The last one

I figured the last post of the year shouldn't be me lamenting how I've gotten nothing done.  Not that I really have anything brilliant or witty to say on this post, nothing really to say at all.

Because it should extend beyond ANY season....

Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go. ~ Brooks Atkinson

Motivation

I am horribly unmotivated....so far my weekend has been full of sleep, dog walks, and naps. 

The only thing I did today was in the kitchen....

Oatmeal apple biscuits.  Atticus isn't a fan.

And cheese biscuits.  Which Atticus kept trying to steal off the counter.

I also have chicken and beer in the crockpot (at the suggestion of a co-worker).  I'm not sure how it'll taste, but my apartment smells pretty good.

Now the trick is staying up long enough to eat it.  

I live my daydreams in music. ~ Albert Einstein

Back to the grind

I guess its back to normal life...

"I never met a pearl quite like you
who could shimmer and rot at the same time through
there's never been a better time than this
To bite the hand of the frost bitten eminence."
~ The Distillers

Majestic



Somewhere between Chicago and Harrisburg



In dreams, we enter a world that's entirely our own. 

~ Steven Kloves, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

De-stressing

Finally in the home stretch of the sewing frenzy.  Got all my big stuff done.  Still haven't received my specialty fabrics so I need to make my nephew an alternative present, which I actually have all picked out and ready to go. 

But here represents several hours...

Many more hours....

Oh, and I also need to figure out what to do with him...

I even managed to get all these done so I could meet up with some board-gamers yesterday and play for 5 hours.  Awesome.

To give vent now and then to his feelings, whether of pleasure or discontent, is a great ease to a man's heart. ~ Francesco Guicciardini

Rain

Atticus took one look outside this morning and came right back in.

Outside my back porch.  Lake #1.  You can actual see the raindrops in the water...

Lake #2.  Only created when there's too much rain.  Like today.

I'd much rather rain than snow.  I don't think Atticus agrees.

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Real quick

A quick shot of my mom's birthday present....

The lines in the middle are actually hidden pockets.  I'm pretty impressed with the way it turned out.

I finally get to post this - its been sitting around for almost a month!  Happy birthday (yesterday), mom!

Every now and then,
when the world sits just right,
a gentle breath of heaven
fills my soul with delight...
~ Hazelmarie ‘Mattie’ Elliott

Some things

Some things are coming together.

And some things are still up in the air.

I love mankind - it's people I can't stand.  ~ Charles M. Schulz

Stress

About a week ago I looked at an article on holiday stress.  I fit 9 out of the 10 symptoms for holiday stress.  Of course I scoffed at it..."Thats not holiday stress.  That's JOB stress."

I think now I've phased into being holiday stressed.  I'm vascillating between unmotivated and motivated and idea-less and random amazing ideas.  My sleep schedule is so messed up I have to check my phone to see if its AM or PM.  I can't seem to find any ideas or inspiration. 

At one point I was starting to panic, which is not good.  I tried to ask myself, "Why am I panicking about something silly?".  Unfortunately, having conversations with yourself doesn't always mean you'll get an answer.  And telling myself that my panic was unjustified was in no way a relief. 

I tried to step back and take a deep breath.  That didn't work.  So instead, I plowed ahead with one project I knew would take me a little less than forever...one that I didn't even know how it would turn out if it actually worked out.  (This was one of my random brilliant ideas that came to me at work when I was daydreaming about not being at work).  Well, so far so good.  Of course, its currently drying on a hanger in my bathtub, so after that, we'll see.  That gave me enough motivation to keep plugging away...  So then I made something yesterday...or was it last night?  This morning?  Anyways, I made something within the last 24 hours that I made just for fun.  Its a Christmas present, but I needed to make something cool.  That helped.

I also ended up just making a purchase at fabric.com.  That takes care of several more people.  The stress in this instance will be whether I receive the fabric in time....the one time I'm willing to pay for express shipping and they don't offer it.  What in the world. 

So, I'm down to 3 people I'm completely idea-less for.  I mean, completely without any possible ideas.  But since spending some money tonight seems to have helped maybe I'll go spend some tomorrow too.

And really, there is no reason for me to be stressed.  So what if I win "the world's worst aunt because she couldn't figure out what to make so she bought something instead" award?  That wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen.  And last year I sent my best friend's Christmas present out in February I think it was.  Panic and anxiety pay no attention to logic, though.  I'll just have to muddle through it.   Oh, and cross my fingers that the USPS is good to me. 

Can you guess what it is?

There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want. ~ Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes

Vacation

I am officially on vacation.  Let the Christmas sewing frenzy begin...

A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking. ~ Earl Wilson

Expanding my repetoire

I just whipped up some homemade sugar scrub, taken from this fine lady's blog....

Yes, it IS in baby food jars.  Recycled goodness!

I'll see today when I take my shower how it works.

"There must be more to life than having everything!" ~ Maurice Sendak

Thankful (10)

This week I've had nothing to be but thankful as I experienced the comraderie of my neighbors, the joy of making new friends, and the caring and protection of older friends. 

