261. Drift Away

I didn't have the best night last night so I've been distant most of today. I tried to get a couple things done, did some, but I'm still on edge and cannot seem to garnish the motivation to attack any project or task in particular. I really hope this is just a fleeting feeling and that I can kick into high gear this weekend. Next week is already Thanksgiving, holy cow! This year has gone by pretty fast, but I am constantly being told that this trend just grows exponentially as I grow older. Oh joy. Lol. Why do kids ever want to grow up so fast again? I actually was never really one of those. I still don't want to grow up now! XD

Wish me luck on keeping out of a rut! It has already led to me putting my Etsy shop on an indefinite hiatus. :( See you tomorrow. <3

159. Amassing Armies

*Cue diabolical laughter.* MWAHAHAHA!

I have gone absolutely nuts with messing with my polymer clay. /giggle uncontrollably. I really hope that my recently acquired toaster oven bakes them well. I was only supposed to make a few test pieces and got carried away. I can't wait to show you all! Alas, I don't have all the pieces to finish them still. I will take before and after pics for sure because they may be burned beyond recognition later, lol.

I've made a gift for a friend, something desert-themed, one WoW-related item that was on my bucket list to do- plus an accessory for it, a little bead made from the leftover colors from the aforementioned piece, a cute itty-bitty landscape, and then my oh-so-cute army!

Remember that I mentioned I got an idea (more or less) from the SO at the end of yesterday's post? Well, I tried to take that idea and run with it! I made an emo one, a tiger one, a robot one, and then figured I should have a normal one in there somewhere. After that I decided to make a pirate one, a ninja one, an alien-looking one (unfortunately, he looks more like a caterpillar or a lima bean with growths), and then a girly one with hearts. I kind of ran out of ideas after that. Any suggestions? Who knows? Maybe I'll make two of the suggestions I really like and can figure out how to make and mail you one! I do stuff like that. :D They are really freaking cute. And tiny. I can't wait to show you pictures! I'm so proud of them. I really hope that they stay together and don't burn. I'm kind of bad at planning for those sorts of things.

I guess that's one of the pretty weird things about me. Some things like a trip, I want to plan to the minute. Not that it has to by any means, but if we run into problems, we have that to fall back on so we don't really have to think about it in the moment. For crafting especially, I wing it 98% of the time. Sure, I do a mad amount of research and idea-absorbing, but designing my own stuff? I totally make it up as I go. Many times the more realistic or outrageous stuff doesn't turn out the way I had it in my head, but I usually expect that because I know the limits of my skills. However, since I am aware of this, I can plan accordingly and turn out really cute stuff that I love because it's exactly what I wanted. ... I think that made sense.

Um... only 1 out of the 11 critters I've made in the past two days have the eyeballs that they should have. It's kind of weird. XD And I really love tiny things. I find doll miniatures that ppl create out of polymer clay to be fascinating. Hmm, people*. Some of them are amazingly realistic, it is so mind-blowing.

I see this stuff on Etsy and Craftster. I don't think I've mentioned the latter before and I want to smack myself for holding back such a fantastic and amazing resource! Just in case you weren't around for my first month and a half of posts where I constantly mentioned it (lol): Etsy is like an eBay for handmade goods, craft supplies, and vintage wares. Craftster is "a community for crafts and DIY projects with free craft ideas, inspiration, advice, and more." I could not have said it better myself. The pictures, tutorials, and swaps are phenomenal there. I don't visit nearly as often as I should because I don't think I'd would do any work in my life. I would just craft and sit there and try to learn how to do everything. Even if you don't think you're particularly handy or crafty, check it out. You'd be surprised at how easy a lot of projects are and how innovative one can be with the right ideas!

I learned a lot about polymer clay from there. Needle-felting is another type of crafting that I had never heard about before wandering the forums and galleries. You pretty much stab at wool with a needle to sculpt whatever you want. The more you poke, the more the fibers spread and yet cling to each other. I definitely will try it one day when I get a chance to pick up a new craft! Since, I'm on the subject, I might as well plug my favorite needle-felting shop. Keep in mind that I don't know her personally, I just saw her work and fell in love!

Her Etsy shop of needle-felted birdies is: Feltmeup Designs!
She even has sections of birds that are inspired by wild birds. My absolutely favorite are the owls because I adore owls!

There's a sub-store of creepy monsters too! It's called Feltanomicon.

