book, i would have given it a lot more credit. the film completely insults the book. hands down. no arguments.

what a disturbing world we live in.

i. write. and. not. a. thing. more.

i. i. i.  need. sleep.

i. think. version. 3. is. done.

anyhow, keep on praying for me.  i'm going to try to finish my revisions by the end of fall break.

my final thoughts: ! and !...and a bit of ? as well.

the finest galas in all of tennessee

the usual suspects

nut crushing (dang, i need to clean my ring...)

yummity yum yums

the girl that eats like a 3 year old.

...hey, speaking of 3 year olds...a woman and her little girl walked into my office asking for directions to the bathroom.  i told them and they left.  as they are walking down the hall, i hear the little girl say "that lady was nice"...it warmed my little heart.  a 3 year old likes me.  woot dot com.

*sigh* we didn't do anything halloweeny this weekend...i wanted to do something every week, but it's just too late at night to make caramel apples.  we'll make them wednesday!

anyhow, i have a blast shopping this weekend.  i got some fabbity fab toys!  i also bought my first maternity dress...don't panic, i'm not prego...i just didn't know it was a maternity dress till i got it home.  i just figured it was one of those companies that makes size small a size large.

yummy new shoes!  i'm going to cut the fringe off the green ones though...

this is the first "harvest" from istopher's aeroponics garden.  amazing lettuce

we finally got a utensil jar and pretty new container jars

i really don't like shopping at hancock fabrics, but since we have no joann's here, i am at their mercy.  thankfully they have $.99 pattern sales!

next week candy apples...

this is truly one of the most stressful times i've ever been through. i feel like i've aged 10 years this semester from all the anxiety. it will be over soon though and nothing will be able to phase me for years i wager.

but you know what? at least i'm not complaining about my choice which gives me a lot of comfort. i chose to do this and i am very happy with my decision. yes, it is hella hard, but i will get through it and not wallow in self pity because it's a challenge.

i think that 2 of the most annoying and destructive things humans do are:

1. have a raging sense of entitlement

2. complain about wanting something. getting that something. then complaining about that something that you wanted and now have.

i must say that i have pretty much zilch respect for whiners. wah. boo. hiss.

now, do not get this confused with people who are assertive or people that are venting. the difference is that assertiveness is a function of respect and dignity unlike entitlement where the person believes their happiness is the most important thing in the world...and venting...we all need to let things out. but the difference comes in the act of taking responsibility and doing something about the problematic issue. whining is just annoying, self defeating, and weak.

this exercise revealed a couple of things to me: 1, the way i make decisions.  sometimes you just have to suck it up and choose something.  i have a lot of things i don't like that i have to do and my response is: just do it and get on with your life.  i don't peal off band-aids, i rip them off.  when i'm in a situation that i don't like this is what i think: "this will all be over before you know it" and sure enough, it will be later that night and i'll be thinking to myself "see, it's over."

the 2nd thing i noticed: when determining the level someone is at in moral reasoning, a common question asked is something like: a man's wife is sick.  there is cure but it's too expensive for the man.  the person with the cure won't bargain.   what should the man do?

when i took that assessment i said that he should steal it.  his wife is sick.  she needs the medicine.  he loves her.  therefore nothing else matters but getting her better.

i was thinking about having to get rid of my integrity for the price of family happiness when i realized that i have done a few illegal things in order to help my husband with the neuropathic pain from his spinal  cord injury.  i was over the moon when i realized that i didn't just say that the man in the story should steal the medicine.  i had the courage of my conviction.  i didn't steal, but still didn't follow the letter of the law.  it's strange though.  yes, i gave up my integrity to help him, but in doing so, doesn't that give me more integrity?  i didn't follow the law, but i followed my own honesty.

********************************************

has your nose ever been congested to the point where it feels like little bubbles are popping when the mucous is draining?  it's a very interesting feeling.

so i had to skip class and this is what i did: pumped myself full of this: power-c dragonfruit

and

fruit breezers (yummity yum)

while i was picking up my "supplies" at walgreens, i picked up a new pez dispenser (which is da kewlest):

i picked up one more thing which cheered my little heart up (but did nothing for my throat). i have made a little photo diary to share with you all:

see girl with halloween pumpkin peeps:

see halloween pumpkin peep on a plate:

see halloween pumpkin peep after being microwaved 30 seconds:

and after 60 seconds:

see halloween pumpkin peep streeeetch:

see girl eat halloween pumpkin peep:

see girl smile:

see girl too lazy to nuke another so she eats halloween pumpkin peep raw:

who doesn't love peeps?  i think watching halloween put me in the mood to destroy things.

so i will be drowning myself in vitamin c today. scratchy throat with mucous and pressure on my chest...not pretty. here i come

"What is the definition of "is"?"

