Enchanted Musing

ok, ok, ok...

2009-04-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

it's been long enough.

it is CLEARLY no longer raining. i think 100 degrees is evidence enough of that.

and I've been gone. but i'm leaving here- for good. soon.

find me at: http://enchantedmusing.wordpress.com/

same blog name - different blog channel.

it's raining...

2009-02-05T21:53:00.000-08:00

and it's about time!! we've needed this for a long time, but, as is usual - the timing SUCKS!!

the last time it rained here was christmas day. yes, christmas day! just in time for the 8 year old who has been waiting for santa to bring her a scooter for months. it arrives - but, shoot - it's too darn wet to get outside and ride it!

tomorrow we are scheduled to visit here. i remember going a number of times with school and day camp groups. but it's been 25 -30 years since i've gone out there. since our history club is studying italy and it is, afterall, black history month - i figured this was the perfect time for a visit. and then mother nature picks her time, again. yes, it's going to rain on our visit.

in some ways, it's good for me. i have this totally irrational fear of certain things bigger than me. mainly statues. i've always rationalized that because i am so tall - i'm used to things being my height or shorter. so, therefore, it makes sense that something substantially taller than me - is freakish and to be feared! for some reason, the towers give me this same feeling. i don't know why - they just do.

but they are SO beautiful in their simplicity and the energy and creativity that went into someone just deciding to build them. i'm in awe, and yet they make me quake in my boots.

so why, you ask, is this visit good for me, in the rain? because part of our visit will include a tour and film presentation of the towers inside of the gallery that sits next to them. the rain will force us inside and I won't be forced to stand outside and under them for too terribly long.

i'm excited, and yet - just a little worried about how much I'll freak out at being near them. oh, no one will know that I am freaked, but i'll feel it in my bones. or - it's just the irrational memory of what I felt when I was 13 - and at my current age of , ahem ~ 29, I won't feel the same.

hahahaha - we'll see...

*********** *********** ***********
ps - happy birthday mini-belfry! although your day of fun may not turn out as planned, i wish the day for you to be filled with joy and everything you wish for.
signed p&e (stop laughing kat. that is NOT pee!)

and today we did...

2009-02-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

nothing...

it felt like *I* was in the superbowl. i just feel drained - and minime has come down with some minor tummy issues that have taken up the better part of the late afternoon. i haven't looked for my camera (ack!! i need it - we're working on a mural project tomorrow!) and i've done no crafting! i know that sometimes we just need days like this - but when you have things to do - you hate days like this! it's life...

i have swaps to complete, swaps to send out, new etsy product to make, or photograph or both. but i just want to lay on the bed and watch reruns of ANTM.

and that's nearly what i'm going to go do. but first, i need to take a stab at finding that camera.

until tomorrow...

whaaaa? where????

2009-02-01T15:54:00.000-08:00

so, i've decided to come out of my cave. we've been SO busy that the last thing i wanted to think about was blogging. but i want to - need to! so here i am. i *want* to blog every day this month. really, i do!! wish me luck with that!

so, today we made our way out to the getty villa in malibu. a beautiful day! but, whaaa? where's my camera!!???? can't find it. oh, it's not stolen or lost - save being lost in my house (and that's a whole other set of worries). but i can't really put my finger on where to look for it. so, for now, its "lost".

I'd planned on showing off great photos of the getty and the view of the ocean - but, like i said. no camera. enjoy the clip-art.

so - for today - that's my post! i do hope that all of you enjoying the superbowl, the commercials or, just simply enjoying the food - are indeed enjoying yourselves!

i'm going to go look for my camera...

until tomorrow...

I have a dream...

2009-01-19T21:52:00.000-08:00

Yes
We Did!

****** ****** ****** ******

Our new President put out a call for community service and to make this day - the "MLK" Holiday a National Day of Service. I was unprepared for that call this year - I just heard it too late. But I'm taking on the challenge and hope you all will too! He is our new president, but we must all get to work to continue to fulfill the promise of this nation. We have a chance at making this country great in our eyes and the world's eyes, once again.

I'm ready to roll up my sleeves and help. Are you?

all done...

2009-01-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

wait a minute! not so fast...

MY jury duty is all done. whew...

yesterday - come 4pm - we walked out of the courtroom, a full jury seated & sworn in - but no alternates. we had to report, again, today.

we walked back in just after 11am - 8 people left in the jury pool, including me. Odds were - I was going to be called. I'd gone thru my litany of things that would make me undesirable for this case and had rehearsed them in my head well.

the judge was ready to call jurors for the alternate seats. he told the clerk to call 5. All 5 were called, but not me. That left 3 of us sitting there, waiting. 3 were dismissed.

uh-oh, here we go...

the judge told the clerk to call 2 more names. She called 2 - neither name being mine.

Whew... I sat in the pool area all alone

1 was dismissed. then the alternates were sworn in.

I was sent packing. i'm free! ah...

now - where's my $30??!????

back to my day to day living.....

jury duty...

2009-01-14T21:04:00.000-08:00

i've never been on jury duty.

when i was in my early 20's and had jobs that ALWAYS paid for it - i was never called. i always thought it something exciting to try out. in my early 30's - i took one of my last jobs outside of the home. they didn't pay for jury duty and right like clockwork - i received my first summons. i plead financial hardship (allowed in those years) and never served. i wanted to - but the $5 per day that the court offered, simply was not going to fill the void of my salary & pay the bills.

seems like many years passed by without receiving a summons - then, when my daughter was born, i began to receive them again! perfect timing. sigh... of course, i didn't go. it was simply impossible with a nursing baby. once, when minime was about 3, i received a summons that i responded to, but then the court claimed not to have received. i wasn't allowed an excuse - i had to go. i packed up my child (with books, and lunch) and headed to court. i was excused!

i've received one or two summons since then, i always managed to get out of them. but this year was different. actually, i decided not to try to get out of it - i'd do my civic duty and just get it done!

sigh...

it started today - arriving at 745 am (like I knew there was a 745 in the morning!). parking was 5 blocks away and then, there was the wait for the elevators with LOTS of other jurors. lots of waiting - for HOURS, and then, it happened. i was called...

into court we were moved, we found out about the generalities of the case and they started calling names. i was relieved not to hear my name while the others made their way into the jury box. questioning started and went on...

and on...

and on...

and then - lunch!

then back to the courtroom, for more questioning. and then it was made VERY clear to us that EVERYONE of the jurors sitting in the courtroom will be questioned as possible jurors! all 50 of us. sigh...

so i go back tomorrow (but mercilessly - not as early as today!) and sit some more. thanks to another juror in the waiting room, i'm planning on bringing my crochet work with me tomorrow - hoping the day goes by a bit faster. and hoping i *don't* end up on this case!

Words to Live By: Be careful what you wish for - you just might get it, even 20 years later!

************ ************** **************** ******************

Oh, and for you 'American Idol' fans who were watching the show tonight... 'here i am baby, signed sealed delivered, i'm yours..'

you're welcome.

I feel the need...

2009-01-07T10:12:00.000-08:00

to clean!

child's bedroom is a mess. needs to be cleaned - WELL.

so...

we're going to disneyland!

heeheehohohahahahahahaha...

happy holidays...

2008-12-26T21:06:00.000-08:00

it's been a busy holiday season!

this year I managed to not only craft for 2 craft shows - but i also handmade all of our christmas gifts this year! i wish i had photos to show you but...
1) my computer is down and i can't access photos for the internet
2) i haven't taken many photos of all the things i've given away! oops - my bad.

i'm sorry - but i've tried to stay focused. so - in that spirit, i'm announcing right now that I will not post again until after the new year. i'm much crafting AND photographing to do and i can't possibly get it all done if i'm on the computer so much.

so, i bid you a temporary 'adeiu' and i look forward to seeing you all in the new year!