And of course, I follow her blog right here on Blogger! Check out Feltmeup Designs: The Blog!

She has really inspired me to try this art form one day. <3

Whoops! I just had an idea for my next little sculpture so... >_> ... <_< I'm going to run off and do that right  now. XD See you tomorrow! <3

092. It's Decided

Today was full of mulling over decisions.

I applied for my substitute teaching certification today, so fingers crosses that that will come back soon. I was debating putting my shop on hiatus during my stay with my family in July, but in lieu of my bracelet(s) being featured on other websites, I've decided not to take custom orders instead. I'm trying to cut down on what I'm taking because of all the killer fees that may ensue, so I unfortunately cannot ship all my crafting supplies back and forth with me. I may be moving/ shifting soon so that sets me into a mild panic about gathering up all my things again, but there are so many things to discuss with others that I'm going to do my best not to stress out over until the decision is made (not by me). Hm. I guess not much was actually decided on today besides what needs to be decided upon. ... Decided upon or on? Hm... not sure about that one either. Darn, I'm not very good at this. Lol.

I decided to try to give my brain a break by making a few cards. I only ended up making two because I kept tweaking my ideas.

This is the first. 

I'm actually not all that crazy about it. However, I love that handy and cute corner punch. I need to get me some of those!

This is the second one. 

I'm pretty sure I got the layout idea from designs I've seen around the internet. I love the framed leaf the most. It's from my newest cartridge, "Lyrical Letters". The sentiments and images are what I like the most. Go figure, there are seven fonts and I like the pictures.

This is actually from one of the sets of cards I made last night for friends. 

I can't wait to give it to them and I love the colors on this one. I would post a shot of the other set, but with the two here, they would definitely know who they are. :P Sigh, I really need to practice mixing mediums and techniques. Well, joining up with Stampin' Up should definitely help that! I can't wait to do more with them.

Oh! I just remembered the other decision that I actually made today! For my 100th blog post (which at the rate of being daily thing, will be Thursday, June 10th!) I shall be doing a little giveaway!

Who: Me...

What: 100th Daily Blog Post Giveaway!

When: Thursday, June 10th until 11:59pm Arizona Time- Monday, June 14th

Where: On my 100th Blog post

Why: To celebrate and have a chance at winning your choice of a handmade set of stationery or customized friendship bracelet!

How: Leave a comment with a way for me to contact you, which prize you would prefer, and (optionally) your favorite rant or post that I've made.

A winner will be randomly chosen, probably by the SO choosing a number from a bag, the next day. So, good luck and thank you so much for reading and stopping by my blog when you can! Thank goodness I remembered that now, lol. Well, that's all from me today. Until tomorrow! <3

090. Memorial Day [Weekend]

First off, let me say that I am forever grateful for the honorable men and women who have served to give, ensure, and protect all of the freedoms I have. I also know that when a soldier goes to war, a family goes to war. I extend my gratitude, condolences, support, and strength (which ever is applicable) to them as well. It takes a tremendous amount of love and sacrifice for all parties involved. An old friend had to recently receive her boyfriend's body last week in our hometown. I caught a news clip of the family, veterans, active military, police and fire department seeing the casket be taken off the plane. I cannot imagine the sorrow they feel for that young Marine. They are all in my prayers. RIP Patrick Xavier.

I hope that everyone had a safe holiday weekend and took the time out to thank those that have fought, whether they are with us or not anymore, and their families. It's not your long awaited day off of work, your break from studying for finals at school, or just another long weekend that you can booze away and do stupid stuff to yourself. Those things are all  possible because of the lives that have been lost or damaged and you would do best to remember that and respect that.

Speaking of, the SO, his brother, and I went to pick up their father at the airport today. He is a vet that had spent the past few days undergoing a Native American ritual in preparation for the Sun Dance this summer. It's very intense and elaborate and I don't believe I could do it justice by trying to describe it here. We brought a mini- care package with us of food, water, and a small US flag that was made in the good ol' US of A. You don't think about that very often, but I do believe that if you're going to buy something and take into consideration where it's manufactured, to make sure that our own flag was made here. We thought we somehow lost or missed him when it didn't list whether the flight had arrived or not. After some time waiting we went to check the displays again and it had disappeared. Luckily, a PA announcement was made about the flight and we hunted him down.

D'oh!

(Our kitty's cousin by relation napping earlier today.)

