Sew what!

I have wanted to learn how to sew for quite a few years now. I tend to have a different style than others at times and have always wanted to be able to make my own cool clothes. I have no interest in actually taking a sewing class, which means I am trying to learn on my own.

I am not sure why I do things this way.

I received a sewing machine from my parents a few years ago and went out and bought a bunch of fabric and patterns. I made a few things that turned out pretty crappy and in the process, my machine stopped working. So I put my sewing machine away and it was not heard from again until my wonderful mother insisted I give it to her and she would take a look at it. Well unbeknownst to me she took it into a shop and had it repaired. I am so glad she did because I have been needing a winter project beside crocheting. So today I decided to grab my stack of clothes that needed some maintenance and I started hemming.

As I said before I really don't know what I am doing.

I tend to try and find the closest color thread that looks like the fabric and most of the time it doesn't match. I also hate pinning and measuring so I usually just start sewing and hope for the best. As you can tell by the pictures below, I don't always have the best judgment.




Oh well, who looks at the bottom of your pants anyway!

The Graduate

I am in the process of applying to grad school to get my Master's degree in social work. I have already been rejected once and let me tell you it is hard on the self-esteem! As if my hair wasn't thinning and graying enough, I now have this added stress! (thats not me, mine looks worse)



I absolutely HATE this!



It is bad enough that you pretty much have to sell yourself to a University that you are willingly going to give $50,000 to, but they also CHARGE you $50 per application! This doesn't even include the $ you have to pay for your transcripts. What is up with that?

Why can't I just go to school?

If I want to throw away 50 grand then let me, it is my decision!



Then you have the 5 page "personal statement" in which you let the school know why you want to be a social worker. Do I really need 5 pages to let you know that I want to help people? Do you think I would choose this profession if it was not in my nature to help people? Do you think I would choose to listen to people in pain and need all day long if it wasn't something I was going to be good at? Do you think I just woke up this morning and said, "I think I want to be a social worker, it can't be that hard!"



And last but not least, I am judged by the grades I received when I was 19 years old. Do you have any idea the amount of time and energy I put into school when I was 19? Do you mean to tell me that because I did not do well in my Western Swing Dance class,



I am ineffectual at stopping someone from swallowing a whole bottle of pills?

I think I just wrote the 1st paragraph of my personal statement.

The Christmas Lounge

As the Christmas season passes us by, I have come to the realization that it is not about the presents or food, it is simply about the lounge that comes afterwards.

I call this the Candy Necklace Coma




I tried to get in on this one but there was no room :(




Leave it to Brian to have the dog lounging on him instead of one of the children!




I don't even know what to say about this one.



This is what little man looked like most of the time and he is sooooo sweet!
On a side note, Belle kept calling him T-bone ;)




Who needs a soft surface when you have love?





Nothing better than grandpa's arms, I think he was annoyed with me taking his picture.



So take the time during the remainder of the year to kick back, relax, and lounge around any chance you get. After all most of us make New Year's resolutions that usually involve not lounging and that is just around the corner! In the words of someone, "Hard work has a future payoff, Laziness pays off now!"

More nothing.

Ok, so I have to post again and once again it will be random tidbits of useless information.

Celeste and I got yelled at by a maid at our apartment complex. We were going to the gym to work out and there was a sign on the door that we did not notice right away. Apparently the carpets were cleaned so the gym was closed. The lady was talking to someone else so we did not know at first she was directing her comments toward us. She told the other person that she was talking to that Celeste was not listening then told Celeste that she needed to read the signs. She was very rude and she is very lucky I am in the Christmas spirit, because I tend to not handle things like that well.



Later that night we were at Walmart and the lines to check out were sooo long. We were making our way up when a lady walked right in front of us and said "I am just going to go first" and she sure did. We were both a little shocked and then just laughed it off.

We then had a conversation about whether or not we could settle for someone who collected carts at Walmart for a living if he was really hot. We both said we could.