Craft Show...

2008-12-06T12:23:00.000-08:00

the Howard Hughes Promenade
Holiday Craft Faire!

yep, that's me! enjoy a rare sighting of me on this blog - never to be seen again!!

~my crocheted totes, buckets and tiffin covers~

~altered journals and tags~

It was a long (and blessedly, warm) day - but we had fun meeting people, making sales and enjoying all of the activities in the shopping center court.

We'll be there again THIS coming Friday!
if you're local - please stop by and say "Hi!"
and let me know that you read my "Enchanted Musing" blog
- for a FREE gift!

December 12th 12 noon to 6pm
The Promenade at Howard Hughes
(also known as "The Bridge")
6081 Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90045

Corner of Sepulveda & Centinela

shoes, day 3

2008-11-29T19:02:00.001-08:00

i was *informed* that she created 3 different "poses" for these photos.
please, notice the bend of the legs...

shoes, day 2

2008-11-28T18:59:00.000-08:00

do i know my child - or what?

she's wearing them again, today. she's worn them since she sprung out of bed this morning. they are still on her feet.

she'll wear them tomorrow...

please, don't ask about the outfit. i don't understand, either...

food & shoes...

2008-11-27T20:06:00.000-08:00

happy thanksgiving!

today was a nice day. crafting in the morning and a big, home-cooked meal (cooked by someone else) in the afternoon. that's the life! I hope you enjoyed your holiday, too.

and, the shoes? just this little $15 pair that minime is currently enamored with - that she will try to wear to bed and that likely won't leave her feet for the next few days. i can't tell you how many times she's exclaimed to me about "how cute" they are or the fact that she "just loves these shoes!"

as much as i'm a 'shoe collector' myself, i honestly don't buy her many. her feet grow quickly, and we are not the type of people who get dressed up a lot. so, she wears crocs and tennis shoes. dress shoes just aren't a part of our regular shopping. so, when she gets them - it's a BIG deal.

very simple, ballet flats. i must admit - she looked darling in her shoes, and the entire outfit! but you'd think the only thing new she had on - were these shoes.

it really is the simple things in life...

chilly, fall days...

2008-11-25T16:25:00.000-08:00

i'm a city girl...

wait - let me clarify - i'm a southern california, city girl. what does that mean, you may ask? it means i don't do weather. we don't have it. ok, we *have* weather - but not anything like what my mom grew up with in the mid-west - you know, all the trees losing leaves, fall colors, snow (and walking to school in 4 feet of it, uphill - both ways...). but sometimes, i wish i were around more of it. this was one of those days...the last few after dance, park days have found the girls rounding up leaves from all over the park. i haven't yet determined why they do this, except that there is some element of fun in it for them. we moms enjoy it even more when a toddler sibling throws himself into the pile of leaves with glee. the joy on his face drowns out the whining of the 8 years olds upset at his joy of destroying their work. the photo above represents their first 20 minutes at the park today. as you notice - there are no children playing around it. so - why do they *make* the pile? one still wonders...

but photographing the leaves in the park made me wish we lived in less of an urban setting. a place where there were woods to run off and explore. where a nearby stream trickles with rain water or freezes over in the winter only to melt in early spring when it resumes the soft trickle of water. such a beautiful thought...

and then i came home, only to discover my michael's coupon at the door waiting for me to make that quick 10 minute drive to the store to buy whatever soothes me on any given day.

between the nearly constant sunshine, lack of foul weather and a michaels but 10 minutes away... yep, you guessed it. here i stay...

waldorf...

2008-11-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

i feel blessed to live in southern california. the weather is SO nice - year around - and it is such a diverse place. travel 2 hours in any direction and you will reach the ocean, the mountains or the desert - all while living in the heart of a large metropolis with a multitude of cultures all around.

as homeschoolers, we are lucky, not only to live here, but to be curious enough to want to explore all the things around us AND to have people within our community who are able to constantly expose us to new ideas. for mini me and i, waldorf is one of those new ideas. i'd heard of waldorf for many years, but i never explored it. i'd seen ideas about it, but nothing made me particularly want, or need, to pursue it. i just don't think i'd seen a grand enough example of it.

until this weekend...

this beautiful, craftsman style building is a waldorf school in pasadena where we attended their annual 'elves faire' this past weekend. just walking onto the campus makes you drool to go to school there! i mean - my gosh!!, just look at it (ok, my inner geek is showing. i studied art history in college and lots of architecture during those classes - so buildings tend to *get* to me)!

this little beauty of a crystal was acquired from 'father winter', a gentleman who walks around dressed as, um - santa-ish? - and allows the children to take a small gift. minime and mini-belfry pulled crystals. there are many nature-based crafts to partake of and a yummy bake sale. they have many food selections and quite a bit of entertainment - folksy guitarist, taiko drummers and bag-pipers.

and then, there is this guy - 'the acorn man'

(is 'do you know the muffin man' playing in your head too? you're welcome!)
clearly, there is still some part of me not totally connecting with 'waldorf'. i found him just a *bit* creepy - he reminds me of the evil guy collecting all the children in "chitty, chitty, bang-bang". but maybe that's just me...

overall, we had a great experience at the faire and i look forward to going again!

more itsy, bitsy things...

2008-11-22T09:07:00.000-08:00

the borrowers have, very much, insinuated themselves into our lives. we now visit furniture stores to help decorate their living space. I mean, it was one thing when they were living underfoot and we didn't know they were there. 'Borrowing' items to live. But now that we've supplied them with a home - that we look at, rearrange and playwith EVERYDAY, we want pretty things to see.

minime and i, along with belfry and mini-belfry found ourselves at a miniatures, um - er, 'borrowers' store yesterday. the mini's had quite a great time. houses, building materials, furniture and supplies. its amazing to see the looks on their faces while looking at all of the littlest things around them. its amazing how reading one small book has opened their world, ne`, our world.

shop owner!

2008-11-15T21:03:00.000-08:00

I have opened my Etsy shop!! whoo hoo!!

you can find me at: Enchanted Musing.Etsy.com

I'm excited - can you tell?

There isn't much there - yet. But I will slowly get it built up and hopefully there will be some purchases - and the sooner, the better!

So get on over there and buy something - will ya???!!

itsy, bisty things...

2008-11-13T21:54:00.001-08:00

we receive visitors on a regular basis. we don't greet them, visit with them - or actually, even see them! they are 'borrowers'.

at first we weren't too certain that they actually existed. i mean - we really hadn't heard of them before. and then we read that book. it explained everything! whenever small things go missing, we now understand where they must go!

first we set up a little house for them. someplace we felt they might feel safe. occasionally something small would appear in it - but for a very long time we saw nothing. slowly, minime began to fill the space up with small 'found' objects around the house - you know - things we might not otherwise miss - and giving them to 'the borrowers'. the above photo shows you their living room - complete with a t.v. (apparently, they enjoy watching bears read books) and a jack-o-lantern. it's most amazing when the 'borrowers' leave small objects in return!

she's also very certain to make sure they have a "borrowers bag" - you know, storage for them to go around the house 'borrowing' things. today, she brought it to book club to share with her friends what *her* borrowers use.

the second floor is quite elegant as it actually has a curio cabinet - complete with wooden bowls, milk bottles & crate, and a rounded side table. clearly those were items provided by minime herself, for the borrowers. she does enjoy seeing them live in style!

******************************

it is amazing what fun a $5, unfinished bookcase from michael's and a small paperback book, can do for the imagination of a child! with Christmas coming soon, there are many surprises in the works - a mini christmas tree, small wooden apples and acorns, christmas wreaths and more!

christmas definitely is most fun when the imagination of a child is stirred. as she gets older, it gets a little harder, but clearly - there is still lots to fill!

of things only half done...