I think I forgot to mentioned earlier this week that my store is being featured on a lovely website! My Cerebral Palsy- Cystic Fibrosis Awareness bracelet is now being featured by Elegantly Served Parties. Again, I can always customize a bracelet for almost any cause and add a donation of $5 to a related charity. They are hosting parties to raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis and it's an honor to keep spreading the word.

Tomorrow is the big crafting day for FMIL and I with our first Stampin' Up workshop. Sigh, only I would wake up early to go crafting. Correction, I guess I have coerced her into doing that with me. Regardless, we're both very excited. I think it's two cards and a craft project so I can't wait to show you pictures of that. We also got down to business today and finished creating an origami mobile together. You can check out one that I've made here at my shop. They are forever tedious, no matter how much I try to prepare in advanced, but I do enjoy making them. I enjoy enjoying them after it's all said and done even more. It should be all dry and ready to be photographed by tomorrow, so I'll snag a picture of it then for you to see. : )

I know I recently mentioned getting back to a little bit of scrapbooking again. Here are a few plain pics about that:

The cover to our original scrapbook that is still a work in progress.

This is the cover to the album I recently purchased. It will be the sequel.

I didn't even plan for them to match in terms of color scheme. Florals seem to be so "In" right now that it was hard to find a simplistic but decorative gender-friendly, etc. Anyways, the more I look at it, the more I fall in love with the latest one. I already love the first one. I think I'm morally obligated to because not only did we pick it out together (from the choices we were presented with) but we've put so much hard work into it, lol. I have to. I just think it's cool that they ended up matching in their own way. 

Well, I'm sure I'll think of something to talk about tomorrow. I pointed out to the SO that today was my 90th daily blog post(!) and he asked if I was doing something special for my 100th. It's a good thought and I need to dwell upon it a little. I definitely want to. Maybe a little giveaway for the few people that I know regularly read my ramblings. I shall dwell upon it! : ) 

Until tomorrow, <3

088. Is This Thing On?

I am pretty sure that I have spent the majority of my day working on resolving my laptop's issues with my camera. That and watching Steven Raichlen's Barbecue University or Primal Grill on public television. Omg, the food looked so amazing... /drool. It really put us into the mood for home cooking, but we ended up getting good ol' local fried food goodies. Oh the tragedy. : )

Tomorrow should involve some serious amount of crafting. But until then, here's a story as told with pictures!

The cover I made for my first mini scrapbook. I just realized that I didn't take a picture of the aerial view! It's a really cool design that I found.

Alright, for the life of me, I cannot make this rotate properly. This is only half of the sneak peek that I wanted to show you. It's a representation of our kitty wanting to go (me)ooowt!

Okay, same issue. It says "Merci". For a dear person who has recently guided me down the path that I feel that is right for me. I will be forever grateful, no matter what the outcome will be. None of that was supposed to rhyme, I swear. Lol.  Inspired by him and the sunrise because we're both looking at new beginnings. : )

Another card that I've made from the most recent batch.  It didn't sit in my collection for long, but I still loved it just the same.

A blurry sneak peak of a mobile that I have made a little while ago. It will soon be listed in my Etsy shop. :D

Look! It's kitty-take out! This kitty just has a love for boxes. This is especially so after the SO taught him how much fun it was to climb into them. Now, we can't keep him out. :P

The sweet bouquet that one of the families brought in on the last day of class.

So, do you remember the self-inflicted punishment I've been talking about for the past week? :P It was a project I started about organizing all the books in class. This is actually the books all categorized. You might be able to see this very laptop in the background, lol.

This is a snapshot of the master list I finally cranked out. Almost 850 books are cataloged for future reference. I normally don't like to toot my own horn (however, I'll talk about it to kingdom come),

I think that it's a glorious piece of work. All wrapped in a cute binder from Walgreens.

These were the boxes that many of the books plus piles of themed materials were formerly in. I kept the activities and props inside, but removed all of the books and gave them a little bit of a makeover just to, again, make it easier to find and grab in the future. At least until we find a way to get clear plastic tubs to put everything in. :D

A beautiful and really quick sunset last week. By the time I got outside and got my camera all focused, it was almost gone! Of course, this doesn't do it justice, but I still think it's quite stunning.