-the third person conjugation of the verb "to be"

"If work is so terrific, how come they have to pay you to do it?"

-who said work is terrific? but if someone did, they probably didn't mean that it was fun. the phrase must be understood in it's context.

" Why do dogs lick themselves is it because they itch or does it taste that good?"

-because their saliva acts as a healing ointment.

"If its against the Law to drink and drive. Then why are there parking lots at Bars. "

-because not everyone that goes to a bar drinks

"Why do store signs say "No Bare feet?" Don't you have to be a bear?"

-no, if you had to be a bear they would have written bear not bare.

"Why did God give men nipples?"

-because when we are developing we are all asexual until a certain point in the gestation period. we all grow nipples before that point.

"Why does soda taste better in a small bottle than in a large bottle or in a can?"

-i believe that it tastes better in a large bottle personally, but the reason they taste different is because the container's chemical composition effect the taste of the soda.

" If a stealth bomber crashes in a forest, will it make a sound?"

-in order for sound to be created, there must be a receptor so unless there are animals/people near enough to hear it, no.

"Why don't we get goosebumps on our face?"

-some people actually do, but most don't because their muscles/hair follicles are not as sensitive.

"Why are movie theaters always so cold?"

-because the air conditioning is on...it's on so high because when a lot of people are packed into a small space, their body heat raises the whole room temperature. the same thing happens in places where there is a lot of electronic equipment. the computers need lowered temperatures so that they don't overheat.

"Shouldn't there be a shorter word for monosyllabic?"

-why should their be? the word is used to define another word with one syllable, not itself.

"Why is a keyboard called a keyboard if it just has little buttons?"

-because the buttons are called keys.

"How is it possible to have a civil war?"

-ever heard of ghandi? laws of war? the geneva convention?

"Why does the Indiana driver's license include in its list of possible restrictions "B" for "Blind"?"

-because legally blind doesn't mean you can't see at all. it's a spectrum of functioning.

"If a turtle doesn't have a shell is he homeless or naked?"

-neither. he's dead. the shell is part of the turtle's anatomy. if someone took off your skin, would you be homeless or naked?

"why do people want to know what people think of them?"

-because humans are predisposed to socialization. back in the old days, if you weren't part of a tribe you most likely didn't make it. modern humans have evolved with a need to be accepted.

"If there is no God, who pops up the next Kleenex in the box?"

-i am not even going to touch this one. but i did want to point out that this is one of the most annoying logical fallacies out there. can you say "non sequitur?"

"If taught, do gorillas really understand sign language?"

-well, they understand that a symbol creates a reaction of some sort. just as if i called the asker of this question a jackarse i would know that they wouldn't be too pleased. so yes, they understand.

"Why do we pay tolls on the freeway?"

-we don't. we pay tolls on toll roads not freeways.

"Why is it that when you are driving and looking for an address you turn the radio down?"

-because the noise overstimulates us and interferes with our ability to concentrate.

"Why are most homes white?"

-because white was the easiest color to paint. it also served the function of reflecting light so houses would stay cooler in the pre-air conditioned world. the color is popular still because it's considered "quaint"

"If a cow laughed would milk come out its nose?"

-no because cows don't laugh and even if they did, they don't drink milk. this happens to humans because the nasal cavities are not closed off from the throat.

"Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice"?"

-if you take into consideration that the word practice is synonymous with career and discipline then no, not unnerving to me.

"If you set to work with a knife that will cut through anything and Tupperware that's guaranteed not to break, what happens?"

-the tupperware is cut through. when they say it won't "break" they actually mean that it won't melt, chip, or crack under NORMAL conditions. cutting with a knife is not a normal condition.

"Why do we buy a product that takes 2000 flushes to get rid of?"

-because we aren't trying to get rid of it. we want it to stay. moron.

"Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?"

-as long as there are no dead animals in them. (my brother used to torture me with this one)

"Isn't Disneyland a people trap operated by a mouse?"

-i agree totally. metaphorically speaking it is a human trap.

"If a man is standing in the middle of the forest speaking and there is no woman around to hear him...is he still wrong?"

-the absence of a woman doesn't mean men are suddenly smart.

"If a person kills their clone is it murder or suicide? "

-that would be murder as suicide is an act on the self, not others...even if they are just like you.

"If you can't drink and drive why do gas stations sell beer?"

