Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Happy Anniversary To Me!

Wow, an entire year of semi-regular blogging has already come and gone. This isn't my first blog, but it is the first blog that I have posted to for more than a couple of months without ultimately abandoning it.

I'm not really sure what I have accomplished here, other than to voice my own thoughts and fears and host a giveway or 2 of my Etsy stuff. I'm not sure what it is that I would like to have happen with this blog either. It certainly isn't a money maker or traffic generator, but I never thought it would be.

It IS mine and I DO care about it, but sometimes I can't help but stare at it like it were a strange whisker that sprouted out the side of my face.

Oh well, anniversary cake anyone?

Cheers!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

E.T. Phone Home

So today is Earth Day.

Celebrations around the world marking the occasion of paying more attention to our planet and attempting to stave off or even reverse the damage that's been inflicted upon it by mankind for eons. Just a "day" on the calendar that should be marked every single day of the year.

I'm all for trying to save our planet. I worry that there won't be much of it left by the time Hoodie even becomes my age after understanding how quickly it is declining from the era my parents were teens.

Aside from the multitude of recycling and eco-friendly articles online today, I also read some interesting things about planets just outside of our solar system that could host life. And I'm sure "they" (you know, THEM) are already studying these places to see if such planets could become our new homes somewhere down the line.

But what if they are already inhabited? I believe there is life out there in the universe aside from just our big, blue marble. Come on, think of all the billions of planets out there and it's just going to be lucky us to blog about it?

I don't think so.

I also wonder what aliens think of us and our planet when they do an intergalactic drive by. I wonder if they sit in their spacecraft shaking their heads with a sad look in their eyes and say things like, "I remember when this neighborhood was clean and safe. What a shame to see it going downhill so fast. Well, let's get outta here before we get mugged or someone shoots our tires out."

You know, or something like that.

Let's face it, our atmosphere is becoming too toxic, and more sadly than not being able for an alien to give a rat's ass about us, it's beginning to be VERY difficult for our own future generations to thrive here.

This place is all that we and our kids and our grandkids, their grandkids and so on have got. Our technology is a long, long way from teleporting entire civilizations to new planets, so we've got to step it up and push back the damage as fast and far as possible.

Preferable before E.T. starts dialing an interplanetary 911.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Star Hopping On Twitter

Do you Twitter? Have you ever checked to see if any of your favorite celebs Twitter? Oh yeah, I'm sure you have.

I have a THING for James McAvoy.

It began as a mild attraction with "Starter For 10," and grew into a lingering crush during "Becoming Jane," then proceeded to throw me right down on the ground with "Atonement" and "Wanted."

James twitters -- well, he has twittered in the past. Okay, so he's twittered 2 whole times. But he's got 855 followers just because of those 2 sweet tweets. James happens to follow the tweets of several celebrities, including Kevin Smith, who in turn follows Neil Gaiman.

Speaking of Neil, I used to LOVE reading Coraline to Hoodie when he was little and have been dying to see the film version of it. Have you? Is it worth trying to catch at the theaters before it hits video?

Oh yeah, so Neil Gaiman follows A LOT of people, including Emmy Rossum. Emmy follows Pete Wentz, who follows Seth Rogen, who follows Sarah Silverman.

I could keep going and going but most of these celebs actually twitter to their friends than I thought would.

Except James.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Tag - I'm It

Friday night, I opened my email to find I'd been tagged by a couple of friends to answer a million questions about myself. Okay, maybe not a MILLION...but there were a lot.

Because I'm lazy and because it's Monday, I thought I'd let you in on some of my answers:

What time did you get up this morning? 
5 FREAKING o' clock

Diamonds or pearls?

Well, I'd be dumb to turn down either one wouldn't I!!??

What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
The latest incarnation of Friday the 13th because Hoodie wanted to and ugh........

What is your favorite TV show?
Will and Grace and also Lost

What do you usually have for breakfast?
15 minutes of extra sleep on the living room couch.

What food do you dislike?
How about liver!

Favorite sandwich?
Grilled ham and cheese

Favorite item of clothing?
My pajamas!

If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go
My DREAM is Italy or England/Ireland/Scotland

Favorite brand of clothing?
J. Jill

Any new and exciting news you 'd like to share with us?
Let's see....the older Hoodie gets, the bigger pain in my neck he becomes.
Oh no, that's neither "new" nor "exciting"....nevermind!