It was a long week in terms of work (my first 13 hour shift since working a shooting in February), a horrible winter storm, losing power for several days, and basically trying to keep everything together while wearing 3 layers of underpants. 

I was constantly amazed at how strangers came together to help one another, and how friends knew what I needed without me having to ask. 

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed day and continue to be thankful for all the things, both good and bad, in your lives.

"For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thankful (9)

Today I am thankful for the fact that I know my apartment like the back of my hand....there's nothing like having no power while attempting to get ready for work! 


Our walk this morning, when it had started to snow....




One look at Attie this morning and I heard Julie Andrews singing.  Made me laugh.

























I don't have any pictures of this storm from when I woke up.  It only snowed a couple of inches, but it is literally below freezing with gale-force winds.  As I was drinking my coffee the lights kept flickering so I told Atticus we'd go for a walk then I'd come back and take a shower and get ready for work just in case.  Well, after we came back and stepped inside, I wasn't even done taking off all my winter paraphernalia when the lights went out.  GREAT. 

There is absolutely nothing to do with no power, except get on the computer.  And pretty soon I need to start getting ready.  I can only imagine how fun work is going to be tonight.  I should probably prepare for a 14 hour shift or something.  With lots of hot-chocolate packets and food to keep me motivated. 

BRRRR....

"How far that little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a naughty world."
~ William Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice

Thankful (8)

Today I'm thankful for sewing therapy.  I indulge in it as often as I possibly can. 

Here is my first Barbie dress, (that I didn't have to throw away in a fit of exasperation), taken from this pattern:

Ignore Barbie's head, who is hanging on at a weird angle. 

It took a bit to catch on to the fact that the Barbie in the pattern I was following and the Barbie I was using as a model were differently-endowed....after that I was able to adjust some measurements and things went more smoothly.

Barbie has creepy eyes in that last picture.

So there's a preview of some of the Barbie stuff I made last night!  Right now she has 4 dresses, all about the same type of style.  Now that I have an idea of what I'm doing, I'll branch out to skirts and shirts and hopefully can then cross one Christmas project off my list!

"Don't wanna see you no more...
You showed me nothing but hate
You ran me into the ground,
But what comes around goes around..."
~ Eminem

Thankful (7)

Today I'm thankful for peace and quiet....

Waiting by the front door to go inside and escape from the freezing rain outside....

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you"? ~ William A. Ward

Thankful (6)

Today I am thankful for contentment.

All this....

To make one of these.  3 Ole's for quesedillas! 

If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get. ~ Frank A. Clark

Thankful (5)

Today I'm thankful for:

Coffee and girl-talk

Gonna go hang out with my board-gamers group now.  Then off to work.  Hopefully I can make it being up for 24 hours....

When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep? ~ George Canning

Thankful (4)

Today I'm thankful for forgiveness...in all its shapes and sizes.

This is a video of Atticus, deep breathing like Darth Vader.

Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted. ~ Aldous Huxley

Thankful (3)

Today I'm thankful and very grateful for the friends who unknowingly helped get me through my day.


My camera phone can't do justice to the fog over the hills this morning...


















Praise the bridge that carried you over. ~ George Colman

Thankful (2)

Today I'm thankful for Atticus and the discovered joy of baking him cookies and biscuits. 

Turkey drop cookies

Atticus is thankful for it too.

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone. ~ G.B. Stern

Thankful

I've had many reasons to smile and be thankful this weekend.  Its like indulging in high-end therapy....just free, and a lot more fun.  To heck with worries and what-ifs, etc. 

Its been such a good couple of days.  I am so very very blessed.

Here's some specific good news that I can share with you...

Although, I would like to say I forgot to call my dad on his birthday this week.  Sorry, dad!!  Happy belated birthday!!

I look way tougher with a mustache...

If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.
~ Andy Rooney

Mustache Mayhem

People at work won't know what hit them....

"Bonfires burning bright
Pumpkin faces in the night
I remember Halloween
Dead cats hanging from poles
Little dead are out in droves
I remember Halloween!"
~ Misfits

Another weekend, almost gone

I haven't done anything creative recently to post about.  My weekend was filled with social activities so I didn't get a chance to make anything.  Tomorrow I'm planning to making a new type of cookie for Atticus (it includes ground turkey), but otherwise, nada.

Gonna go raid the fridge now...

"Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember it didn't work for the rabbit." ~ R.E. Shay

Too much work

I'm working too much.  I can admit that.  Too much overtime.  Not enough time at home.  I really pity the fool who tries to cross me because I'm feeling particularly vicious from too much caffeine, not enough sleep, and frustration with my week peppered liberally on top. 

Wiped.

"Some folks should just sit down and shut up. Every time they start talking, they demonstrate why the gene pool could use a little chlorine." ~ Jim Amundsen

A flower rug

I saw this idea, and thought it would be cool to make my brother, Jonathan, a rug like that.

So I hunted through Goodwill, and in very short order, found a sheet:

Perfect.