-yet another non sequitur. who said you have to drink it while driving?

yummy blueberry muffins:

featuring sautéed leeks:

another hilarious thing i found at the store:

actually good beer (and festive!):

Your Type is INFJ

Introverted

Intuitive

Feeling

Judging

it's me and ghandi. so me...and again

the waiter called us amigos every time he came to our table.  the service was the fastest ever.  i swear that it took less than 5 minutes to get our food.

i picked up a book about scotland yesterday and was completely stunned by this:

how totally random is this paragraph?

funny tags for businesses:

some of my other favorites are "if your lawn needs a trim, call jim" and "call the glass doctor, he'll fix your pain"<---pane/pain...get it?

what would you do?

a. get angry and whine about it

b. get angry but hold it inside

c. get angry and refuse to go out of your way again for that person

d. get angry and smear their reputation as best you can

hmm...i think i'll choose c. why should i help people if they are just going to mess up whatever it is that i did for them?

c'est la vie...oh well.

good movie--->

a glimpse into my days:

one that came in the mail today:

oh, one more i just found in the chi sigma iota newsletter:

i was sitting in the sunshine yesterday afternoon and was serenaded by some birds, but evidently the video is too large to upload to this server.  believe me when i say it was really peaceful and slightly ethereal.

friendship cupcakes:

the beautiful sky last night while leaving class:

1. while waiting in line at einstein bagels-"dude, i was so trashed last night...i was throwing furniture off a balcony..."

2. while walking up some stairs-"you stupid. you ain't all that...."

3. waiting in line at linen's and things-"(on cell phone) i told you to do it. it better be done when i get back..."

any questions?

new potato salad and pea salad:

my first apple crisp (freaking amazing):

the coolest stress ball ever:

um, yeah. they should be afraid of irritating moveon.org...why? because they represent 3.3 million Americans. it's not the organization per se, it's the people. the government SHOULD be afraid of us. especially if they aren't doing what is in our best interest but rather following their own agenda.  if they piss off the military, the military can't do anything about it because they have dedicated themselves to serving the country which is supposedly represented through our "government". it's bollix people. i'm going to retire in belize. anyone want to join me?

when i'm in the woods, i feel at home. the smells, the sounds...it's like a separate reality but one that i am part of. but when i'm looking at the ocean i can't help but feel really scared. all that water makes me nervous because it's so uncontrollable. i actually have nightmares about being stuck in water where there are monsters and such. i always have to keep jumping from one thing to another to keep from falling back in. there are eels and sharks and fish with big teeth. when i would go swimming as a little kid i hated to touch the bottom of the lake. it was so squishy and i was sure that all the fish were down there. the lake we swam in most was chock full of blue gills. i remember my grandpa trying to calm me down because i was so scared of touching them. he laid in a tube on the water and said that sometimes they come up and nibble at you but there is nothing to worry about. i still can't handle the thought of touching a fish. especially stepping on one.

pro-works really well to keep you smelling better than a taco bell

con-you have to wait a while before your pits dry otherwise your shirt will look like you have sweat stains pros-covers well/lasts a long time on your skin/feels really good on your skin

con-can make sensitive skin break out if you aren't careful/decent price, but have to buy more often

man o man. i wish i could go to the pumpkin show this year. it would be wonderful to be able to take istopher for the first time. i would have pumpkin french fries, pumpkin elephant ears, pumpkin dough nuts, pumpkin fudge....they make everything with pumpkin. one year i WILL go and i WILL take istopher and i WILL most certainly pig out!

speaking of pumpkins, i need some more pumpkin recipes. not just pie. i want something new and interesting. you know what? last thanksgiving was the first time i'd ever eaten pumpkin pie. i know, right? i just wasn't brave enough. i read this book when i was a kid about a baby bear that didn't like to try new food. his mom tried to get him to eat tapioca and he refused. eventually he tried it and it became his favorite. well, good for him! i've still not tried tapioca and i don't think i ever will. when i was little my sister told me it was made out of fish eggs and i have been averse ever since. she also told me that tortellini was made with snails and i didn't eat it for years. i don't know what was worse, her telling me these things or me actually believing them.

thankfully i now have 2 people as go tos.  gab pal #1 is very very animated about talking smack.  gab pal #2 has a lot of great counter-biyotch stories that compliment mine very well...it's like, white wine and fish...

i just got done with a session and i literally feel lighter.  like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders.  knowing that you are not the only one that believes something is one of the best highs i've ever experienced.

thank you thank you my lovely gab pals...

i had a full day. i had a funny thing happen which wouldn't be funny to anyone but me because you had to be there.

why i love goodwill:

pumpkin pancakes with homemade whipped cream:

my first applesauce:

my helper <3

new tart burner and festive tarts:

so i figure...if a plant can grow in concrete, i can write a research paper:

pumpkin pancakes, homemade applesauce, hot cider, apple crisp, berry crisp...