Well, hopefully I have the picture-camera-laptop dealio all worked out so I never have to spend my Saturday wanting to punch my computer's lights out again. I hope you enjoyed these! I think I actually have something in mind for my post tomorrow. Imagine that! Until then, <3

053. Coughy Crafting

My throat's not getting much better today. :( I'm not completely sick but it feels like I'm getting there, slowly but surely. Lol, I initially typed 'surly'. What a fun word. Anywho, I took it easy today in hopes that resting up while I could would help me get better sooner. I feel like I tried to make that sentence rhyme somehow and that it went horribly wrong, ha ha.

We started off today running errands that weren't my idea! Whoa, lol. I updated and re-refined my Etsy shop for the millionth time. One of these days I may be completely satisfied. :P I also decided to just sit and do some research into color trends and what-nots to try to inspire myself and keep from getting bored of using the same palettes and combinations that I know I like but also get tired of (just like everyone else does) seeing it over and over again. I haven't done a very good job at using spring colors because I guess I am just enamored with rich, bold, and bright jewel tones! I love 'em, but I really need to cut that out because it's keeping me in a colorful rut, lol.

So, for more inspiration (but more to keep me in a creative mood) I also started my own mini marathon of  watching My Pink Stamper videos! That's a link to Robyn's collection of videos via her blog, she also has a YouTube channel and Facebook fanpage. I love her style, it's pretty similar to my own and she is just awesome in a million ways. I watched another one of her live streams last night actually. The chat of 500 people drives me a little bonkers though. Yes, it's fast but I'm vaguely used to that, however! There are just some really selfish and downright annoying people that spam it during the broadcast. I know that happens pretty much in any large chat room, it's really been a while since I've been in those situations (I learned my lesson pretty early on). Last time I watched a live broadcast, I was so psyched and even joined in on the chat and realized it was pretty futile because I just ended up wanted to yell back at a certain dozen or so of people who kept asking irrelevant questions and demanding answers.

Funny how a few bad apples can spoil the bunch. Also, it's pretty funny how the older I get- the more things my mother is/ was right about. :P Lol. I pretty much always knew she was, regardless if I understood how, I guess it just really hits home once those situations come up. Anyways, I re-learned my lesson and decided to block that half of the screen with another window so as to not be terribly tempted to log on and blast inconsiderate people to kingdom come (I guess blasting them is a whole "two wrongs don't make a right- but three lefts do" deal, lol). It was much more relaxing for me and I got to enjoy all the goofing off that was involved. She's the one who introduced me to the Waterfall Card Technique that I've fallen in love with.

I made a few recently and I still cannot get enough of it. So, when I got the opportunity and honor to make a few bracelets for a friend's friend, I jumped at the chance to include a little something extra in the package: a handmade card!

The message is "Never Give Up Hope!" and "We Support You!" And I am really grateful to be included in this kind gesture. I'm pretty pleased with how the custom order turned out and I hope they are too when it arrives! Here are a few pictures of that:

Mmk, on another note, upon remembering and reading over my past few lackluster posts, I remembered that I took a picture of the doggie that hasn't been feeling well lately. It was almost-raining and for some reason, he kept standing in the open and getting soaked over time. Finally, he was coaxed into laying down on the patio on a blanket we brought out for him, so here he is:

The poor baby. We've come to the conclusion that he's kind of like a Clydesdale Horse. He has seemed much better since that night though but still swaying a bit on his feet. We're keeping a close eye on him and, of course, spoiling him. :)

On a lighter note, we came together and made a family recipe that is apparently a New Mexican tradition-thing? It's basically a super enchilada and I would post more details but I wasn't really paying attention this time around since I haven't been feeling well, :( sorry, lol. However, I do have pictures!

Mmm. I promise to pay more attention next time. It has fried corn tortillas in a sauce that is tomato sauce based covered in layers of ground beef, lettuce, green onions, sharp cheddar cheese, and another tortilla. Then, all topped off with- um, I guess that's not a sunny side up egg... darn, I'm not very good at this... hold on, lol - over easy/medium egg? Lol, I went to go ask and the answer wasn't conclusive. Anywho, it was fun and yummy. Prior to cooking dinner, homemade guacamole was made so we could munch on tortilla chips as we decided how many layers we wanted for dinner. :P

Bah, I should probably be resting in bed right now, hm? Well, it actually sounds like a good idea this time around so that's all I'll write about today! Until tomorrow, <3!

049. Colors Spinnin' 'Round

Erm. I thought I had pictures to add to today's post, but apparently I was sadly mistaken, lol. Again, one of those, I was more tired than I initially thought moments/ days. Like now, I've been distracted about five times already just trying to start this entry off.