What was not perfect was the next 10-odd hours of rug making process.  Cutting into strips and braiding it was okay - that just took watching The Office for awhile.  Not a hardship.  The problem came when I first went to sew the rug down.  I broke 7 needles (I think that was the final count).  And when I finally pulled the rug away from the machine, it looked like a giant bowl.  I was ready to throw the whole thing out.  Instead, I ripped up what can only be described as a ghastly amount of thread, pinned the rug together this time, and re-sewed.

Its still a little curvy but it is no longer a big bowl.

And upclose...

Jonathan called this morning and said something to the effect of "Thanks for my batman flower rug".  Hmmm...whoops.  Didn't mean for it to resemble a flower, but now that I look at it...

Oh, yeah, and here's his card.  This is getting to be my favorite part of any project - making a card from the leftover scraps.

Happy belated birthday, brother!

Life is intrinsically, well, boring and dangerous at the same time. At any given moment the floor may open up. Of course, it almost never does; that's what makes it so boring. ~ Edward Gorey

Wordless Friday

Only wordless cause I'm laughing too much...

Carry laughter with you wherever you go. ~ Hugh Sidey

Something for me

My friend Sarah gave me two oversize red quilted pillow shams with the question, "Can you use these?"

Why of course I can! 

While I'm not really a red quilted bag kind of girl, here's a look at a bag I made for myself yesterday....I used the general idea from when I made Katie's leather purse, but tweaked it a bit. 

With an up-close look at the Moda fabric interior (clearance from fabric.com!)

Its a bit too big to be just a purse, so I turned it into my new work bag/purse.  It satisfies my need for variety.

p.s.  Mom - another big button!!!!

"I've neutered almost all the males in my family." ~ m.s.

New life

Its nice when I realize I can still do some things right...

African Violet babies.  :)

Finishing up my homemade watermelon wine before I head to bed.  (My coworker makes it.  And to answer your next question - it is 10 shades beyond delicious, but highly potent!)

"Gus, there are no rules against having a seance.  Anyone can have one.  It's like a garage sale.  Or plastic surgery." ~ Shawn Spencer, Psych

Maleficient

Here's some griping. 

I have one line of a Shel Silverstein poem playing on repeat in my head.  The poem goes like this: "I do not want to go to school today, said little Peggy Ann Mckay..."

The line in my head is going: "I do not want to go to work today..."

Same old same old. 

I know a lot of it is me - I need to learn to work with some people and I need to figure out a way to overcome MY shortcomings in working with them so I can help them deal with THEIR shortcomings as below-par coworkers.  Man, if that isn't passive aggressive.  But its true.  Unfortunately, with my job, their shortcomings fall on my shoulders, and then the fact that I can't be perfect and deal with their shortcomings in a perfect way falls on my shoulders too.  No wonder I have no patience.  Because I know: every misstep, every mess-up big or small.  My fault.  Doesn't matter who did it.  Its my fault.  Its starting to get on my nerves.  I told my supervisor I was starting to dread coming to work.  He told me thats something else I need to work on. 

Blargh Blah Hiss

I have all this advice roaring around in my head, so I really don't need any more.  I'm trying to walk in other people's shoes, get in their heads, see life from their direction, trying to bring them up to "my level", trying this trying that etc.  And it always falls down to one moment when I just snap and say the wrong thing the right way or the right thing the wrong way etc.  Then all the past hours of me being patient, grinding my teeth over petty annoyances, and the effort I made to help my coworker all gets flushed away.  And I end up metaphorically banging my head on my keyboard because I know I have to start all over, and do this again day after day after day.  AFTER being contacted by my supervisor who tells me everything I'm doing wrong.

And thats just on my regular shift.  Heaven help me if I work partially on another shift.  Thats a whole other can of worms.

I was told that I need to be myself while being a better version of myself.  Yes, I know.  I'm getting head-pains from all my internal eye rolls.

Wonder why I don't want to go to work?

Anyways, I'm running about 4 hours behind today because of a 12 hour shift yesterday.  Late start, and I'm already feeling blargh-ish.  GREAT!

So, here's a picture of Atticus I took with another special effects camera - Warhol style.

"Sometimes we don't do things we want to do so that others won't know we want to do them." ~ Ivy Walker, The Village

For Emily

For my sweet little niece, Emily...

Happy Birthday!

Her very own apron...with Candyland fabric.  I couldn't help it.....

Up close details....

Atticus helping to showcase the other side (yes, its reversible!)...

She also gets a matching placemat....this side has a Shel Silverstein poem on it...stamped on with fabric paint and rubber alphabet stencils.  You can tell towards the end the letters were getting gunked up.  I should have washed them out halfway through....

The other side.  Its hard to see, but there's a thread sketch of a fork/knife/spoon/plate on there.

The fork up close...

The knife & spoon...

Its all boxed up...waiting for my lazy bum to go to the post office!!

I was going to have PF Changs for dinner.

Maybe not.

p.s.  Thanks for the smile, Michelle.  :)

"I will not play at tug o' war

I'd rather play at hug o' war

Where everyone hugs

Instead of tugs

Where everyone giggles

And rolls on the rug

Where everyone kisses

And everyone grins

And everyone cuddles

And everyone wins."

~ Hug O' War by Shel Silverstein