2008-11-12T12:06:00.001-08:00

months ago, we started a little project called "screamers". we never finished. not that we weren't really interested, we just really got busy and never quite made it a priority. so there he sits. he keeps staring at me. telling me to finish him. i will. one day. (but stop staring at me!!)

as you can see - his rear is still in need of - um - cloth. but really - who looks at a monster's butt? we spent many hours paper & cloth mache-ing him. but once we started with camping and school stuff - we just couldn't give him anymore time. he seems to have taken it all in stride - as long as the dog doesn't get too close to him. then he gets all crazy...
he stands on his own - sometimes. mostly, i just find that he's terribly lazy and constantly sleeps on the couch - um, er - picnic table out back. i think he should get a job.

veterans day

2008-11-11T11:11:00.001-08:00

Thank You.

Yes We Can

2008-11-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

"if there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our Founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."
~Barack Obama, President Elect, 2008

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year, or even in one term, but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you: we as a people will get there." ~Barack Obama, President Elect, 2008

Obama Speech, November 4, 2008

Edited to add: I found this blog about California's Prop 8 and "The View" show. I like how this woman writes!
Margaret and Helen

Election day...

2008-11-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is election day!! and I'm SO glad.

no matter what the end result is, i'm glad all of the election stuff is over. i'm tired.

but that doesn't mean it isn't worth taking advantage of!

after standing in line to vote (and you ARE going to vote, right?? I mean, you can't just leave things to chance. too many folks died and suffered for ALL of our right to vote. don't allow that to have been in vain)... ok, so anyway - after standing in line for that vote you are GOING to cast - take yourself to:

Ben & Jerry's for a FREE scoop of ice cream!

yummy goodness

2008-10-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

i'm not a breakfast eater.

ok, that's not really - totally - true. I like breakfast, but i'm picky. i want crepes, with warm fruit compote. i want eggs, delicately scrambled with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, olives, bacon and topped with shredded cheese, or feta! i want hash browns, potatoes o'brien or home fries and i want sweet, tasty cinnamon rolls, or biscuits with creamy butter and Knott's (yes, as in "Berry Farm") jam to top it all off. And guess what - I don't even need all of those items at one meal (despite the size of my butt which may indicate that i not only eat them all together, but daily)!

but the reality is, no human being *should* eat any, or most, of those items most days. sigh...

so, i don't eat breakfast. i drink coffee - but that's really about it. and that's SO not good for me. I know, I know! stop looking at me like that - and don't shake your finger at me!!!

last year, I ran across a blog that listed her newfound favorite breakfast. it was cereal in yogurt. specifically, it was a 'soy & flaxseed' cereal and 'banilla' (vanilla & bannana flavor) yogurt. I tried it. I liked it. but it wasn't *great*.

Over the summer, I once again fell out of eating breakfast (with the exception of a few homemade smoothies and breakfast while camping), but last week, I decided this had to end. I found myself in Trader Joe's, pondering over cereals. and then i found it!

Cherry Almond Crunch. Yummy! corn flakes, oat clusters, almond slivers and big, juicy dried cherries. I tossed a few large spoonfulls over vanilla yogurt. OMG!! It's like eating dessert for breakfast! The corn flakes are tasty and the oat clusters have just a touch of sweetness. I could eat those two things, with the yogurt, by themselves - but add in a few cherries! AH! Oh! yes, it's THAT good.

now THIS is a great breakfast!

seems like forever...

2008-10-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

i know - i know. it seems like FOREVER since I last posted! It seems like even longer since I was able to actually upload photos. but alas, the day has come and i'm not only here to post - but i've got photos!!!!! can i get a big "whup whup"?

so, thanks to blogger and the wacky way it uploads your photos, these are in exactly the wrong order, just work with me here...

first up - camping!! yes, *I* the pronounced "non-camper" have been camping 3 times *this year!* We went 2 times inside of a month! and i'm STILL exhausted! but please enjoy my photos!

this is a view of the group camp site - right off the water and lovely! it was windy the first 2 days we were there (a scary reminder of the june campout with those "sun downer" winds that santa barbara is known for) but once they let up - it was a glorious 3 days. it is kinda of a far away shot - but we were literally tent to tent! about 90 campers at this one. lots of activities and things to do (including a trip to the Ty Warner Sea Center, a Chumash Indian Elder talk, a walk to the tide pool, tie-dying, rock painting - We also took a side trip to Solvang - a Dutch community about an hours drive north)
This is the little fellow who kept digging holes under my tent! one night i nearly fell over when i stepped, unexpectedly, onto one of his 'under tent' mounds! they were HUGE mounds!!
from the camping trip two weeks earlier when we made pin-wheels and left them out. it was fun afternoon of coloring - for the kids AND adults. especially once we discovered a 1/2 frozen bottle of wine in the cooler. watching it defrost was a kick (and we weren't even drunk (yet - heehee))
art prezzies from the local artists - the midnight raccoons. one night they managed to get into belfry's food bin and open only (ONLY) her sacred bag of choclate-mint cookies!
The Day of Peace & the giant Doves. This is an annual special event the the Dr Jane Goodall Institute puts on and highlights the work of the roots & shoots organizations that work under her lead. it's always a beautiful day and inspiring to continue on to the next year of work.
and here is mr pierce brosnan - making his was through the roots and shoots group tables. stopping by every table to hear about their individual projects. here, he is about 3 tables aways from us - just moments before i managed to WOW him with my charm and great looks.
so, those are just a few of the things i've been up to lately! i've been home just about a week - and it took me that long to unload my computer - and then unload my 835 photos off the camera!

but it's all good now. my goal is to update 3x's per week, so, stay close. i promise to be around a lot more!

a day late, and a...

2008-10-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

you can add whatever you like to the end of that. i'm too busy to do it. so, where do i start?

first off, let me just say that i'm still in 'no photos' mode. my computer is just too full & add to that, a weird power surge thing that occurred just a few nights ago that rendered my computer dead. the man took it today and took a good look at it - i think only the power supply was damaged. so, i'll have my regular computer back in no time. it will also allow me to print again! yay. but i still need to work on the whole "photo" thing.

so apparently, where I last left off, I was discussing the excitement over the "peace festival" that was to be held the next day. it really was an exciting day - topped off with my meeting pierce brosnan, shaking his hand (twice) and then him mentioning our very own roots & shoots tribe on stage! very exciting indeed!

next - we went off for a few days of camping! minime was excited to spend a few days with some of her bestest friends - mini-belfry & minisoap - and they played from morning until night and simply exhausted themselves everyday. never has minime come to me at 8pm at night and asked/begged to go to bed! gotta love that! we also discovered main street in carpenteria and quickly became enamored with the antique shops and Robitaille's candy store.

kats in the belfry gives a much better - detailed & with photos - description. please give her post a looksee!

we came home to get back into the 'school' groove. hogwarts classes were to re-start (but have been post-phoned as minipaper came down with the flu). we have also been preparing for our book & history clubs. and minime's favorite dance class has also restarted with all of her best friends to play with - during and after class!

this past weekend I also participated in a scrapbooking craft show. of all weekends - it RAINS. when exactly was the last time it rained in so. california?? I'll tell you - it's been 5 months! and it chose to rain the very weekend we were to find ourselves hocking our paper products! this after a 90-100 degree 'warm" spell not but a few days earlier. yes, paper in an outdoor courtyard with rain. needless to say, we found ourselves quickly changing locations and moving inside of the store. the next day found us back outside with nice weather but slow traffic. sales were poor - but we aren't discouraged. we're hoping to do it again before the holidays.

now that the craft show is over - i'm back to readying child and i for camping. yep - we're going back & i'm really looking forward to it. since we are going with the state homeschool group, there are many activities planned by many people to keep us busy for the 5 days - Chumash Elder talks, tide pool walks, a tour of the local seaquarium, history museum tour - heck - we may even have time to sit by the fire one night! LOL I'm taking plenty of craft supplies to paint miniature wood people, to make ATC's and, of course, my crochet and others are planning for kite making, tie-dying and morning yoga! And - I would love to make it into Solvang one of the days. I think I've managed to pack us up already - and quite modularly, which i hope makes the car feel less cluttered, as opposed to having many bags of this and that all over. we will see.
i hope one day to get my photo woes under control. i have SO many pictures to share. for now - i'm off to bed. tomorrow is one less day i have for making plans - so i need to have a good night's sleep!

until i can get back...

going along...