Hm. Oh! One of the boys that I mentioned yesterday, the one that saved me a seat at snack time (Aw!), we found out/ realized that yesterday had been his birthday! Gallant attempts were made to semi-celebrate it in class today, not that it really mattered to him since he had been celebrating with his family for the past week. Psh, we don't need to know/ do anything, silly classroom adults, lol. Idk, it kind of makes me feel all the more special that he asked me to sit with him on his birthday *^_^* (that's a blushing face, btw, :D).

Been trucking through with stuff from my shop lately. Finished a custom order for a friend complete with pictures I'll eventually post once it is received. It also kicked me into even high gear with how I've neglected the Awareness/ Remembrance section of my shop. Most of this evening was dedicated to doing research into what causes the months of April and May observed and their respective representative colors. This is in addition to seeking out reputable and trusted organizations for said causes so that potential supportive donations may be made in the future. This may sound a little mean but, if you can't decide on even a color to represent your cause, how do you expect to collectively raise a significant amount of support and awareness? The search will go on tomorrow. I do my best to pair up similar causes in the bracelets I make, but it's pretty hard. Especially when everyone starts using the same three colors. :( I don't want to look like I'm copping out by rearranging the same hues over and over again but I really put a lot of thought and effort into finding all of this stuff out and I'm only given so much to work with. Roar.

I'm hoping to try my first recipe from AllRecipes this weekend! We're voting and throwing out ideas of what it could be about. Oh! Just a reminder, Earth Day is this Thursday (April 22nd)! Find a tree to plant/ hug and start up some new recycling habits or something! :D I'm almost completely spacing out but I'm already dreading getting up early tomorrow to run errands that include going to the MVD (Motor Vehicles Division, where I'm from it was the DMV and now all of the jokes I've heard are jumbled in my head) :( Wish me luck with that! I think the main family project for tomorrow is prepping for bulky trash day :O I don't know how much help I would be with my severe lack of upper body strength. You know, on top of my overall lack of body strength... lol. It could be a complete disaster of a day and chances are, if it is, I'll have a picture or two to show you to prove it. :P Well, I'm out for tonight and I'll have some pictures of my crafty work posted soon!

Until tomorrow, <3!

040. The Hunt For The Lucky Bamboo

I had no idea what to call this blog entry today. I'm trying to stay away from too generic or vague of a title and I don't feel like running out if I'm going to do this for 365 days in a row. Ow, ow, ow. I just burnt my tongue a little on a lava pocket. :( I want to finish eating it fast before all these bugs I'm surrounded by land and/or get stuck in my food. What a rock and a hard place, lol.

My folks have some lucky/ feng shui bamboo at their place and I figure it's one of those few cool plants I would have to put effort into killing. However, that's a thought I've been entertaining for a while now but the other night my SO was pulling up pictures of living bamboo fences that people had... cultured? That stuff is pretty cool, the patience and thought and care put into molding a plant into all sorts of shapes and designs. I have absolutely no clue as to why he was looking it up, but it was cool nonetheless. So, today I had wanted to stop at the Oriental market and buy some Asian rice (the ones you find at typical grocery stores had been weirding me out for a while now, lol) so we searched for them there, but to no avail. Sadness. I shall keep hunting. I did however find some shrimp-flavored chips and lucky red envelopes. :D It sounds pretty weird, I know, but somehow I really love those chips, even if I'm not a huge fan of seafood by any means. Go figure.

Well, I did mention that the Blaze pattern has gone live at my shop, but I forgot to mention how I got my first order for Australia! So far, my only/ first international orders have been from Canada (which was still exciting). I have quite a bit of Etsy business to take care of tomorrow! On top of shipping out orders, I've received even more messages for suggestions and custom orders! An added bonus about that news is that most of these orders coming in are associated with donations to charity! Hooray! I wish charities would still accept online donations for less than $5, but alas. It was very fortunate that the orders happened to come in all at once so I can pool the donations together and chip in my own money again. It is for good causes after all.

More crafting ensued today. I hope to get consent to post a picture up here when it's all said and done.