i love to cook. i think what's even better is the fact that if i didn't want to cook, istopher would do it. i am so glad that i am not tied down to being forced into things that i don't want to do. for example, i am in a career counseling class right now and we are talking about self efficacy and satisfaction. i just thought of how much i love to sew, but how miserable i would be if i were forced to do it or starve.

a woman came to the door and when i answered she asked for "the lady of the house". i said that'd be me. she proceeded to talk to me about cleaning products she was selling. i stopped her and said that my husband does all of that. she thanked me for my time and left.

i have pondered on the strangeness of this situation a lot. i have come to the conclusion that she must have thought i was trying to get rid of her by telling her that i wear the pants in the family so to speak. i wonder as to when it will be considered normal for men to be just as active in taking care of the home as women? sure, i clean, but istopher does a heck of a lot more then me! actually, a portion of our wedding vows included a clause that he would be responsible for dishes. i swear.

it's times like these that i love the program i'm in. it is mostly women and when i told this story, most of them joined in with stories of their own ranging from how their husbands take care of the kids while they are at work all the way to one woman who said that she didn't even know what was in her kitchen let alone how to use it. it was really comforting to be surrounded by others that share my beliefs.

make sure to vote for threadheads!

i was making copies in the library.  i turned to go back to my desk.  i notice a larger female looking at me.  i look back.  her mouth moves so i remove my earphones to hear what she had to say.

her: are you wearing headphones?

me: yeah

her: do you know how loud your music is?

me: no, how loud is it?

her: i can hear it all the way over here (at another copy station 10 feet away)

me: you must have really good hearing

her: not really

then i walk away.

why in the world couldn't she just say "your music is really loud and distracting.  could you turn it down?"  instead she had to be obnoxious.  why?  what in the world did i ever do to her???  seriously folks!  i really shouldn't be surprised as i am used to being treated this way by people...especially females...and extra specially by females that are ugly and/or overweight.  it's called relational aggression.  utter nonsense.

working on my paper

following my yellow brick road

fantastic bumper stickers:

RESEARCH UPDATE: zoinks. i don't remember the last time i was anxious like this. not even job interviews make me this nervous. i completed my rough draft and will be submitting it soon. i have visions of my chair saying that it is perfect and that i can defend it whenever i want. then again, those fantasies are often shattered by the flip side: this paper is nothing like your outline and you have to start over. until i find out, it's yoga yoga yoga and breathe.

last night i saw something very beautiful. it made me happy:

tofu sandwiches and french fries!

caramel apples! i love fall... halloween is going to be good this year. i can just tell

in other news, i started the bell jar last night. i read it a few years ago and thought it was pointless, but for some reason i have changed my mind. i could probably pick out a quote from every page that i found fabbity fab.

but i got obsessed with this pattern yesterday. it is the most complex pattern i've ever done. my hands are already aching

i really loved my wedding dress, but dang...this is so beautiful!:

i heard a 3 year old girl, who had just picked up a board game in the toy store say "oh baby, we need this!"

great pattern!

fyi, that's soy "bacon" (which i call "fakin"...fake bacon...fakin, get it?) and chocolate soymilk. yummity yum. i'm ready to face microsoft word 2007. pray for me.

one last thing...THIS IS THE COOLEST TRASHY COSTUME I HAVE EVER SEEN

so, overall i didn't like slaughterhouse 5 but it had some interesting quotes. i just felt like there was no real story, but rather a collection of interesting points to get you thinking. here are some of my favorite quotes:

The little girls were wearing white party dresses and black party shoes, so strangers would know at once how nice they were.

"How nice-to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive."

He was in a fetal position, trying even in death to nestle like a spoon with others.

Trout, incidentally, had written a book about a money tree. It had twenty-dollar bills for leaves. Its flowers were government bonds. Its fruit was diamonds. It attracted human beings who killed each other around the roots and made very good fertilizer.

home made polenta take 1:

ahhh...a relaxing sunday afternoon...

....reading about how self-efficacy effects employment opportunities

i found this fabric on uber clearance:

it's a black cotton spandex blend that was too cheap to pass up...(5 yards=$5!!!  besides, if i screw up, it's only $5)

here will be the jacket and pants:

i've made the jacket before with smashing results.  the pants i have made as well, but with an earlier edition of the pattern.  i'm hopeful.  i am going to take this project very slow and make sure it looks good.   wish me luck

why you should always be nice to people:

they give you things so you can make things:

my old espresso machine was getting junky on me so a friend of mine gave me an extra one he had gotten by shear coincidence.