What did you want to be when you were little?
TV reporter and archeologist

How are you today?
PMSing terribly....bet you couldn't guess by my snappy answers, could you?

What is your favorite candy?

The divinity my Grandma used to make at Christmas.

What is your favorite flower?
Wildflowers

What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
Any day I can sleep later than 5 FREAKING o' clock is great.

Do you wish on stars?
I've been known to do that from time to time.

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
indigo

How is the weather right now?
Almost too warm for my liking.

Summer or winter?
Winter, cause I sweat too well.

Chocolate or Vanilla?
Both, either, why make me choose just one?

Salty or sweet?
I can be either one, just depends on the circumstances. HA!
I feel like whoever wrote these questions probably also writes many of the quizzes on Facebook! At the very end, I half expected to see a "submit" button and the next screen asking me which of my friends I wanted to send the quiz to.

At least I didn't find out that my stripper name is Rose SunnyDream!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Punched In The Heart

You know sometimes when you hear or read really, super shocking news how maybe you have the reaction to say "what" out loud like you're just not sure that's what you really read or heard?

That was pretty much all I could say this morning when I read that Shana Myers, otherwise known as Gorillabuns, had lost Thalon, her beautiful baby boy over the weekend.

It was like a syntax error that the crappy computer in my stupid, little brain refused to process. What...no more Thalon?

What? What?

In the midst of the tears I'm trying to comprehend how God and the universe can take such a handsome little baby away from a mother who loves her family so fiercely.

Shana has the most real-life guts of any Mommy Blogger I've ever read. She has laid it out, honest as can be so the rest of us can see that life isn't about book or movie deals. It's about dealing with whatever happens to you, your husband and your children and still hold on and hang in there even though is doesn't always land "sunny side up".

She bares her heart to us all and her love for her family always comes first and always shines through.

That's what kept me glued the most to reading her blog month after month, that unspun, unabashed, devil-may-care writing of hers. And it always brightened my day when she would take time out and leave comments here.

I don't know what happened to her precious baby. And all I want to do right now is leave my office and drive several thousand miles to her house and pick everyone up in my arms and make their pain go away ... somehow.

Somehow......how?

How could anyone ever be able to take that sort of horrifying pain away? Was it a syntax error in the universe that deleted that tiny little life? I just don't get it!!!

Please, please, please take this family into your prayers and wishes right now. They are dealing with more than any parents should ever have to for any reason.

If you have the ability to make a donation for hospital and funeral expenses, there is a PayPal account set up here. Just give from your heart.

Thank you.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Hardy Har Har

While I certainly do NOT appreciate my body's sense of humor, I still must deal with it.

Once a week, I have to bleach the area under my nose,otherwise I'll end up looking like Mario from the Nintendo games.

Once a month, I have to dye my roots, otherwise look like I've got white and gray tentacles coming from the top of my head.

Twice a day, I have to apply moisturizer to my hands, arms, feet and legs, otherwise I'll look like an iguana trying to shed it's scales.

Once a day, I have to shampoo and condition my hair, otherwise I'll wake up looking like a horse used it's tongue to spread mayonaisse all over my head.

Friday, March 13, 2009

12 Hour Sale

Happy Friday!

Are you ready for the weekend? I sure am. Hoodie has been home from school all week with what I think is strep throat. The doctor he saw Wednesday thinks differently and supposedly, his throat culture came back negative. She thinks he has sinusitis, but he's got a worse sore throat than anything else.

On a different note, today is also my 12 hour sale from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm PST at Sparkles In Time. Any ring or pendant is 30% off if you purchase it during that time. I'll refund the discount to your PayPal account.

Treat yourself to a little vintage fun!

Friday, March 6, 2009

March Madness

Just an FYI, next Friday - the 13th - I am going to have a One Day SALE over at my Etsy shop where you can save 30% off everything!

Be sure to mark your calendars and "shop" on by!

Oh Facebook, You're Crazy

I'm a lemming.

I'm a moth.

I am a sheep following the herd and I've been doing that over at Facebook recently.  Originally, I joined to keep in touch with someone whom I've been friends with since high school.  She's a super busy lady with a lot of friends and it really works for her to keep people updated on her life.