Oh too gross. I just had a dog pace back and forth near me in the kitchen and pass gas. Ugh, so vile. Lol. Both of the dogs are acting more gluttonous than usual lately. Tonight, it's kind of driving me bonkers. I'm too stubborn to give in to puppy dog eyes when it comes to their health. One has been sick lately and not eating much, so we've been giving him more and more chances to at least nibble on some food, but now that he's getting better, he's almost copping an attitude when we don't indulge him as much. Sigh. I have to go out and sit with them as they do their business apparently. They think I left them out for the night, even though spending the night inside is supposed to be a treat for them. So, I'm typing outside being run into by a bunch of bugs. No, I am not letting you eat again- you should have eaten it all when you had the chance at your dinnertime. Not my fault you only ate 90% when your mom was sitting out here with you and want the last 10% now, a few hours later. Some puppies spoil so easily.

Dog farts have thrown off my train of thought completely. I'm pretty sure they are potent enough to derail more than just that, lol. Sigh, I have no idea what else I was going to ramble on about so I'll cut today off now, ha ha.

Hasta mañana! <3

039. We're On Fiyah!

We're really not though. However, in the event that I was indeed on fire, my writing about it has a high probability of overlapping the occurrence. But of course my laptop would take forever to boot up and then take another million of years to load my homepage and my skin would be thoroughly charred and hinder my typing ability. I just assume it would be my hands on fire.

What on earth am I talking about? Lol. Anywho, I am actually referring to the fact that the Blaze friendship bracelet pattern has gone live at my Etsy shop! I kept my word about it being released by the end of the week! Hooray! It would not have happened if I had not gotten so excited about it when I told all of you about it and prepared the materials back then, lol.

Before I forget, the "But I am le tired!" line that I mentioned in yesterday's nearly incoherent blog post refers to a viral video from a few years back. I feel I should warn you, it is a bit PG-13, especially for language and some animated blood? "The End of the World." I found/ find it hilarious. :D

I haven't personally accomplished too much today. Some family have gotten new phones today, or at least ordered them. The SO is getting a fun one and I can't wait to play with it and probably kill its virtual soul. I abuse technology well. What can I say? I like pushing tech to their limits if I can, usually from making it OD, lol. At least I'm safe. Rofl, why doesn't this part of the rant seem slightly questionable? Because I'm me and naturally awkward. /hugs blog. It'll be okay blog, I heart you very much, and you've been quite the trooper too. When he gets it, I'll ask if I can post a generic picture of what it is. Pretty sexy gadget if I say so myself, not my first choice... or second for that matter, but sexy nonetheless.


I also managed to keep my personal promise to make the lovely Ms. Jenn's Short Ribs this weekend! My friend posted a delicious sounding/ looking recipe on her blog, Jabbering Jenn, so I wanted to try it myself! I was in a mild panic the entire time I prepped the meal (and almost stabbed myself in the kidney, almost chopped the tip of my finger off, etc.), but everyone would chip in their help and advice and it helped me manage to get from start to finish. And let me be the first to say that this recipe tasted absolutely AMAZING! So incredibly tender. We could not find any beef short ribs at the store that actually included the rib bones,  but despite all the setbacks, everyone adored this meal! It was voted by the whole family to go into my recipe book! Lol, I didn't think they remembered that I wanted to make one. Sadly for me, even her super simple directions were a bit advanced for a completely cooking noob like me. Again, I had a lot of advice being thrown my way the whole time, thank goodness, lol. Here are the goods!

I think it deserves to be a Large-sized picture. It was paired with homemade potato salad and vegetables.

I highly recommend this recipe! 

Thank you so much Jenn!

I don't know any better way to end today's post than with that yummy success! :P Until tomorrow! <3

027. On A Mission

I was on a minor mission today that was successfully completed, but more about that later. I'm pretty sure kitty reads my blog because last night he just sat on me, just out of my arm's reach for a minute before finding a few other places to nap instead. I don't think he was too pleased that I told the world about our special love affair. :( Lol.

Our kitty came running in last night staring at what seemed to be nothing before I realized he chased a bug into them room. Personally, if it won't harm him to eat it, I root for kitty to catch it because I don't want it touching me without prior permission. Here's a picture I captured while squirming into a corner :P

One intrigued kitty.

I eventually had to get that suckah myself. :(

It looked like a mosquito but the size of a half dollar! It isn't but that's not a fun thought, regardless.Before we all settled into bed, I heard a ruckus in the kitchen and found two kitties in the midst of a hunt. Here's a video I caught!

Apparently, there was another one of those bugs in the house and our kitty's cousin was hunting that little bugger down like the insect it was, lol. I found the whole ordeal pretty hilarious. No matter how aloof the cats try to be, they are just a bunch of playful and irrepressible kittens.