second: l.j.: i finished your mint chocolate dress and am shipping it soon...(happy birthday)

third: fuuuun story about the mall.  i was leaving through borders.  they have their  calendars out already so i was just glancing around when i saw a small political section.  the very top had some political far sides.  then it was hilary, giuliani, mccain, then my boy obama.  needless to say, i wasn't happy with this.  i thought i'd be sneeky and move giuliani down to where obama is.  well, i looked around, saw no one and removed all the giulianis...there were 10 and proceeded to grab the obamas to replace the hole.  turns out, there's a lot more obamas then giulianis.  like, double.  so i got half done when i saw some steps moving towards me.  i tried to vacate to another section (giulianis still in hand) but it was too late.  "do you need help with calendars...are you buying ALL OF THOSE?" says the older man that approached me.

what could i do?  "well, actually yes...see, i am part of this democratic club at school and we wanted to get something for our officers.  there are only 10 here, do you have any more?  oh, and i put the obamas up there because i didn't think you wanted a gap..."  he seemed to buy it (even though giuliani is a republican!)  he asked if i needed more and i was like..."uh, actually, would you mind if i called someone first?"  he took one of the calendars to scan in order to see if there were anymore.

i frantically called home, but no answer.  then i called mom.  i didn't have a chance to say "play along" before the man came back, so i just started saying things like "yeah, i'm here at borders...uh huh...they have those giuliani calendars...oh really?  well...they have hilary, mccain, and obama to...uh huh...yeah...uh huh..."

meanwhile my mom is saying "lynn...are you talking to me?  why are you at borders...are you talking to me?"

eventually i was like "oh, they're 13.99...sure, i'll ask"..."sir, will you be having a sale on these soon?"

he laughed in a manor that meant he thought i was stupid and said "we won't have a sale on calendars till march"

this was my saving grace as i said we didn't have the budget for this.  he took them out of my hands and i hot tailed it out of there, barely able to hold in my laughter.

finally, i wanted everyone to know that i have realize that i have a really cool person in my life that, until recently, i think i took for granted.  little by little i get to know how freaking amazing she is and how lucky i am to have such a friend.  here's my sch peal about her that i wrote when i was confronted with something really small that she did, but it really meant a lot to me:

she keeps up with my speed talking she isn't intimidated by my opinions when most girls are mean, she's a sweet apple tart my favorite intp... my partner in crime... my comrad in disecting people's intensions... she knows who she is so i won't tell...

i finished 2 dresses in the last couple days:

and

egg masala:

the room right next to my office:

another office space moment:

oh, and here's me as an adult.  monday-friday from 9-1pm only:

professional clothes are extremely uncomfortable.  this dress, as you can see, is riding up my sides big time.  it is supposed to be knee length and does stay there, if you are standing still.  the moment you move it rides up and it looks like you have jumbo hips

dessert=pomegranate

dinner was yummy! vegi burger and grilled veggies

these are some of the best ice cream treats ever:

i made my mint chocolate sun dress today. it was realllllly easy. i can see myself making a dozen of these for next summer. it is such an airy dress...but still to my level of modesty.

i am now all out of fabric :( well, except for some scraps and assorted material that is just for practice

i was looking at new patterns and saw a dress that looked almost exactly like the wedding dress i would have worn had we not decided to elope. i would not have had a white dress though. i would have wanted green. what was that? white dresses symbolize purity? actually no, you are wrong. originally white dresses were a status symbol. women of wealth wore them to show that they had money. white was really difficult to keep clean so the average person wouldn't buy white clothing.

patterns i am i love with: +

not about house wives, but still awesome...reminds me of donnie darko

What Tori Amos Song are you?

Precious things
You are concerned with freeing yourself from an event, or a feeling, clensing your body from something you don't like. You tend to obsess over that- but in time, the feelings will fade, and everything will wash away.
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"Precious Things"

So I ran faster But you caught me here Yes my loyalties turned Like my ankle In the seventh grade Running after Billy Running after the rain These precious things Let them bleed Let them wash away These precious things let them break Their hold over me

He said you're really an ugly girl But I like the way you play And I died But I thanked him Can you believe that Sick, sick, holding on to his picture Dressing up every day I wanna smash the faces of those beautiful boys Those Christian boys So you can made me cum That doesn't make you Jesus I remember Yes in my peach party dress No one dared No one cared To tell me where the pretty girls are Those demigods With their nine-inch nails And little fascist panties Tucked inside the heart Of ever nice girl These precious things Let them bleed Let them wash away These precious things Let them break Let them wash away

a poem for byzantium by delerium is very much a song that describes me too Unbidden shadows of you formed yesterday I ran away to a room here on the bay Interrupted life again, another new beginning Where the silence echoes you're no longer with me

Here and now, i feel that i'm embracing freedom Even though i may be alone, but that's ok