2008-09-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

i'm not quite sure HOW i get this busy. but here i am again, with many deadlines to make and many events weaved all inbetween them. i must do child's hair too. SO much hair!

but mainly we've got the peace festival coming up tomorrow. click here for the 2006 poster - of course, we are doing it tomorrow. above is a photo from last year - just before the peace dove march.

we were given large cardboard doves to paint/decorate anyway we wanted - by another group member. with so many deadlines looming over me, i couldn't figure out anything wonderful to do with ours. then a brilliant idea overcame me!

ss#1 is a budding artist. i turned to him and threatened to wake him up at 7am and take him with us to the event unless he took over the project! worked like a charm (because I don't know of ANY teenaged boys willing to be awake and leave the house at 8am - and not for school!).

he disappeared into the backyard and I just spied on him. he's got all kinds of cardboard ripped and cut. i don't know WHAT he is doing with it. I'm just trusting him on this.

so now that I've managed to clear a few photos off my computer - i will post photos - not only of our dove - but of the event, as well!

a good laugh...

2008-09-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

we've been busy this past week. disneyland "not back to school day", book club, mom crafting nite, and (AND!) we got to go see WICKED! again (and I'll go again if I can swing it). i had to take a shot at resting and saturday was it. i did manage to get on the computer and work on some projects (this blog clearly not one of them - sorry) and then - bedtime!

i checked in with 'saturday night live' and found sara palin and hillary clinton on the air! hahahaha ok - so it wasn't actually them, but tina fey is close enough. it was HILARIOUS!!! no matter your party affiliation - this was classic SNL. Please take a peak, i promise that you will enjoy it!

gotta run...

2008-08-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

this is going to be quick. we are on our way out to see the West African Drummers at the Ford Theater this morning. We're already running late - but then, what's new?

But I wanted to share - before I forgot - another blog about homeschooling. actually - unschooling. it's written by a kid that was unschooled all his life, then decided he wanted to go to a 'real school' during his freshman high school year. he's written it and it's interesting. i hope you enjoy it too!

Snavely Freebirds

inspiration...

2008-08-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

i've spent the better part of this week watching the democratic convention. because we are always on the move - a lot of my watching was done on YouTube and various cable news network websites. but i managed to be at home on thursday nite to watch the best & most important speech. if you missed it - it's one for the record books. even Pat Robertson said it was probably THE best convention speech he'd ever heard! now that's saying something.

if you missed it - it's a must see. and i'm here to provide that opportunity!

loose change...

2008-08-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

let me share a project minime and I are working on!

earlier this month, minime & I attended our state homeschool expo. it's our 3rd year and it gets better every year! we stayed for 3 days, 2 nights and at the end of that third day, the last thing either of us wanted to do was make that long drive home. we wanted to stay at the hotel another day, play in the pool and get a good nights sleep - without getting involved in any "responsibilities". but we weren't financially prepared for that extra night - so home we went. but it got me to thinking - we need to start saving now for next year!

i figured out that we needed to save about $5 per week. do-able, but sometimes letting go of a $5 bill just isn't that easy. then brilliance overcame me! change! spare change!!

yes, we would save all of our coins.

so for the last 2 weeks or so - that's what we have been focusing on. we've cleaned up every spare coin - penny, nickel, dime, quarter - and put them into jars. then i purchased a variety of paper coin wrappers. and today i sat down and decided to wrap only quarters.

inside of 30 minutes, i'd managed to wrap $67. can you believe that?!!

$67 WORTH OF QUARTERS!!!!!!!

i can't wait to get into the dimes, nickels and pennies - oh, my!! THE PENNIES!!

there are others that have discovered (long ago, i imagine) this too, and i'm happy to share with you, their experiences:

ChangeRace
Soho Sally's Blog
The ChangePot

so that's our current mission. and it looks like we're on our way. our goal is to pay for, not just the extra night at the hotel at next year's conference ($88), but ALL 3 nights!

$67 down, $197 to go.

easy-peasy!

yawn

2008-08-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

um, i feel like i've been sleeping for a week. uh - 2 weeks!

I'm so sorry folks. i've been tired! so - let's catch up...

last you heard from me, i was preparing for the expo. let me just say that the expo gets better every year! and this year was no exception. we played, i worked, we learned, we relaxed. the only pall over the entire weekend that we were SO tired by our departure on sunday that minime had a bit of a melt-down. it was ultimately understandable - a long weekend with shifted sleep schedules and an overwhelming amount of things to do for 3 days. i was ready to melt-down too! Next year - we stay that extra day, just to play and relax *after* all the exciting stuff is over.

as for our sessions - they went swell. Hogwarts was a fan favorite. they loved all the things we had to show them and really just the general concept of "thinking outside of the box" about the homeschooling adventure. we're being mentioned on blogs all over! to learn more about our session, check out our blog: Hogwarts

I also did a solo session of Disneyschooling. Yes - you really can put those two words together! I won't bore you too much, but the session went well and it was FUN! Learn more here.

ok - so that's out of the way... on to more stuff.

this past week, I began participating in a craft 'contest' called a "Yarn Smackdown. I have killed - and just today, I myself was killed (and it was sweet). To learn more - you'll have to go to Paper2Yarn. I promise to get an update over there too!

And today - work. Uh, well - HomeSchoolLA stuff. We are in the process of updating our website and expanding on the blog we have as well. It uses up a good portion of brain space for me when I'm in this mode, so I consider it my "job". If you've never visited, check it out - and we'll have an update there the first of September!

ok - so that's what is going on. I expect to be on more regularly - you know, now that i've caught up on my sleep...

wow! it's here already??

2008-07-31T17:22:00.000-07:00

tomorrow is the homeschool expo.

TOMORROW???? What the..? Wait!!!

BUT I'M NOT READY!!

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

Ok, I am ready - but i'm not. today has been spent rushing around - trying to make sure it all gets done. remembering all the 'little' things you don't want to forget - but always fail to write down, so that it's on the 'to-do' list. much is done, much is left to get done.

two sessions to teach. I've been worrying for weeks that no one would be interested in the sessions. but the more that leaks out that people are attending - i get worried that they won't like what I(we) do! aaaauuuggghhh!! (that's a direct quote from Charlie Brown)

the sessions are:

hogwartshomeschool
and
disneyschooling

check out the blogs - let me (and all the 'hogwarts' gals) know what you think!

we leave early tomorrow - so what isn't finished or packed tonight - likely isn't taking the trip with us. sigh - still need to work on my Disneyschooling doorprize contribution from the dragonfly artisans!

well, do miss me. i'll be gone 3 whole days. i look forward to sharing how my classes went and the joy of being surrounded by more than 1,000 homeschoolers!

and if i can get my computer storage woes under control - maybe even some photos!

shoe shopping with dad...

