Wendy was the winner....and her banners are done

Wendy won my little contest and as a prize I said I would make her a banner. She wanted one that combined her daughters birthdays. Since they are not twins, I couldn't let them share a banner even thought they both have May birthdays. So, I said I would make two. It really doesn't take me that long and I have been in the mood to make them, so I went with the flow. When people watch me make my banners the are always shocked that I don't use a pencil to sketch things out. I'm wing it kind of gal. I get a permanent black marker, start with the balloons on the end and work my way right across the banner paper. I do the hollow bubble letters and once I am all done, I make random designs inside each letter. (note below one of the banners is colored in, the other was ready for me to start on it.) After that is done, I color them in trying to keep the colors seperated a little bit. If I make a booboo, or my design is a little flawed, I just go with the flow and move on. Most people don't notice anyway, unless ofcourse you spell something wrong, which I have been known to do. I am dyslexic you know. Letters just seem to pop up in strange places. Once the coloring is done, I go over it with a bottle of clear drying glue and top that off with a crystal clear glitter for that added POW. Several people have said I should sell my banners. I wouldn't even know what to charge. For now, I'll just make them when the mood strikes and the need is great. If I'm not in the mood to make one, I'm not shy about refusing.  
 
 
 

Now aren't you upset you didn't figue out that my other banner said, "Happy 50th Birthday Bill!"

Tisha or Rue....hmmm.

Anyone that knew my Sister Tisha as baby or toddler, knows that Rue looks just like her Mommy did. It's scary how much she looks like her. She even does some of these crazy little things that Tisha did. For example, Tisha used to do this thing where she would be standing or even sitting and she would start swinging one arm back and forth, kind of in an arch around her body. Her body didn't twist, just her arm. When I was home over Christmas, Rue was doing the same thing. It's not because Tisha still does it and copied her. Actually, I had almost forgotten about it until I saw Rue do it. It will be interesting to see what other things have in common. Things could get interesting...very, very interesting.

The Iron Fairies

"Deep beneath the garden's ground, lay a labyrinth of tunnels where people abound..."

I have meant to post about one of my Christmas gifts...my favorite actually. Raine gave her to me. Once again, she ignored Chris and went into a store, finding something I would love. Her name is Amy and she now sits on my bedroom window. She comes wrapped up in cloth with instructions that are very specific about her care. When you take your fairy home for the first night, you must be sure to place her in a position where she will receive the next morning's sunlight. Each Fairy has been locked away since she left the finishing room, deep beneath the garden's ground, so she has never seen sunlight. It comes with a small packet of rust colored glitter "Iron Fairy Glitter." It is imperative that you sprinkle the dust on your fairy that same night as well, Oh! And you must make a wish. So I did. I want to visit the NYC store but Raine has forbidden it. Hmmmm. To obey or to disobey...what to do, what to do?!
I really need to go there and get the book they publish so I can get into the mines on the website. You can't do it unless you can answer certain questions. Dang it. I'll wait until after my birthday. Anyway, I just love her...hopefully she won't rust this summer. I live on the bay, its humid, you know. Cross your fingers for me.

I'll try...

...yes, I will try not to post at odd hours of the night/early morning. My brain doesn't function well when I'm tired but can't sleep. I need skip blogging and go right to a book. Even if I read the same paragraph over and over again.

Yeah, I think that is a better idea. So, ummm...ignore the prior post.

Hey Toto....

I don't think we are in Kansas anymore! I saw this sign at a local Museum and it made want to break into song....Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the Yellow Brick Road. I may have skipped along, I'm not admitting to it, but there is a slight chance that it might have happened. You can't prove anything. Ummm, I didn't see the Emerald City but I did see an Emerald Taurus Station wagon. Does that count? There were no Lions but there were two wild domestic cats. Hey, come to think of it they were cowardly. Maybe they thought Toto was around somewhere. Oh, and there wasn't a tin man, but there were several bronze statues, with bare butts. I have a picture of one, so I can totally prove that. No Scarecrows, after all its hardly garden season anymore and they only have formal gardens at the museum, not corn fields. I did see a few witches but only because their orthopedic shoes were killing them. I'm not sure where the Lolly Pop Kids were hiding but I'm sure they must have been around because I saw some wrappers blowing across the lawn. Maybe they were with the flying monkeys, because they didn't show their creepy little heads either.

If you have no idea what I'm referring to.... well, we need to have a serious talk.

I can't tell you yet....