Through the darkness i would walk in the streets Confessions never seemed to provide me with a release Held me down and tried to cure me tried to give me reason But nothing could separate this burdened mind from me

Here and now, i feel that i'm embracing freedom Even though i may be alone, but that's ok And looking out to a different sky will disengage me Absence is never the answer, i know, but it serves as my shade

I do not seek and do not intend to find A calmer ocean or a sun that will never rise My world will never change and time will bring you to mythoughts And i'll move on and then forget you all over again Moving on, i can forgive you all over again

Here and now, i feel that i'm embracing freedom Even though i may be alone, but that's ok And looking out onto a different sky it seems so easy Absence is never the answer, i know, but it serves as my shade

blah. anyhow

dinner was amazing! baked mac n cheese with leeks

dessert: apple tart and honey'd ricotta

i would like to announce that i no longer have a deadly fear of working with knit fabrics. i sucked it up and made a cardigan. i will not pretend that it wasn't frustrating as the fabric was hard to manipulate, but it all worked out. i am looking forward to my next knit project.

why you should never pimp your car when you're high:

one of the most random things i've ever seen on the floor in a hallway:

my office space moments at work:

THIS DRIVES ME NUTS: IT'S ESSSSSSSPRESSO!  NOT EXXXX....

wow, this only took me 4 hours:

these pants are probably the most comfortable in the world (and only took 3 hours):

lawl...one of my classmates told me that every time she looked at me she thought i was "up to something."  if only she knew!

lastly my dear readers, i must tell you that i have recently become infatuated with the color mustard.  yes, mustard.  green will always be my favorite, but there is something about the color mustard that just really makes me happy

what i should have been doing in the library:

what i was doing in the library:

(i actually found all 12 waldos in 2 min, 13 seconds)

fabbity fab picture in grey king:

strawberry/blueberry pancakes c/o istopher:

books that i was surprised to see in the "juvenile" section:

and

note to self: no more double espressos...

awesome vid:

i started reading speak by laurie halse anderson and it does NOT suck.

flash forward 11 years. i still have the dang things. what's more? i wore them for the first time today. today, the first day of my adult life. and i wore the damn brown penny loafers (sans pennies...she didn't make good on her deal). maybe they work at work for some workers, but not this worker. sure, they are all "adult" and stuff, but well...i'll just give you the visuals to explain.

any questions?

moving on...

i have a fabbity fab office! my boss was really apologetic that they hadn't made it up perfectly for me, but i didn't mind at all. i set to work making it neat and tidy. here's some befores:

and here's after (the extra 6-7 chairs will be removed soon...)

that bookcase is fill with a lot of interesting books like Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Our Hope for the Future, The Physicians' Desk Reference, and my personal favorite What Makes Pornography "Sexy".

ANOTHER REASON TO LOVE MY HUSBAND: when i got home he had made me this:

it's an "over 18 year old" origami rabbit since i am now an adult...i named him alberto gonzales in honor of his royal majesty's most recently vamoosed.

lastly, it has come to my attention that my aunt debi reads this. ahem: aunt debi. i love you. you are awesome. but...i just want to let you know that when you told me that it was ok to sew over horizontal straight pins, you were wrong. it is most certainly NOT ok. unless you are wearing safety glasses of course, which i do not while sewing. i should sue you for the number of sewing needles that have broken on straight pins as well as for the pain and suffering of just realizing that i almost had a shard of sharp metal embedded into my eye. but since i am you and you are me, i forgive us. <3

FYI! SAVE THE PLANET (a little bit). bring your own container/bags to the store with you! it's not embarrasing or as difficult as you might imagine. here's how we do it:

you know how sometimes we pick something up in the store and don't want to put it back once we're 10 aisles away and decide we don't need it anymore? well, here's the most interesting one i've ever seen:

yeah! finished my "vintage" house dress today

dessert...oooohhhhh...my first homemade strawberry shortcake

armegeddon semester starts tomorrow. i don't think i'll have the time to make anything to amuse anyone so i'll probably not post as much. maybe just some funny pictures.

i realized tonight that tomorrow will be my first day as an adult. i'm pretty excited! i shall commemorate this day with some cucumber salad and couscous.

i finished the golden compass yesterday and i must say that lyra is now one of my favorite heroines...right up there with alice, candy, ramona, anne, bella, and weetzie bat.

<----4 pieces had to be sewn together

looks innocent right? wrong! it was very cheap though! fabric=$4, buttons=$1

right now i am cutting out this material:

for this dress:

it will be a nice end to my sewing extravaganza.

ooh dinner! broiled eggplant, pesto, and roasted red peppers...

this one will be released in november and has almost NOTHING to do with the real story

this one was released in 2005 and showed so much promise in the trailer but the film just kind of went way off course.