2008-07-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

i should know better - but, clearly - I don't. i let minime go off to the store with her dad. to buy her some new tennis shoes.

now - in my defense, they've done this before! a number of years ago, it was very clear to me that shoe shopping without dad wasn't an option. you see - he's very finicky about shoes. let me specify, it's really about arch support. i agree! but the reality is that when you are out shoe shopping, arch support in kids shoes simply does not exist! but it's hard to convince DH of this, and, in his head, it's simply that you bought a poor pair of shoes.

so when minime was about 4 - it became required that dad shop with us for shoes. he was able to see that arch support in kid shoes was simply non-existent. of course, old habits die hard and the one time i dared venture into a shoe store without him, he again couldn't understand why i didn't buy her shoes with a better arch support. so no more. dad now does ALL the shoe shopping!

the last few times, i've allowed him to take her to the store without me. she's now old enough to have her own taste in shoes and to let him know what she wants. i must say, it's all worked out well. the shoes that have come back have been tasteful - though not always my taste - but not something i was loathed to see her in either. as a matter of fact, her last pair of shoes i was thrilled with!
yes - he'd established a good track record. decent looking shoes that he couldn't complain about.

then yesterday - she came home with these:

yes, i know. rainbow sherbet tennis shoes! why does nike do this to me?? is DH trying to get me for making him go shopping? what have I done to anger the gods???

why me?? why me??

but, of course - when minime asked what i thought of them, i gave her a big smile and said: "My!! they certainly are colorful!" an answer she cheerfully took back to her dad as a big "thumbs up".

add to it - she's wearing a 4.5! those are big feet on such a little girl! but she loves them and wears them - constantly.

she's wearing them right now - pj's & tennis shoes. watching the little rascals. she's happy. so am i.

but i want to eat some sherbet...

mr poppers...

2008-07-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

yep, penguins.

we've been reading the book and this morning, we are off to see the play. it should be interesting.

everyone in our group will be dressing in white & black so that we all look like penguins. minime started looking for her outfit several days ago - and has had to put it on, if only for a few minutes, everyday. She's so excited about this monthly outing of her little book club.

as for me - i'd rather be home, getting ready for the expo...

update: although my brain is all abuzz with plans for the expo, we thoroughly enjoyed the play. seeing little kids dressed as penguins and tap dancing just lifts you up. KWIM?? hahahaha We also enjoyed lunch at a local eatery and watched the kids share their projects based on the book. 'officially' this is the end of our book club. it was only meant to go thru the summer - but it looks like everyone has enjoyed it so much that we are going to extend our run! i can't wait to explore more books with minime. we both enjoy them so...

the countdown is on...

2008-07-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

we are now at the point of counting the day - just DAYS - before the homeschool expo! i'm so excited i could burst!

I also have a ton of things to do to prepare. with two sessions to teach, there is much preparation going on. it's a little scary cause i just don't feel like i'm "ready". but then - what exactly is that? i think when you are a presenter, you don't feel ready until it's all over and there is no major disaster!

as i mentioned, i'm teaching two sessions. have i already mentioned what they are? hmmm, maybe i have - so i won't bore you all over again (and considering so many of you probably already know!) but i'll leave you with two obvious clues:

(hold your horses! we aren't witches or promoting such a thing! it's just for fun. afterall~ what kid wouldn't want a learning environment that's full of fun, fantasy and creativity?)

and for the second:

yeah, what could be better than a day of having fun AND learning at the same time!?!

it's exciting and terrifying at the same time. and in-between all of this - I have one day of pure play planned. hanging at the pool, hanging with friends and playing with mimime. oh, and maybe i'll check out some of the other sessions too! lol

so - wish me luck. i keep imagining the last session, and just falling flat on my face - with attendees walking out of the room. they won't do that - will they??

ok, back to making plans. and drinking wine...

passing down the favs...

2008-07-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

well, i finally managed...

i rented a set of 'the little rascals' shows. yep, these had been childhood favorites of mine. now stop - i'm not that old! i wasn't born when they were filmed or first shown! heck, even my mother wasn't yet around! nope. but, i was around when tom hatten used to host the 'family film festival' on channel 5 every saturday and sunday afternoon. i would wait for 3pm to roll around to see what wonderful old movie or show would come on. and, unless it was this, i was in front of the tv.

today, netflix delivered to my door - "the little rascals"!!

i wasn't sure if minime would enjoy them, but i had to try - without making too big a deal about them, for fear that it might then put her off. i put them into the dvd player and sat on the bed next to her. she LOVED them! yea!!! ok - i'm clearly overlooking the racist stereotypes of blacks. i know, but it also allows for lots of conversation about the same. i still can't resist cause the comedies are just (otherwise) so darned cute!

and just as i was putting her to bed, she *asked* if in the morning, we could watch more. of course....

and now - as my gift to you, "the little rascals" and "our gang"...

disney-addict?

2008-07-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

is it possible to be a disney-addict?

well, i *guess* it is. but I am NOT one of those. i'm not! i'm not! i'm not!

i just happen to go to disneyland alot. it's not my fault that i need to do "research" for my disneyschooling session that i'm teaching in just 2 weeks!

it's for my daughters education! and the education of hundreds of other homeschoolers that will find their way to that magical land. i HAVE to go to DL (that's what we *insiders* call it wink, wink).

so, yes. we went on friday. i mean - that ONLY made sense, seeing how we were going to be literally just blocks from it when we visited this museum. with gas at $5 a gallon, getting a full day out of the drive into OC was just being frugal. right?

todays visit was, well - necessary, too! you see, i *forgot* to pick up extra maps of the parks! no, not for me, you silly thing, but for the attendees at the session. i won't spill the beans here - but they'll need them! and i simply forgot to get them on friday. besides, i also needed to visit the disney outlet store in fullerton. and since i was SO close, and gas IS $5 per gallon, it just made sense to stop by DL (insider, me) to pick them up - and while we were there, visit House of the Future. again - that's me being "frugal".

so there you have it. i'm NOT an addict. i'm a frugal, frequent disneyland insider, fan.

and thats all!

tis the season...

2008-07-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

this time of year is our holiday season. no - we don't belong to some weird cult who celebrate the coming of all things robotic in july (no offense if there actually exists such a cult!). it's simply that we are now in birthday celebration mode!

yes, minime & I not only share a birth month, but down to a birth week. and in special years - it can be contained into a birth weekend (though we've never let that stop us from celebrating the course of the entire month!). today - we are in that sweet in-between day. my birthday was yesterday, her's is tomorrow.

we celebrated in sweet style yesterday. DH actually took me out to lunch - a rare treat indeed, seeing as his allergies do not allow him to partake of such goodies. i couldn't walk out without a piece of cheesecake (you know, to celebrate my birthday), so i'm afraid I did much damage to the 'diet', um - er, new eating lifestyle I'm adapting to. i tried my best to make up for it with that 30 minute walk (uphill, both ways) I took this morning.

tomorrow will find our day filled with friends and cupcakes. just the perfect party for the 8yo.

but today. today is a quiet day. normally we'd be off playing at our "hogwarts homeschool", but one of the student wizards, 'mini-belfry' woke up this morning quite sick. i hear Mde. Poppy Pomfrey has been contacted to help with healing potions. so minime and i have spent the day crocheting and watching a movie. we are to check on cupcake selections for tomorrow.

special note: to fill the "in-between" day, minime has filled it with the birthdays of others, unable to tell us of their *actual* birthdays. so to that I'd like to wish a Very Happy Birthday to: Snoball (our cocker spaniel), Nalu (our betta fish), and Anna (her American Girl doll).

And many happy returns...

ah, it's july.

and tonight, I get to hang with my special crafting mamas.

i do love july...

and today's activities include...

2008-07-05T09:22:00.001-07:00

i won't go on and on and on about it. But...

I'M GOING TO SEE WICKED TODAY!!