My mission was to pine for my mail. Ha ha, not really, but that's definitely a part of what I did today. I also used the delivery confirmation number I was given and found out my package was "delivered" on Friday! No one at home has seen it despite checking the mail everyday and being outside several times each day. How sad! I wandered around the front yard for a bit looking in bushes and the brush to see if the wind may have knocked it somewhere but who knows. /frown. I called the post office and they said they'd ask the mail carrier when he works next and give me a call back. I hope I get/ find it somehow and that it's not written off as a loss by everyone else. I really wanted it. :( /cross fingers.

My actual mission was finishing a mobile that was custom ordered. I hope they like it and that it will be sent to arrive on time. Here's are pics of it with a close-up of the centerpiece:

Not the best photos, I know. I just wanted to be done with it. I am happy with how it turned out though. Alrighty, time for me to go relax and/or pass out in bed.

Until tomorrow, ciao! <3

025. Who Wouldn't?

When the next person asks me what I did for Easter, I can now proudly say I upheld my tradition of annihilating a giant chocolate bunny! Hooray! Who wouldn't want two milk chocolate critters that were 7 oz. each for six bucks? Traditions are good. Especially when they involve food.:P

I almost pulled an all-nighter when I blacked out this morning for a few hours(thank goodness). Have I mentioned I have a love-hate relationship with caffeinated drinks? So physically draining. Emotionally too, for that matter. I had no idea what was going on with life in general for the first half of my day, lol. Good times, good times.

Since I'm not completely recovered from that mini-ordeal, today is going to be media-tastic! Well, maybe not that great, seeing as how I wasn't sure what pictures I was meaning to post. I'm pretty sure those brain cells died as I suffered from involuntary consciousness.

First up, new bracelet design I mentioned! I'm still not entirely sure if I want to sell them or not, but I did have a lot of fun learning this pattern and making a few!

They remind me of Skittles, FIRE, and other. Lol. Let me know what you think!

The next up is my little stationery collection! I like writing a note for each Etsy order I send out and ran out pretty fast of some of my fancier stationery that I had had for a couple of years. I can't find anything else like it easily nowadays (Lots of various designs for cheap!). But, of course, after several months of hunting around- note pads come back into style. It's one design throughout but for usually a dollar each, how can I pass that up? Plus it cuts down filler-writing on my behalf! Lol. The last three I just got the other night for Spring/ Easter! So exciting, lol. I adore office supplies! Here they are!

How fun! /gleeful dance. I think I have one or two more but it may be buried in a box between the past few moves :(

The last multimedia goodie I'm posting today is this video! Kurt Hugo Schneider posted a video in response to his suitemate, Jake Breune's, "challenge." It is beautimous, lol. Well, Jake has just posted a response that is absolutely amazing. Such musical carnage- in a good way! I find it hilarious, so I hope you enjoy!

That shall be all from me today, folks! See you tomorrow! <3

001. It's Been a Long Day

Well, welcome to my new blog. I think my Livejournal may have been my first. I have tried Myspace blogging (but it frustrates me with the whole privacy settings) and Facebook Notes (FB has irked me from the start), but I think through the years I've come to like this little spot right here *nestles in*.
I'm going to do my best and give myself the gift of stability by doing my best to write a blog everyday, so as a fair warning: this will be full of my eclectic musings, long-winded rants, exclamations, parenthesized after thoughts, constant laughing, and virtual actions.

Here we go!

Within the past hour, I saw the ending of a PBS documentary called, "The Suicide Tourist". I pretty much just caught the man undergoing an assisted suicide. I'm not sure how I feel about the legalization or concept of it just yet (I'm still trying really hard to get to know myself! <- One of my New Year's Resolutions from 2009!) but I did think about how depression sucks. It just plain sucks. That feeling of how you're such a failure and waste of space and guilt of being such a burden on the people around you that you feel that, at least for their sake, you should just stop existing and the world would then be a little bit better of a place. I know that this is just one kind of thought a person experiences when suffering through depression. My response (as posted in a FB status and About Me section update >_<) to that is:

I want to let everyone know that no matter how bad things may be- YOU ARE NOT AS BIG A BURDEN ON THE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE AS YOU MAY THINK!- I would be honored to hear from you or just listen to you- even if we've never talked before or seem to have nothing in common. We are decent human beings and that is enough to start relating with. Honestly, it will matter to me not having you in this world. You are never alone and I am not the only person in this world that feels that way about you.