I am working on a banner for an event that a friend is throwing. I can't tell you what. It's a surprise. I figure you can't tell who it is for by looking at a multi-exposure picture, so here you go. More on the completed project after its safe to post freely. It's not done anyway. I need to add glitter. Let's face it, nothing says "PARTY" like something smothered in glitter. Hey, if you guess exactly who and what this banner is for, you can win a tiny prize. However, that means the event planner is not allowed to enter, cause that would just be unfair. You have to say exactly who and what it is for. Yeah, this is a hard one.

Where's my camera?!

Emily says I make her do embarrassing stuff. OK, its true, I do tend to make her do stuff that embarrasses her. Honestly, its entertaining to me. I start out being all sweet and sing songie....saying, "Oh come on, let me take a picture so you can see how funny it looks." When she says no, I get bossy and tell her to "suck it up" or authoritative by demanding she "DO IT NOW!" Yes, I get demanding. Let's face it, you can't let hats like these pass you by without a photo opportunity. You'd have to be crazy to miss out on this fun. Unfortunately for her, I carry my camera around for just such occasions. HEY, you know, now that I think about it.... her birthday is coming up and I might just have to buy the bright pink beanie with the froo froo stuff on top for a gag gift. I can hear her voice get all high pitched and erratic. Kind of like the time I told her we would be at the museum for at least 6 hours. That was priceless, I could hear the fear in her voice...lol. I'll make sure I pee before she opens it...I know I'm going to be crying with joy. Her face will be priceless. I'm not totally mean, I'll get her something nice to hide at the bottom of the box.

Ok, Who let the cat out again?

It's just wrong...

Repeat after me....I will never take a picture of Annette's butt when she is bending over...never, ever. OK, now say it again and actually mean it. No crossing your fingers or doing any of those cheat jinxes that you are so fond of.

We had an incident over Christmas. Someone who shall remain nameless did the unforgivable. Yes, the little brat took a picture of my HUGE rear end as I was reaching behind the end table to grab something for Rue Rue. What nerve! Not to fear, later when her Mother was showing me some of the things on her camera, I managed to delete it. Sneaky? Why yes, thank you! I just couldn't allow anyone to be running around yelling, "MY EYES, MY EYES!" after getting a glance at that picture. Well, plus I can't have anything that could be blogged against me. lol...oh sure I have a couple of grand butt shots of my Mother but that is different. First of all, I wouldn't post one unless I was suicidal and secondly she has pictures from my childhood that she could easily use against me. She will never allow those pictures out because she knows the BUTT picture may surface. Of course, one of these days she may get cocky and hand them out like candy at a parade. I'd just like to remind her that the print on those pants she had on has a strangely hypnotic affect.

Speaking of Butt pictures. Years ago...My Aunt Linda was handing out presents from below my Grandparents Christmas tree. My Uncle Randy snapped a nice close Polaroid of her tush. Later when she saw the picture, Randy told her that my Grandpa Clarance took the picture. LOL....she believed it too and her eye's about popped out of her head. Would you want to know your father in law snapped a butt picture of you? I think not. Randy kept her going for quite some time but in the end, he spilled the truth. Uncle Randy was always a good one to spice up a family get together.

I'm feeling a little...out of sorts.

Yeah, I guess that says it all. Out of sorts. Not quite my wacky old self, not quite as perky and ornery as I normally am. I guess I have a case of the ho-hums. I'm not depressed or anything like that, just out of sorts. I've been knitting the same old scarf pattern, for no other reason than I'm trying to keep myself occupied and ever so slightly busy with something creative. I'm just not feeling inspired. That's out of sorts for me. I usually have great rushes of energy and excitement for some project, whether its a craft project or a prank. I just need a big dose of inspiration to knock my butt out of this funk. All in good time, I guess. I'm sure it doesn't help that I can't plan anything on the weekends through the end of Feb because of work. The bosses are out of town on a trial and I have no idea until Friday whether or not they will be coming home or staying there to work. It kind of puts a big damper on your social life.



I'm making the most of my time stuck in this house....I'm cleaning out my craft supplies and going through my closet and dressers. I'm kicking clutters a$$ and taking names later. I'm going to trash and give away my stuff that I don't want anymore or have not touched in several years. After I'm done with that, I'm starting a list of craft projects that I need to do with the things that I have left. I am not letting myself buy more stuff until I get rid of some of the stuff I have. Who knows, I might post pics of stuff and if anyone wants it, its yours.... we will have to see about that.