I'M GOING TO SEE WICKED TODAY!!

I'M GOING TO SEE WICKED TODAY!!

YAY, ME..

and a BIG "Thank You" to my buddy, Banana, for loving minime & me enough to buy tickets for our birthdays!
it's good to have friends...

szzzzzzzzz.......

2008-06-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

is that the sound of something grilling on the stove or barbeque?

nah, it's the sound of my skin as i walk outside! where did this heat come from??

i'm a summer gal. born in the summer, lover of all summer activities and foods. even still, it's june! what happened to the dreaded 'june gloom' we normally see this time of year? i'm used to still needing a light jacket this time of year and praying to the weather gods that by early july (when minime & i celebrate birthdays) we'll be getting nice and warm. notice, i said 'nice' and 'warm'. i never request a heatwave.

and yet, that's what we have. september weather. who ordered this?

i've yet to figure out a good way to stay cool in all of this. my house is tiny and filled to the brim. with gas approaching $5 per gallon, i don't want to drive anywhere unless needed. and with that, i don't want to spend any money that might take away from what i'll need to spend on gas! so we roast.

we did take some time yesterday to visit the getty museum in brentwood for their family festival. it was a nice day - but not one where spending time out on all the white (and reflective) marble was the best. but we got to hang with buddies (including belfry and her mini), so, being hot wasn't so bad. how we do like being with our friends!

i don't know what today has in store for us. i do know that i must prepare for hogwarts tomorrow. the kidlettes are all having problems learning to 'single stitch' in crochet. i need to research and see if i can find some diagrams to give them for practice.

i wonder if i can work on that while sitting in a tub of ice?

hmmm...

today is...

2008-06-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

* i'd LOVE to upload photos - or even clip art to show you - but blogger seems to have a bug and isn't letting me. i do hope your day will go on without worry over this!

my day to crop!!

since i disappeared and fell into the doors of disneyland on thursday - minime didn't get to have her regular playdate with her bestest girlfriend. i emailed the mom and asked if we could re-arrange for friday or saturday. saturday was chosen.

it wasn't until late that evening that i remembered that i'd been invited to a 'birthday crop' at my new favorite crop spot for saturday, as well. originally - when i got the invitation, i didn't think there was a chance in Haiti that i'd get to go. life is just too complicated right now.

but my chance arose. and i took it.

so i'll get a full 6 hours of crop time today. i haven't been able to do that all year.

dance recital photos - here i come!!

it's WEDNESDAY!!

2008-06-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

that means that i get a few hours of fun time with my mom friends. that means that i get to sit at a coffee place and craft, chat and drink coffe & tea. that means there are no kidlettes around. that means i don't have to stare at dishes, or find a quiet spot in my tiny house - away from all the bodies and talking and the laundry.

i'm thankful to have this group of mamas who listen, help, councel and just bitch along with me.

it's nice to be loved (and tolerated).

coming up...

2008-06-07T00:27:00.000-07:00

until the end of june - expect a post a day. i don't know that i'll have something to say - but it's my goal to get back into the habit of blogging.

good luck with that.... hahahahaha

camp-a-roo ers

2008-06-07T00:05:00.000-07:00

we went camping!!!

let's just say my first experience at it was much fun. it was terribly windy - but we couldn't give up the view of the water.

according to one park ranger - we caught the tail end of the "sundowner" winds. 30mph winds whipping thru your tent in the middle of the night is scary stuff. our tent made it thru with nary a scratch. but other families we were with didn't fair so well. many ended up moving their tents (and at least one - a couple of times) and half of our group left a day early, just unable to stand the winds any longer.

the kids had a blast - getting up early, having friends to play with first thing in the morning, the (very) nearby train that passed thru multiple times per day, and just generally being able to play from sun up to sundown, and beyond. i'd say that for most of them, the sight of dolphins, sea lions and even whales was just a thrilling experience that will be talked about for weeks to come.

the moms/dads really got to hang out and get to know each other or just reconnect. i did miss my daily political news fix (we were out there when obama finally clinched the nomination) but, strangely enough didn't otherwise miss the computer or television. i guess this would have been the time for me to learn how to use the 'mobile web' feature on my cell phone. but then again - i survived. i guess i can save the money.

i still haven't packed equipment away - it needs to get done soon. and it will. but i'm still tired!

our first camping trip was a great success. looking forward to others in the near future...

bad blogger lady...

2008-05-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

i've been away - far too long. all of my blogs have suffered.

wondering "what" blogs i'm referring to?

this one - enchanted musing
this one - Men are twelve
this one - paper2yarn

yep - all me & i've been neglecting them...

ok - so i have some excuses (always give more than one so in case any of them don't work - you have back up):

i've had a sinus infection, we've been crazy busy with homeschooling activities and then there is the death of my step-sons mother. after a 6 month battle, she succumbed to stomach cancer. life does indeed move one, even while in the midst of sadness all around.

I'm trying (hoping?) to be better about regularly blogging. but just so you know - this coming week will be busy too! i've got a craft fair coming up in just over a week, pictures to take for minime's upcoming recital, camping for 4 whole days (yes - me, camping!) and then a full day of rehersals followed by mini's actual ballet recital. the next two weeks are going to be CRAZY!

just warning ya...

inspirational speaking

2008-05-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

a few days ago, i was lucky enough to be involved in a humanitarian cause. the short story was that a group called HUB was helping a local family who, among other things, wanted to homeschool. the family was presented with scholarship funds, computers, toys, household goods and free passes to the homeschooling conference. it was a beautiful afternoon.

when i arrived to deliver my part of the surprise, there was a young man speaking. i'd never heard of him and i was only able to hear 15 minutes or so of his speech. but it was impactful. his name is kimmie weeks.

ugh....

2008-04-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

somehow - i'm not quite sure how - my child has a knack for picking up germies just when we've got a ton of plans.

today - we've got plans to go to santa barbara on the train in just a couple of days. so - she has somehow managed to contract pink eye. i think...

i say 'i think' because i've just made an appointment with her doctor's office so they can take a look at it. i say 'i think' because it's not nearly as bad as the last bout - just 2 short months ago, again, just days before a train trip.

with our last 'pink eye' visit to the doctor, i'm told that after the first 24 hours, it's rendered harmless (though ugly) and it is no longer transmittable. it is now 330pm - we arrive at the train station in the early hours of wednesday - i've no time to wait and see if her eye gets really red.

as it is - if it is pink eye - she'll have to miss both dance classes tomorrow. bad timing since both companies are preparing for spring recitals - worse timing because one of the recitals is in just about 2 more weeks! in addition - I hold the solo ticket for the train trip that will allow over 90 homeschoolers to travel! I need to be there. so, we head to the doctor's office, just to be sure.

wish me luck - and a quick visit.

on the other hand - it will provide for some uninterrupted crochet time.....

update: we saw the doctor and he wasn't really sure what it is. it half looks like allergy, half like infectious stuff. but it's only in one eye - so likely not allergy and there is no discharge, so doesn't think it bacterial, leaving it to be viral. the result is that there will be several warm compresses over the next couple of days - backed up with eye drops - just in case. we will make the train! whew

and i did take advantage of the crochet time! nothing finished - but much accomplished!

doing my civic duty...

2008-04-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

if you haven't heard - homeschooling has been under attack. not from martians (who might be easier to defend ourselves from) but from the California courts. there was a ruling in february that threw homeschooling into a tailspin. are we legal? (we are) are we all going to have to put our kids back into the school system? (we won't). it's been scary.

the decision in the case was vacated and a new hearing will take place in the not too distant future. this time, however, the court is also going to accept filings to be made by all of the state wide homeschool support groups giving information to the court about homeschooling.

in the meantime - Representative Anderson (R-77th) has written up legislation to support homeschoolers in the state. It's the job of homeschoolers to get the rest of the legislature on board with this. It's a group efffort.