This is an old story but awhile ago I was at the laundry room at the apartments and there was an older man in there who struck up a conversation with me. Laundry rooms tend to be friendly places and most of the time people will talk to you. I talked with this man for awhile about Vietnam and mental health and then as I was leaving and he came over to tell me his name and what I thought was going to be a handshake. I stuck my hand out and he grabbed it and then proceeded to pull me into a hug. Can anyone say awkward and creepy? What made it worse was that he also smelled horribly of B.O. which I proceeded to smell on myself after the incident. The point of this story is, I am now afraid to go the laundry room alone because I might run into the hugger. I did laundry tonight safely and without incident.



I had a lady at work yell at me today. She called into the crisis line and when I told her she was not in a crisis, she began yelling at me that I was very rude and not helpful at all. She wanted to know how I could call myself a crisis worker if I was not willing to help people. The reason for her call: she wanted a number to the community college so she could meet people.



As a follow up to my last post, salt is very bad for high cholesterol. Does anyone know if there is a group for pickle addictions? I may need some support. I have also not had 1 sugar cookie since my last post. I did have a chocolate chip cookie and a scone.



I received a Christmas card from a dentist I went to 1 time for a cleaning. It had a picture of his family in it. Weird.

I went to Albertson's today and the checkout lady said Merry Christmas to me. I think that is the first time I have heard anything other than "Happy Holidays" since the beginning the of season. I quickly corrected her and reported her to the manager as well as the ACLU.




Last but not least, I am admitting here that I have tried online dating before. My latest contact was from a guy who thought I might be interested in dating he and his wife. I give up.



I hope you all have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I have a lot of nothing to say

I really have absolutely NOTHING going on right now. I also have this nagging guilt about not updating my blog at least every few days. I have issues. So I am going to write about nothing.

I am almost done with my Christmas shopping, I have even wrapped the presents! While I was shopping, I managed to sneak myself a few items but I felt ok about it because I bought them at a consignment store (i.e., cheap).

I have been good this week and have worked out, but I have also eaten a lot of sugar cookies.




I believe my down comforter is wreaking havoc on my allergies but it is so warm and Benadryl helps me sleep, so it is worth it.

I have been trying to lower my cholesterol the natural way and have eaten oatmeal 5 days a week for the past month. The sugar cookies may have made that pointless.

My friend and her husband stopped by the other day. She and Celeste were trying to be sexy. I don't think it worked.



I almost ran over a duck with my car. I would not have felt bad, they are everywhere and stupid.



I made a newspaper salesman laugh at something that was not that funny. He asked why I did not want to buy the paper and I told him it was government propaganda. He said it was the best line he had ever heard. I think he thought Celeste and I were lesbians (we're not).

I seriously considered getting a 1 time Botox injection even though I don't agree with it. I have a scowl wrinkle on my forehead which I am assuming means I scowl way too much. It permanently stays there even when I am not scowling. I am pretty sure 1 little shot would not mess up my laugh lines, those I like.

I heard this morning on the radio that they are considering banning all kids in diapers from swimming pools next year because Cryptosporidium is just getting worse and worse. I think it is a good idea, I don't like to swim in poo infested water.

I have a pickle addiction and I broke my record by having 5 of them yesterday. Does salt raise cholesterol?

Well I think that is it. I have another couple of days before I start feeling bad again.

Good Day

I had a really good day yesterday. I spent the majority of the day making Christmas cards with Stephanie. I love spending time with Steph. She is such a great sister and one of the nicest, caring, most beautiful people that I know! She is not only my sister, but my friend and I could not have asked for anyone better! I can always count on her and she is always there when I need someone to talk to. I love you Steph!



It was also my dad's birthday and the family went out to dinner and then had cake at the house. It is always fun when everyone gets together and unfortunately you can't see the cake but it was pretty much on fire with all the candles (which is why I think Belle looks a little concerned!).



I think little man was either bored or contemplating life. What a sweetheart!



If you come to the house, you more than likely will sit on the floor at some point! You will probably at some point be involved in a wrestling match there as well!