I sort of neglected my profile for awhile because that's just the way I roll....you know that!  And then I did a short stint on MySpace, but all I wanted to do over there was constantly change my background.  

All in all, they both proved to be diversions from working or writing here and I made the decision to delete the MySpace account and keep up with the Facebook one.

Am I ever glad that I did!  Yes, it's like a virtual reunion of sorts, but some of the people I've been able to re-connect with are folks I would love to get re-aquainted with anyway.  Not to mention it's sort of been responsible for letting me find out that another friend has a secret identity and life!

Well, I guess it's sort of secret, I mean she didn't go out of her way to TELL anyone about it.  I guess you really CAN'T keep a secret with the internet around. HA!

Aaaannnnndddd, I've completely lost the point of this post.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Tune In Tuesday



The pin striped edition:



Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Jocularity

Okay, I had to break up the heavy vibes I left behind from yesterday's post...with this:

http://rpattzadventures.blogspot.com/

Just try not to laugh.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Ashamed

Since he was old enough to understand the concept, I have tried to teach Hoodie tolerance. When he gets upset with one of his friends and is ready to dissolve things, I tell him to put himself in that person's place and think about the reasons why he or she might be acting toward him a particular way.

I try to explain that even though certain family members drive us nuts all the time, underneath it all, they still love him very much and to remember that above all else.

This morning, I was a real asshat to him. He was being slow and we were running out of time for us to pick up his friends, get them to school and get myself to work and I blew a gasket.

I said a lot of stupid things and then tried to justify why I said them. In the end, it was all my fault that we were running out of time even though I was making him think it was all on him.

The cause of that time problem isn't difficult to figure out, it's something that can be changed to avoid any repeat situations. But the scars that I left on my son's psyche and in his heart from MY complete shittery....well, there is no justification for that.

I've apologized and told him how much I love him and he's told me that he's okay and that we're alright, but I just can't stop thinking about what my actions have done to him and the consequences they'll play in his future.

Why wasn't I able to think of that BEFORE I got mad? Why couldn't I get over my anger and keep the garbage from coming out before I had spewed it all over our relationship?

I was too angry to be tolerant this morning.

How can I expect my son to follow my advice toward his friends, when I cannot even lead by example?

Thursday, February 19, 2009

The Randomness Of Being Random

The collar on my J. Crew cardigan is coming unsewn!
Clouds and rain make me happier than sunshine.
Cooked vegetables always make me gassy.
I like Isaac Mizrahi by way of Target shoes.
Places like 99 Cent Stores and DollarTree compel me to overspend!
Hoodie has been in the worst mood lately....like constantly.
I've had "Turned To Stone" and "Strange Magic" by Electric Light Orchestra stuck in my head for days now.
I cancelled my MySpace page because it's really not for me.
I should have saved all of this for Twitter. Alas, I found I could not quit THAT so easily.
Zits near eyebrows and corners of the mouth are especially painful.

Your turn, tell me something COMPLETELY random!!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Mortal Coil

I'm feeling very sheepish and sort of ashamed to admit something.

I just finished reading "Breaking Dawn" - the last book in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. I have also read part of "Midnight Sun" which is posted online somewhere. That's Edward's version of the first book, "Twilight."

I know a lot of older readers have already been - pardon the pun - sucked into this love story and I swore to myself and to Hoodie and to any other person within earshot, that I was not going to read any other part of this teenage-broodiness. I got enough out of reading "Midnight Sun" that I pretty much knew the plot, and I didn't feel like buying or waiting for the library to have the middle books.

Meyer is a good writer, she knows her craft. Despite this series being intended for the tween and teen set, it proves to be decent distraction for anyone really.

Okay, I feel much better now. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest!

I have so much stuff to do this weekend, it's crazy! I need to get some work done that I've put off for far too long. Good thing most of my family members are under the weather - read: not up for doing much themselves. And it's supposed to be cold and rainy, which also means time for staying indoors.

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Friday, February 6, 2009

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Tuesday, Tuesday

Here's a list, see if you can guess the theme:

1. I'm doing my best to blog regularly, and not slip back into the comfortable "better blog reader than writer" mode.

2. My clothes are woefully tight and I skipped bread with dinner last night.

3. Hoodie is 16 today and Mother Nature thought it would be great FUN to give MY body a present, if you know what I mean.