I have the pleasure of contacting Representative Curren Price (D- 51st) to gain his support. He "seems" to be supportive - but hasn't yet followed up by actually jumping on the wagon. I'm working on him... but it's hard to convince them we aren't all conservative, Christian, Republican and white.

So, this helps explain my erratic posting schedule. I'm just busy. but, it's for a good cause...

with a song in her heart...

2008-04-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

when you are 7 years old and quite excited about something - how do you express it? you sing!
not once. not twice - but three times, minime has walked over to the calendar, then back over to my perch on the computer and started singing a little ditty she's made up, that goes something like this:

6 more days to the renaissance faire

heh, heh, hay!

she then breaks into something that's a combination of pop-lockin', crunk and the robot.

michael jackson and usher - watch out!

getting better...

2008-04-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

yep - i messed with it. but the header was just too big. quite an improvement - huh? it's surprising i had this much brain energy left after spending the last 90 minutes brushing hair.

oh, no - not mine. mind you, i cut my hair off to within an inch of my scalp many years ago. but minime has a head full of the stuff - and it's long. it's not just long, but it's thick AND curly AND long. well down her backside. the minute you comb through it, those curls go to work - and it's tangled. so i typically keep it in braids and only make attempts at coming near her with a brush once or twice a week. but it got away from me this weekend when we had many events to attend and no real time to work on hair. so i reverted to some of the 'gots to do the hair everyday' hair styles. she looked very cute - but boy - was it a pain having to plan that time out everyday. so it's monday nite and she has 8 fresh braids in her hair. i won't even think about it again until sunday - maybe.

in the meantime i'm planning out some paper stuff. found some REALLY cute items that i may be able to sell at the next 'dragonfly artisan' show. stay tuned - these are REALLY cute. i'm gearing up for paper to be back in full swing!

bear with me...

2008-04-11T23:04:00.000-07:00

i'm working on making some changes here and i'm moving slowly. reading html isn't my 'thing' and i'm working hard on figuring it out.

i know the header is big (and beautiful), and i'll get it fixed. i just need another day. but right now i'm getting WAY too sleepy to focus.

annoyed and happy...

2008-04-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

ok, it's just me - but i'm really annoyed with posting on my blogs right now. (and yes - i know i haven't posted here in quite a while. my bad) but i'm just having the most rotten luck. it seems i write up a really great post - and then for some reason, i lose it. the post i just wrote here about where i've been is gone. it's not bloggers fault (which is something i can't say for my other blog host), but it's nonetheless annoying.

so this will now be fairly short. cause i'm annoyed and i still have a hogwarts lesson plan to finish preparing for classes tomorrow (yep - i'm REALLY on top of things - huh?)

i'm just now getting back into the groove of sitting at the new paper home weekly. it usually takes me one full visit of dragging all of my stuff there and doing nothing before i get going. it's taken me just a bit longer this time, but i'm moving. i realized that part of my issue is that i haven't really had time to organize my photos on the computer - so i've not printed anything for a while and therefore the things i'm working on in my scrapbook are out of order too. but last week i started working on cards (no photos yet - soon) and i felt like i was getting my paper mojo back! stay tuned...

on another note - i'm crocheting alot. once i can get my posts to actually show up on paper2yarn - i'll have lots there to share!

and finally - i wanted to share some photos. oddsoxx made these and has been asking for photos for a while. aren't they just darling?! she's also the newest member of 'dragonfly artisans'!! yay. her talent is amazing and we are so glad to have her along.

ok, that's it. have a WONDERFUL weekend. i'll be back soon. less annoyed. promise...

I'm baaaacccckkkk...

2008-03-15T21:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, first - just let me get this out...

YAY!!!!!!!

my crop spot has FINALLY opened! whoo hoo!! yes, Sonja held her special VIP Grand Opening of "Sonja's Scrapbook Spot" on Friday. It's a fun and wonderful place to visit. So light, full of energy and lots of walk by traffic. It is a really good location. I'm so proud of her for putting this all together in just about 2 months. 2 MONTHS!! can you believe it?? ok - now wait - I know you want photos, and I have them! sadly, I was too excited (and tired from our long day) to take pictures at the VIP event. but, i revisited today and had crop time - though i cropped very little - so i took the opportunity to grab a few shots of my new home away from home!

the "color" spot

ok, so NOW i'm once again happy that I have my crop space open. it's such a wonderful location.

now - i did manage to work on designs for a couple of easter cards - albeit too late to really send out, but i'll get photos of those up tomorrow. i need better lighting that can be found at 930pm.

so for now, g'night...

on a break...

2008-03-03T11:58:00.000-08:00

it's temporary - I promise!

but right now all of my paper crafting is at a stand still. things in my very tiny house are not yet moved around enough that i have actual stamping and paper room. my newest craft spot hasn't yet opened (but I'm counting the days), so for now i play with yarn.

as you know - i have another blog that i'm devoting to things paper & yarn (although, for the time being - yarn is winning) and even more (like i keep running into the most scrumptous baking blogs - I can't resist sharing them!).

so please bookmark paper2yarn and visit me over there while enchanted musing is on a short vacation.

thing a day - all done

2008-02-29T19:40:00.000-08:00

ok, so technically i'm a day short of what "thing a day" was supposed to be. ok, i 'technically' didn't post a thing a day either. blah, blah, blah. i tried - and isn't that worth something? nonetheless - it's done. no more "thing a day" please don't cry, i've something to soothe those tears...

do you notice anything different? ah, if you look along the left side - you see no more of my favorite "needle and yarn" links. why, you ask? no worries, i wouldn't leave you without explanation. and here it is. i've started another blog. paper2yarn yet another question? yes, i know - why?

well, let me first assure you that enchanted musing is not going away. but it will focus more on my paper crafting and business adventure with paper. paper2yarn will be about my ever expanding venture into other types of crafting - crochet, knit(?), sewing (gasp!) , felting (huh??), painting, drawing, grand sculptures - oh, sorry, i started hallucinating. i'll really just be talking about paper and yarn stuff and my adventures thru that.

but don't worry - i've no intention of abandoning you. i will still post here, with a certain regularity. but now, you will have two places to look at me and see all of who i am. and am not.

thing a day - day23

2008-02-25T16:49:00.000-08:00

of pestilence and yarn...

yes, there is more pestilence here. sigh. i thought we were done after the strange fever bout last week. but it rears it's ugly head yet again. this time - pink eye.

i can only imagine it was scooped up and deposited during a birthday party this past weekend at one of those mini-golf places. a rainy saturday afternoon, the arcade (it was rainy - who plays golf in the rain?) filled with snotty, pestilence ridden children. we stayed but for a short time. actually, i wouldn't have gone but for the 30+ years long friend for whose daughter it was being held. and this was our thanks. sigh.

a trip to the doctor this morning garnered eye drops for minime. she doesn't want them, but also doesn't want to miss our long planned train trip this coming wednesday. doc tells us that once treatment is started, contagiousness is contained in just 24hours. whew. that was a close one.

but on to the happiness that is yarn. i've still got projects i'm working on - photos to come, but until then, here are this weeks "Crafty Picks":

What NOT to Crochet - ok, admit it - you've seen some DARN ugly things out there! They've just got the guts to say what we haven't.

BitterSweet - not only does she come up with some great projects - crochet, felt, sewing, knitting - but she talks FOOD. what a great life!

Craft Tutorials - there's a little of everything on here. amigurumi crochet, paper crafting, beads - you name it, they've got some of it.

Yarns and Musings - I'm just checking her out - but I love her crocheted and fulled purse. still looking...

no 'thing' today...