I'm off to clean up the kitchen. Sam decided to make oatmeal today for breakfast and he made a heck of a mess. Don't ask me why he didn't use the instant oatmeal and decided to use the regular stuff...than proceeded to dump half a bottle of maple syrup in it in an attempt to give it more flavor like the instant packs have in them. We have a sticky situation as a result. I'm not really sure how he could get so much syrup all over the place. I can't stand sticky counter tops. Who am I kidding, I can't stand crumbs, water spots...basically anything but a sparkling clean and completely dry kitchen counter.

Beep Beep, Let's Go....

I've been slow putting my Rue Rue pics on here. There are way to many to pick from so I just grabbed a few. Click on them to get a closer look. Anyway, Rue's PaPa is a total Rue hog and he doesn't like to share her with others...namely me. He drove me nuts. The worst part was when he took over pulling her in the snow. I wanted to do that. I brought the sled back, I blew most of it up, I was creative and used the bungee cords to hold her in it so she wouldn't roll off as we dragged her though the snow.


I'm telling you, he's a real Rue Rue hog. It's cute seeing him read to her and carry her around the neighborhood, showing her off. He just doesn't realize that when I come home...she's mine. Oh, on second thought, he probably does and just enjoys torquing me off. As much as Rue Rue loves her PaPa, I think she is really a Grammy girl. Grammy crawls around on the floor behind her, chases her up and down the hallway...you name it.
Rue is not going to suffer from a lack of attention. That is for sure. She's walking and talking. She says "Nett." I'm very happy about that... out of all her Aunts, she says my name first. That's my girl!

She seems really happy at daycare. Mom and I had to pick her up one day. She was napping when we got there and I was nervous about waking her. I was holding her and she was rubbing her eyes. Then she looks at me and smiles this huge smile and she hugs her Sugar Bear and kicks her legs. Then she turns and sees one of her caregivers and smiles at her, then she turns the other way and gives the other lady a huge smile and her blue eyes were twinkling. She's a friendly little thing. She shares really well at daycare and seems to be a leader in the nursery. If Rue crawls over to look out the window, all the other kids follow suit. That Rue is all eyes and ears too...she's a watcher. I have a funny feeling she's going to be the neighborhood watch program, she won't need help from others. She'll be doing the job herself. She gets that from her late Great Grandma Evelyn. Oh, and the title of this post....its something my Dad does with Rue. She has this little steering wheel that makes noise. If you honk the horn, it goes..."Beep, Beep, Let's Go!" That PaPa says it all the time....its kind of cute.

That was odd

I had a dream last night. A very strange dream that I couldn't shake once I woke up. I kept telling myself that it was just a dream, it didn't really happen and to relax and go back to sleep. Could I? No! Grrr. It had no base in reality...it wasn't scary in the typical nightmare type of way. I'll give you the quick run down.

I was an investigative reporter doing a report on a pimp who may have killed a young woman. I was sure he had and I was following him around. I wasn't scared by him at all. We were in a City, with a feel of lower Manhattan...but it wasn't. I could have sworn I was Morgan Freedman....yeah, I know, strange. Anyway, I follow this pimp into a store. At first I thought it was a dry cleaners. It wasn't. I'm not sure what it was. There were misc boxes and bags and strange things all over the place. We were standing in a line and the pimp was in front of me. I start talking to him and I realize that my point of view is from a camera lens. I'm filming this guy. He gets annoyed with me and wants to know why I have the camera. I ignore that and keep asking him questions. He starts to ignore me when people from the neighborhood start to chat it up with him. It's obvious that they really like this pimp guy. I decide to leave and catch up with this guy later. As I leave the store, a woman walks out behind me and starts talking to me. I walk along with her, turning several corners and at one point she stops and puts the huge, awkward box she is toting on a bench. At that point, I think this person reminds me of my cousin Cindy, but its not really Cindy...its like her twin, if she had one. She's telling me that she got her Xbox fixed and except for this special controller. She shows me what is wrong with it and I ask her if its fixable. She says no, she will probably throw it out. I point out the garbage can and she refuses to throw it out then, she wants to wait and put it in her trash can at home because its cleaner. ????? Then she goes into a door and disappears. It's at this moment that I realize I'm not really Morgan Freeman. I'm myself and I forgot my purse at that strange store I followed the pimp into. I walk back there even though I don't recognize anything along the way. I am peeking in windows as I go. I find the store...and there is my purse. I try to open the door but its locked. I can see people in there, standing in the same line I was in earlier. They don't leave through the front door, but a side door, so I wait and when an old lady leaves, I grab the door and slip inside. I look down on the floor where my purse had just been. It's now gone. I'm searching the store. Two ladies are leaving and they ask me what I'm doing. I said that I left my purse there and I really needed it. I wasn't from the city and I needed my money and ticket to go home. I also needed my cell phone to call someone. The ladies sit their purses and bags on a table that is suddenly in front of us. One of them asks how I would prove that the purse is mine? I said, that my ID is inside my wallet and my cell phone has a security code that displays my name. Suddenly the gal closest to me pulls out a picture from her wallet. It's a picture of a little boy with huge cheeks. I say, "Oh how cute! Is this your son?" She says yes. The lady across from us takes something out of a bag and I realize that my purse is in the bottom of that big shopping bag. I grab it and yank my purse out...unzip it, pull out my ID and show them. Then I hand them each a $20 finders fee and leave. That is when I woke up.