2.the dark is rising AHHHH! this one really gets me folkses. the book is a fantabulous second installment of the dark is rising sequence by susan cooper. the story is set in a 1960/70ish time period whereas the adaptation takes place in current times along with an urban setting versus pastoral and a "dorky boy that becomes awesome" theme versus just a plain boy in a large family. also, will should be an 11 year old, not 14!! probably worst of all is that they got merriman all wrong. he's one of my favorite characters in the series and, while the actor appears good, he's not at all how merriman is described in the books. boooooooooooooo! it reminds me of those $1 titles you get in the walmart assorted bin.

POSSIBLE NON-SUCK MOVIE ADAPTATIONS (i know, rare but possible)!!! these films appear to actually follow the story lines quite closely and also appear to look very similar to what my imagination came up with.

1. the spiderwick chronicles i luvvvvved these books. holly black is one of my favorite writers and did such a great job on this 5 series set of books with toni diterlizzi. i was really upset to see a poster of the upcoming nickelodeon film, but then i saw the trailer and don't think it will be so bad. it looks like they are using all 5 books in the film which makes me happy. also, freddie highmore and mary louise parker are in it (and martin short as thimbletack!) so it shows promise.

2. the golden compass (us title) i <3 lyra and this film actually has a little girl that could do her justice.

what makes me so annoyed with movie adaptations of the books is that they tend to only take a little bit of truth from the story then hollywoodize it till it no longer follows a comparable story line. they should say that the films are inspired by such and such book but shouldn't say the ARE that book see?

but candy quackenbush is still my homegirl

i finished the sheer white/blue built by wendy dress this morning. i used a white eyelet that i had bought for vogue 8185 but i used a strawberry print instead.

only 2 days left of freedom till armegeddon semester. i will spend the time doing the following things:

tonight finishing

tomorrow finishing

...and

sunday i will try to make one more dress out of

couscous with feta, kalamata, and walnuts:

it was a lot more flavorful that i thought it would be

the fired pottery:

father-in-law # 2 (brian) made me a too gnarly dress form with which i constructed my first self drafted pattern today: an apron

oh...and fyi, live free or die hard has mythbusters episode written all over it

i climbed to the top of this:

looked out and i saw this:

then looked down and saw this:

do not be fooled.  that structure has a lot more stairs that you would think.  it is now 2 days later and my calves are still aching.

i took a walk and sat here:

when i was scavengering some ice cream i came across these 2 amusing signs:

playing:

the long awaited dinner: 

pretties:

this kid said one of the most amazing sentences i have ever heard.   we were putting our feet and hands in the water then putting them on the cement to make prints.  he looked at one of my hand prints that i'd made and said "what a nice pawprint you made" with absolute admiration in his voice. 

i had finished this before i left but hadn't posted it:

black bean tacos

my first loaf of focaccia!

last night i made this:

and tonight i'm making this:

out of this: 

here's why i was wrong: it took me all of weezer's blue album just to cut out all the pieces. yes, 3 pattern pieces, but i had to cut out 2 of each for the facing, lining, and interfacing.

and look: sewing is dangerous!

after cutting out the pieces, i had to iron on the interfacing to every part of the facing. it took me the entire eisley combinations cd

after that, it only took me Garbage's pink cd and alanis morissette's jagged little pill to complete it.  speaking of alanis, i had a flashback to high school while i was listening to her cd.  mrs. saxton, the english teacher, was teaching us about irony.  she asked if we knew what it meant.  i raised my hand and, when called on, said "well, it's like rai y ain on your wedding day.  it's a free riiiiide when you've already paid.  it's the good advice that you just didn't take.  and, who would have thought?  it figures..."  she just said that i was right and continued on with the lecture while my classmates and i laughed our bums off.  i'm awesome.

i decided to wake up this guy: to show him

this is what he thought of my purse:

after i got it off his head:

so all in all a decent experience. just a lot of flipping cutting!

i was listening to the new rilo kiley cd and saw picture of jenny lewis. i started cracking up because 1, i love her so much and 2, we have the same dress! woot!

i found mine in a thrift store years ago and hemmed it to the length it is now. before it was almost floor length.

munch!

dinner was a new recipe. capellini with tomato, arugula, and kalamata and delicious fruit salad for desert

i sliced my left index finger open for this salad!