And I mean all of that from the bottom of my very soul. With that off my chest, today has been just a long and weary day emotionally. I didn't even get up that early! (I suppose I may have been recovering from those two nights earlier this week that I got 3 hours of sleep each...) Fast-forwarding through a few details, I found out that a third of my student loans were sold last December to the Department of Education... so we were a bit behind on the payments. Fun stuff- really stressed me out- but it's sorted now. I believe the moral of the story is: Our dependency on money SUCKS. :)

Went grocery shopping after having a minor meltdown and did relatively well at getting only what the household needed. I'm now trying to cut back on my spending and stop being a pain in the haunch teen rebelling daughter. Which reminds me, I took this survey yesterday that my SO had heard of and (after some training via my BA in psych :P) felt it was pretty decent of an evaluation.

It's called "The VIA Survey of Character Strengths" (<- Oooh, how fancy! A link that works and looks good!) Requires a quick and painless sign up. Yes, there are 240 questions- but that's how you know it's good :P My highest strength had to do with appreciation. At this point in my life, I can say that's true. As selfish or lazy as I am or sound- I am forever grateful for pretty much every aspect of my life and it is usually on my mind. One of my lowest strengths was forgiveness and mercy. I already had that in mind before I even answered the questionnaire. It's true and I have come to accept/ understand that about myself. I feel that I give a just amount of time and chances to make up for indiscretions against me (that wording makes me sound like I'm being godly or something), but after a while I'm done with it. I am a bitter person and those who understand me accept that aspect of me. On the flip side, I put a lot of effort into still being the minimal amount of courteous and kind (when the time calls for it) so I feel that it balances it out.

Where was I? Oh, so those two events really put me on my emotional roller coaster today. Mom says I've always been too sensitive but that I probably got it from her :P Hm, what else? Oh! If you haven't already heard... (despite my efforts to plead with and shove it in your face in the nicest way possible), I do have a little online shop at Etsy.com! It even has it's own fan page on FB (for someone who isn't a huge fan, I'm sure pushing it a lot... XD)! It has always been a dream of mine and with enough support and goading my friends both old and new- I finally started to sell my own handcrafted pieces! I feel that it's done as well as I could every hope for it to do and I'm still really proud of it and myself. Can you tell I've had major self-esteem issues in the past yet? :) Every little success is still a success!

So, on the note of my little shop. *Sigh* What to do with it? What to do next?

• I know I should make more origami mobiles just to add to the variety (of one XD),
• I am in the process of making a big ol' batch of friendship bracelets (I'm being obsessive about posting them all at once- which I understand doesn't make great business sense... of which I have very little of...),
• I'm still researching on what my third type of item should be! I've tried a couple of things that haven't quite worked out well enough for me to be okay with selling.

If anyone wants me to sell their crafts for them- I'd be more than happy to. We can work out the details. And I would greatly prefer it if we're already friends, lol. My questionnaire results also said I seem to work best in groups :D Given that members of that group are like-minded and pull their own weight... /cuts self off of next mini rant.

Next note is going to be about/ to my SO. I don't want to go into too many details (because I do still value a certain level of privacy!) but I just want to share how proud I am of him right now. I truly appreciate the effort you're starting to put into this task and I understand (as best as I can) how hard it is to and how hard it has been on you. Whatever happens, I know we'll figure something out and whatever way you handle this- I trust and feel I know you well enough to support you wholeheartedly. I can't thank you enough for putting up with me all this time :)

Hm, in the midst of giving thanks- I think I'd like to give shout outs to a few people! Hooray for lists! XD

• Melissa, I love reading your blog posts. I hope to see an update soon! I'm glad you got the pictures working! I really miss you :(
• Kharlo, look at what your novel notes helped make me do! I started to come up with ideas for a story but couldn't quite make all the ideas flow into a cohesive... mess... XD So, I was thinking I could find a way to make figurines of my characters and offer mini backstories instead! I can't wait for your visit and to tell you about it!
• Adin, *wails* I wanna go out and eat with you! Lol. I miss our mini misadventures and roadtrips to visit the folks. I know life/ luck really seems to have it out for you right now but I know that it'll get better soon (mostly because of your dedication to make it better).

There are many more and you guys will get your comeuppance sooner or later. :P

With the SO literally prodding me in the ribs, I'm going to cut myself off now so I'll have something to write about tomorrow! Have a good night everyone- and remember, you are Never alone!