I tossed and turned in my bed, not able to go back to sleep. Pissed that I gave those ladies money when I was sure the one gal was trying to steal my purse. I was still feeling the panic I had felt in the dream when I realized I didn't have my purse and when I couldn't find it. My shoulders were tight and I would work on relaxing them and them I would tense up again. I finally got up and went to the bathroom, got a drink, and walked around before going back to bed. Could I sleep...nope because my mind kept drifting back to that stupid pimp dream. The last time I looked at the clock before I drifted off, it was an hour and a half after I had initially woken from the dream.

I told you it was odd.

Mohair – A smooth, polished surface“Mohair is warmer than wool, with larger, flatter scales that contribute to an overall silky-smooth appearance. The fiber absorbs dye readily and, thanks to that smooth surface, reflects it back brilliantly.” –The Knitter’s Book of Yarn.

Mohairs are positive and confident. You always strive to make a good first impression because you are a proud person, and you care a good deal about what people think of you. You are careful with your words and are always tactful. You enjoy having a broad base of support and respect from those whom you come in contact. You attract this with your warm, sunny, and inquisitive personality.

That doesn't sound like me, does it! Well maybe a little bit of it does. Anyway, you can take the quiz here and don't forget to send off for your free button pin.

Cousin goes Boom-boom...and tales of a Sleep Walker.

See that cake pan? See the dented corner? It looked much worse in person...but that is what happens when one of your Cousins falls on Christmas Day. She hit the only patch of ice on the entire sidewalk. Six inches to the left and she would have been fine. Thank GOODNESS she decided to save her Peach Bread Pudding desert instead of herself. I love that stuff....no, no, I'm glad she was OK, I would have felt a little guilty eating that desert if she had been hurt badly....but it wouldn't have stopped me from eatting that pudding. Hey, I'm just being honest...lol.

Here is my version of the accident. I was in my bedroom at my parents, getting dressed after my shower. I suddenly hear a large crunch sound, like someone jumped in the ice encrusted snow. CRUNCH! Then I hear muffled giggles and then muffled talking. By the time I got dressed and started to head up front, I met my mom in the hallway with her robe in tow. Seems as though my Cousin Cindy, aka Boom-Boom... had a little adventure of sorts and her cream colored slacks looked like they had been through a war zone. Cindy and I went downstairs after she changed into my Mom's robe and we did a quick load of laundry. I don't do laundry on Christmas Day for just anyone....she's lucky I like her....lol. Anyway, then we notice that her knee is all scraped up. She can't figure out how that happened because she said she fell on her butt. Then Danielle...the giggler...says, No, you did the splits. Cindy shoots her the look of death....not because of her truth fullness, but because Danielle...who was walking behind her Mom when she fell, had started laughing before she asked if Cindy was OK. BIG mistake in the land of Boom-boom. Always muffle your giggles, ask their status and then if they are going to live, feel free to laugh...that is my motto. From the condition of Cindy's soiled pants, it was hard to tell exactly how she fell. It kind of looked like she rolled around on the ground. She was covered in dirt on all sides. I'm glad to report that she survived her fall and Danielle was also allowed to live...though I hope she learned a valuable lesson in the process: Don't laugh first....

POST NOTE...My Dad and I, spent hours on Christmas Eve chopping ice off the sidewalk and driveway...Cindy had found the tiny spot that was melted the day before. I'm happy to know that I am not the only klutz in the family and that this stuff doesn't just happen to me. It must be genetic.

In other news...My Mother caught me sleepwalking. It's kind of a funny story so I will share it with you.