Books:

i started reading the importance of being earnest today. i can't wait to finish it. i normally don't go for period comedies because humor changes so much, but this is truly hilarious! also, i highly recommend gothic, ten original dark tales and all hallows' eve for the hopefully soon to arrive fall. vivian vande velde is such an amazingly creepy and fresh author. two other books i read every fall are something wicked this way comes and the halloween tree both by ray bradbury-the-great.

tank girl is a fabulous movie by the way.

this was just a test for some shorts i want to make with this material:

i will make them bermuda length though.

tonight's dinner was another new dish/desert

broiled frittata with jalapeno, chips, and sun dried tomato as well as a raspberry italian soda

honey broiled peaches with ricotta and coffee

i read the first 7 chapters of The Amulet of Samarkand but wasn't amused at all so i gave it back to the library.

lastly, it never fails that when my life is in a slump all i need to is go to my local walmart for entertainment. i wasn't even looking for it, but returned home with a bag full of fabric and a mental list of stories to tell istopher.

1. i was looking around the fabric section and saw 2 amish women. then i heard a cell phone ring. "Please!" I prayed, "let one of them have a cell phone!" sure enough, the younger one (which wasn't really young, but definitely youngER) pulled a cell phone out of her bag. i sneaked around to try to get a picture, but all i have is this for your amusement:

2. you'll just have to trust me as i thought it would be kind of awkward to take a visual from this next person. my cashier was a really really big man. by big i mean obese. nothing funny about that. what i found amusing was that this guy's neck, which is significantly more neck than most people, was COVERED with hickeys. i mean, woah.

3. on the ride home, i looked in my rear view mirror and saw a guy jamming out. again, not uncommon. what drew my attention was that fact that this man was a little person. as in a midget. and he was realllllly gettin' down. furthermore, his car was teeming with gay pride triangles, rainbows, and so forth. i really wish i could have met him. i bet he's a riot. but, all i have is a small memento from when he passed me on the right and got stopped at a traffic light...how i will lament my dear elf...

the venue is themed on one of my favorite books

LAWL this was our random table decoration:

quite appropriate in a way!

M-a-ZiNg creme brulee and latte:

and, as it turns out, i have a twin! our eyes met and we both stared intently. it was as if we both instantly knew that we were, at one time, part of the same split embryo. while i collected myself and said hi to her, she just smiled, giggled, and ran back to her mom. that's exactly what i would have done if my mom were there!...but then again,that's what most 3 year olds do when they meet me.

we both had braids, white tees, baby dresses with pockets, and flipy flops...either she's a real sophisticated 3 year old or maybe i need to update my 26 year old wardrobe. hmm....

speaking of wardrobes, i added a new dress! it is possible the best one i have ever made. built by wendy patterns are so simple to follow that it instantly boosts my confidence.

the gathering collar from hades! but it worked out great

slip stitching the collar

final product. absolutely awesome blossom (extra awesome)

i will say this: during this project i came to a harsh realization about many aspects of sewing. one of these is that in order to add a zipper...you ABSOLUTELY MUST hand baste. no way around it. at all. ever. surrender the fantasy!

i made this the other day but hadn't posted it yet

Books:

today i finished "Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code" and "Greenwitch"

they were both alright but i don't think i'll read the other books in both series'. i just don't think i can rock them anymore.

lastly, i highly recommend Paris, je t'aime to anyone that likes to think. it's a tres bon film.

but this year we decided to do something cooler.

we chose a tile and a mug to glaze.

my mug's detail:

why i love istopher: how absolutely random is this?

these will be the colors after they are fired in the kiln.

Dinner was fabulous. istopher made me this:

now, back to hemming my pants and finishing up

and we received an early anniversary present from my mother in law:

absolutely lovely quilt for our love nest. i normally don't go for neutral colors so i was surprised at how much i liked this.

i finished reading By These Ten Bones by Clare B. Dunkle tonight. eh. i liked The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy much better.

and we made some beads out of old magazines

then i made her a bracelet after they dried

beginning:

fabric:

here you have it (talking to sarah)

i played my favorite sport today: mall walking. i was able to find a lot of funny things, but here are the only ones i got to record:

a coaster for your beverage-

i'm not a big fan on novelties, but this is fantastic-

new smells from yankee candle that i adore in order of likability by my olfactory sense:

and finally...EISLEY'S NEW CD "COMBINATIONS" WAS RELEASED TODAY! BOOOYA!

ahem. istopher and i got to see them in nashville on August 10th and it was scrumptious.  here's us waiting:

oh, and one more thing...mov02954.MPG

yankee candle company has just released their new halloween scents. i can't wait to try cider-web

also, i can't believe it, but i found a hecka good condition copy of the cookie jar my mom got rid of before i had a chance to ask for it. i don't think i'll get it because 1, i hate bid wars. and b, i hate shipping fees.

ahh...earl grey...nectar of the Gods...

toasted blueberries taste so good

they remind me of this book:

istopher has it really good....

Dinner was delicioso this night.