4. There are like 4 family birthdays this month and I hope to hand over more than a cute but empty card.

5. People I care for had some heartbreaking news recently and I've been leaning heavily on faith to understand why.

Life certainly can by TRYING, can't it?

Friday, January 30, 2009

Fantastic Finish Friday

Hello everyone!

I just want to give you all a great big HUG and my sincerest THANKS for taking time out of your lives to visit my blog and Etsy shop. Yáll left me some of the SWEETEST comments, I think I could've gone into a sugar coma!

It has been eye-opening and fun for me to see what draws people to certain rings and even though I don't design the actual earring part of the ring, I'm still drawn to certain aspects like color combinations and textures.

So without any further delay, I'd like to announce the winner of my giveaway.

*Trumpets and Applause*


And by my count, that is Andria!!!!

*Confetti and Balloons*

Wooohooooo, yay Andria!!!!!! If you know Andria, you should stop by her blog and congratulate her, okay? :O)

Thanks again to all of you who gave me your opinions and your time. I'd like to invite you back to visit my Etsy shop, Sparkles In Time and splurge a little on yourselves. And I'll give you some incentive too.

Tell you what, if you buy a ring before February 10th and you tell me that you left a comment in my Bloggy Carnival Giveaway that I can see, I'll give you FREE shipping!

YAY! Now yáll can be winners -- which you totally are anyway!

Have a great weekend and GO STEELERS!!! *Cartwheels and Splits* and Oh my achin' back!!!!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Give Away Time

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thank you!


Gosh, time sure has flown by since I gave something away to my readers and guess what! It's time for the Bloggy Giveaway Quarterly Carnival!

Wheeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yipppeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just LOVE doing this, it's fun to read comments from new faces and hopefully see some familiar ones dropping by too. I also love finding new blogs to read from everyone participating in the giveaway.

But let's get down to business! I've found a new love of repurposing vintage clip on earrings and turning them into wonderfully fun rings! I love doing this so much that I've also joined Etsy with my own shop called Sparkles In Time.

All you have to do is go to my Etsy shop and look at all of the rings there. Come back here and leave me a comment telling me which one of the rings you like the best and what it is that attracts you to it, and you will have a chance to win that ring!

If by chance the ring has been purchased before the end of the contest, an alternate will be given in its place. Also, the pendant is not part of this contest. Thanks!

That's it -- just look at my shop (and buy something too if you like!) come back with an appropriate answer (you have to follow the rules to win, please) and on Friday, January 30th, I will announce the winner. If your email address isn't part of your profile, please be sure to leave it in your comment so I know how to reach you!

(Be sure to spell out the "@" and ".com" as at and dotcom, dotorg or dotwhatever so the webcrawlers don't snag your email address and stick you in the never ending land of spam. Example: bradpittatyahoodotcom or katehudsonatwhackydotorg.)

The contest and comments will close at Midnight, Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, January 29th and I will use a random number generator to find out who the winner is.

One comment per person. Duplicate comments will not be counted, and I know, sometimes your ISP does weird things and makes multiple comments. Don't worry, I've been there myself -- I just won't count the other ones if it happens to you.

So get on over to Sparkles In Time and I'll see you back here on Friday with an announcement of who the winner is. This is so exciting! See you then!!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Joining one revolution, leaving another

And she's back!

Well, even though all of the cool kids have been Twittering for quite some time and continue to do so, I have decided to quit for now. While my thoughts are short and scattered enough to be appropriate for that type of venue, I just don't feel like keeping up with it anymore.

BUTTTTTT....and that's a really big but folks.......I have decided to join a completely different cool place. Etsy!

I'm having a ball repurposing vintage clip on earrings into fun, classy rings just for everyday wear. I don't feel like you should have to drag out a J-Lo sized carat just to be able to make yourself smile.

Although something THAT big would certainly make me smile!

Anywho, I've taken down the Twitter app and replaced it with my mini Etsy shop. I hope you think the pieces are fun as much as I do.

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Tune In Tuesday

I hope everyone had a great holiday season. As you can tell, I rushed to get back here and share with you all of the fantastic things I experienced - ha!

In the meantime, here is a little ditty that fully illustrates how I'm currently feeling. Enjoy.