I had been sick. Puking my guts up, running a fever and every part of my body hurt. I was feeling a bit better but my back was killing me. I was sure it was that guest bed. So when Dad fell asleep downstairs in front of the TV, I stole his spot in bed. Yep, I crawled in bed next to my Mom and suffered through her coughing fits. I'd been moving pretty slow. When your back hurts, you just can't move fast. At 2 AM however, I JUMPED out of bed. I moved so fast that I woke Mom up and she thought I was going to be sick again or something. Then she noticed that I was lingering at the side of the bed. At first she thought I had jumped out of bed so quickly that I knocked off one of the four 11 x 14 pictures she has hanging on the wall in a row. She said to me, "What are you doing?" To which I answered, "HUH? WHAT?...CAKE PAN!" Mom responded with a puzzled, "WHAT?!" Now let me explain what had just been going through my puzzled mind. I had jumped out of bed because the suitcases on the luggage carousel were going to start backing up and I knew I had to remove them from the belt before they started falling all over the place. I grabbed the first two "Suitcases" aka picture frames...and tossed one on the bed, I was looking at the second one and I remember thinking this..."Wait! This isn't a suitcase, its a cake tray...but where is the cake and the lid?" That is when my mother asked me what I was doing and then suddenly I noticed that there was a picture on the "cake pan/tray" and I was very confused. I started to explain to Mom what I had been doing and she said, "You must have been sleep walking, girl!" and at that point I started laughing, because I guess I had been. It was the strangest mixture of confusion and perfect sense. It had felt so real and my mission so urgent. The rest of my time at home, my Dad kept saying, "Don't rearrange the pictures tonight." He's such a comedian, at least he thinks he is.

Our Twitter will be missed....

I received some more bad news this week. My Friends kitty passed away in his sleep. Hamlet was his given name but he also answered to Twitters and a few other nicknames. I know Raine and Christopher are devastated by his sudden loss. Twit was a kitty like no other. He was an original. When he loved you, he loved you with all his heart. Don't let his size fool you. He was thin, with long skinny legs but he had one LARGE heart, golden to boot. I went with Raine to pick Hamlet "Twitters" up in Boston. His owner had passed away and Raine and Chris were doing a favor for one of their friends. They were going to keep him for a little while. That "little while" became forever. He became part of their family.
Twitters was a good friend. when his pal Tooches was feeling stiff from old age, Twitters cleaned his fur for him, in all the places he couldn't reach. They were great buddies. I bet when Twitters passed into the Pearly gates, Tooches was the first face he saw. I'm sure they are hanging out, feasting on bits of dried fish...otherwise known as Kitty Crack.
Knowing Twitters, he's sprinkling some Cinnamon on his dried fish. That kitty loved anything with Cinnamon on it. He's telling Tooches that he took great care of Raine and Chris after he left and how much they all missed him, their pal the great grey bear.

Twitters was my napping pal. I'd occasionally kitty sit while Raine and Chris were out of town. I'd curl up on the sofa with a book and I'd end up with Twitters perched on my lap. I'd read until the warmth of his little body and his steady breathing would lull me into joint slumber. I can honestly say, the best naps I ever took were with Twitters snuggled up to me.
Sometimes, you would want to get up, but the sight of him, so relaxed, so at peace with the world, well....who would want to disturb that?! So you would lay there, under his spell until he stretched, yawned and decided it was time for a quick nibble or his apartment patrol. He kept a good watch over everyone and everything.

The last time I saw him was in November. I spent the night in his home. I fell asleep on my side on the sofa. Twitters was perched on my hip, paws tucked carefully under him. He wasn't afraid of me moving and knocking him off. In the end, the other kitties were raising hell, jumping all over the sofa, walking all over me, making a racket, so I chased them all out of the room and closed the door. It was dark and I couldn't see. I thought they were all out but I shut the door on poor Twitters tail. He let out a kitty yelp. I felt so bad. I never got to find out if he forgave me for hurting his poor little tail. It was the last time I would see him.

He is greatly missed and will never be forgotten.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

OK, OK, so I know its taken me a lot longer to post than it should have. What can I say....

No seriously, what can I say! See, that was my big issue. Of course I have tons of things that I could share with everyone...but I just didn't feel up to it.

It all started with my Christmas vacation. I ended up sicker than a dog, puking with great force, running a yo-yo fever, aches everywhere. Yeah, good times.

Sigh.....

I feel like I need another vacation.

Sigh....

Anyway, I will try to get back into posting on my good old blog. I'm thinking about changing my template too. I need some good old fashion change in my life. Now seems like a good time to start, don't you think.

So, I will be back with a few Rue Rue pics....a few creative projects that I have been working on...and sooner or later I will be up to my normal mischief. So look out.