I really love my family and don't think I tell them enough how much they mean to me! So there I told you!

Norman Bates?

As most of you know, I LOOOOVE scary things! They just can't make a movie scary enough for me! Well I went to a jewelry party last night with my friends Celeste and Joy and we were getting ready to leave when the girl who was having the party told us something very interesting! She manages a motel and there is a room in this motel that has been reported as haunted. She said that they have had many customers tell them that they have "felt" something brush up against them when no one was there, seen a man standing next to the bed when they have woken from sleep, and even heard the voices of children in the room! Now this is the kind of stuff I love and of course had to take up an opportunity! The girl offered us the room for free so we went and spent the night in room 212! We proceeded to spend the next few hours turning off the lights sitting in silence, watching and waiting for something to appear. We even stood in the bathroom with the lights off to see if something would happen (can anyone say "Psycho" shower scene?). Of course we had an eerie feeling at times and could have sworn we heard footsteps in the room but that can be chalked up to your own head playing tricks on you! So unfortunately this apparent ghost did not want to make itself known to us, but it was a really fun thing to do and got some of that old adrenaline going again!

The Tree

I have a tree right outside my patio that I love! It is huge and before the leaves fell it looked like a big billowing cloud when the wind blew it. I find it very relaxing to watch. So here is the tree yesterday.....

And here is the tree today......


Needless to say it has snowing pretty much non-stop for at least 12 hours and we have about 7-8 inches of snow right now! Celeste heard the neighbor up real early this morning yelling to the rest of his "posse" to get a move on. They of course were headed up to hit the slopes! These are the days of winter that I DO enjoy and love to be warm and cozy inside while the snow falls softly outside. Here is another pic of the snow and apparently the ducks don't mind it too much either!


P.S. Literally 5 seconds after I posted this a HUGE branch snapped off of my tree due to the weight of the snow....Now I am a little sad :(

It is upon us!

Here it is....the first picture of snow! I knew it was coming but I was so not prepared. I am not a big fan of winter, and I hate the cold! Snow tends to make me feel lazy and I just want to hide inside and bake in my pajamas. So even though my goal this week was to work out everyday, I got home, put on my jams and proceeded to make 2 loaves of Banana Zucchini Bread. I guess my goal tonight will be not to eat it all!

Just as a side note, the picture below was of the moon at sunrise and it was so beautiful so I thought I would share it. Obviously I can't give it proper justice without a great camera!

Mosaic's

I love mosaics! It doesn't matter if the medium is tile, stones, pictures, glass....whatever, I just think they are really cool. I just recently saw them done this way and I decided I would copy it because I like it so much! Plus, it is very difficult for me to have an original idea! I decided my first picture mosaic would represent a few of my favorite things. (I know the song just popped into your head!) I may on occasion throw one out on my blog with different kinds of themes just to pretty it up a little!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and I want you all to know I am so thankful for all of you! Each and everyone one of you bring something special and different to my life and for that I am grateful! I hope we can all enjoy the time that we have with the families we spend the day with, as it is a day you can never get back. I love you all and may you have a blessed and peace filled day! Now let's chow!

Mexican Mask

Approximately 3-4 years ago I took a trip to Mexico and purchased a mask that I was told was a "protection" mask. I love Mexican art and thought it would be a great thing to add to my collection. Well as the years have passed, this mask has consistently produced a "white powder" out of it's various face parts. I originally thought it was coming from my ceiling in my old apartment but never saw anything that looked like it was falling from the ceiling. I recently moved into a new apartment and in the process of moving cleaned off the mask and put it up in my new room. Well lo and behold the mysterious powder reappeared! I know for a fact now that this has nothing to do with the ceiling or the wall and the powder is coming through the actual mask. I have tried to Google it to see if anyone has had similar situations but have been unable to find anything. Here are some pictures as proof of what I am talking about. I don't get weirded out by things like this but I know Stephanie would have thrown it away the second she realized it was "possessed". Any theories?
You can see the powder that fell on the leaf below.