2008-02-21T18:55:00.000-08:00

nope, can't do it.

wait, um - nope, can't do it.

i know you sit there, panting with worry - wondering why. WHY??

eh, cause i'm feeling cranky.

i've been house bound for two days and am faced with the very real probablility of it being three. perstilence has moved into my home.

i came home from having very serious dental work done on tuesday. yes, a root canal AND they had to drill down into bone so the crown will sit properly. (Please, no lectures about visiting the dentist - I know just how long it had been). I drove home in pain expecting child to be at dance class #2. instead, when i arrived home, child was in bed, fast asleep. it was 6pm. that's NOT a good sign! her dad reported that she'd been asleep since arriving home about 230pm. she was hot. sigh...

so its been two days of keeping her cool, happy, and low key (the easiest part) and keeping me from wishing they'd just pulled the tooth out (no, seriously - I'm happy to have what part of the tooth is left). i'm not a huge fan of pharms, but right now "they're a good thing".

i've been crocheting up a storm, actually. what else can i do right now?? but minime is ever watchful on what i'm doing. she knows its for her but, doesn't know what it is. amigurumi bunny is finished - but in pieces. waldorf chicken is finished, but not yet sewn together and stuffed. my plan is to make mini chickens, but they'll be yellow - you know - baby chicks. i don't know what other creature i will try out - but i do want to do a few more. looks like i will have the time. our 'school-y' activities have mostly been cancelled this week - everyone is sick. and now we are in for several days of rain. i haven't a huge stock of yarn, but whatever i do have will soon be turned into "stuff".

stay tuned for photos. i'm excited about what i've accomplished and i really do want to share!

but first, i must stop being cranky...

thing a day - day 17

2008-02-18T11:35:00.000-08:00

monday musings...

last night was a doozy. toothache. i brushed my teeth, water-picked them even. and 1/2 hour later i wanted to reach in and pull my teeth out. this went on for a few hours before it calmed enough for me to actually sleep. i have an appointment for the dentist on tuesday. hopefuly it won't flame up again before then. but being up so late did allow for me to work on...

amigurumi bunny! because - well, i'm now obessessed with crocheting. its just so nice to keep my hands busy and it not matter where i am. but i've also become obssessed with some more crafting sites. here are this week's favorites...

homemade by jill - not only does she like martha stewart - but she follows up on making the projects! gotta love that! and she's crocheter. perfect.

a mano yarn center - funky , hip yarn people. it's clearly what i've been craving. don't get me wrong, i've got my crafty moms that i hang with (and their is no replacement for them) but this place is something i wouldn't have imagined existed just a few years ago. i want to hang out with them too!

Lion Brand Yarn it's not funky or hip - but it's got clear, basic directions for any crochet (and i would imagine, knitting) question you've got. it's become my home base for ALL my project problems.

thing a day - day 15

2008-02-16T21:50:00.000-08:00

i'm ignorning the fact that it's been several days since i've posted. you see, it goes like this. i have 1 (just one) computer that i'm "allowed" to upload photos to. the other computer is hubby's laptop that normally lives at work with him but since he's been home 3 months - has taken up temporary residence in my "dining" area. but hubby loves to hog this computer. so i upload when i can sneak on here. when i have no photos, it's really not as much fun to post. i mean - i know you just LOVE to read all of my musings (heehee, i crack me up) but, photos makes it all fun.

on to the photos...

I completed a crochet project! whoo hooo! i haven't crocheted in many years. not only did i finish, but it was a pattern that i had to read and everything! that's a big deal for me. i grew up knowing how to make granny squares, and that's about it. but if i was going to crochet again, i wanted VERY cool things to crochet. well, i think my little craft basket is VERY cool, indeed! YEA Me!!

ok, second thing. i told you about the little scarf i knifty knitted minime for valentine's day. well here it is...

she wore it all around the house on valentine's day. over and over again she thanks me for making her the most beautiful scarf EVER. i do love my little mini. her appreciation for even the smallest of all things i do for her out weighs anything else. and i do for her all i can because of it.

next project you ask? well, i've got several things on the horizon. i've promised minime her own set of waldorf chickens. but you see - i don't knit. so i'm going to fashion making them with crochet. stay tuned for that! lol

i'm also going to attempt to make her a - wait for it - amigurumi bunny. WHAT is that you ask. well, heck, i just gave you a link. you'll have to look yourself - cause i honestly don't really know - but i'm going to make it! ok, what i do know is that amigurumi animals are made "in the round". ok - there my expertise stops. past that is beyond me.

basically - i figure that by easter - she'll have a whole host of crocheted animals!

and finally - i need to seriously work toward getting my crafting area set up, that means getting minime's bedroom in order first. i've received opportunities to place my paper crafts in stores, so that means inventory! i have to get back to my beloved paper.

so i guess that even though i haven't posted in 3 days - i've accomplished at least 3 days worth of stuff. ha!

thing a day - day 15 (ok, 13-15)- check

thing a day -day 13

2008-02-14T09:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!

oh, thing a day - i have not forgotten you! i sit here on happy heart day very happy. my dearest brought red, american beauty roses into my abode. yes, flowers for valentine's. it's a once every 5-10 year event, but when it happens, well - i love it.

child received a quickly knifty knitted scarf from mom. yes, i got the idea from belfry. but it was given from my heart. and she loves it. i'd been promising her one, and that got me off my duff to get it done. i put aside my basket and while she went off for a swim with dad - i worked furiously to get it done. luckily, she woke up at 630 this morning, and by the time we finished washing & braiding hair, she was begging to go to bed. so i had 3 full hours to focus on it. i think that's the fastest i've finished any project - ever!

i've got website duties this morning, then i will take child for her weekly playdate. i may sneek off to the movies - or i may just sit and finish work on my basket. it's a dreary, cold, rainy valentine's day, so i'm going to just find a warm spot and enjoy the day...

pictures to come later tonight...

thing a day - day 10 SCORE

2008-02-11T22:03:00.000-08:00

ha! told you i'd be back with something to post for today!

isn't it lovely? no! not the pony, the sleeping child. yes, that was today's goal. ok - so that doesn't sound like a 'thing to do'. but- oh! it is! you see, last night - this sleeping beauty looked like this...

including all the green goo. yep - it was awful. i'm chalking it up to being overtired and not that she really truly needed an exorcism. but last night, i really had to think about it.

so today's 'thing a day' was to get child into bed at a decent hour. and i did. i had to start 3 hours earlier - but we did it and she went to bed the happy and sweet child i've always had. there are those that doubt my rendition of events last night - but i tell you - that above is an actual photo!

thing a day - day 10. child to bed at decent hour. SCORE

thing a day - day 10 & insanity...

2008-02-11T08:29:00.000-08:00

i'm here. i know, it's been nearly a week since i last posted. thing a day - what happened to it? um, well...

ok - first off let me just say that i'm still in this! i'm not folding. i'm not giving in. i can do this - but there will be one less week of it. i must beg your pardon - last week was just insanely busy. we were off and out every morning - early days. i was doing good just to walk upright and speak with a reasonable degree of clarity, though there may be a few who might question this.

i have projects that i'm working on. my crochet is coming along. actually - it's right back where i left off when i was 10 - and decided that crocheting was no longer "cool". i've even recently learned a new stitch! what i must hone my skills on, however - is reading patterns! i started this very cute flapper hat. but ah, something went awry! i'm 10 rows into the hat and it looks nothing like a hat - but rather a realy fluffy doilie. sigh. clearly i've missed something!

photos you say? isn't it enough that i bare my soul to you and admit my defeat, albeit, temporary? isn't that enough of an insult? sigh, yes, there are photos and will share them someday. i will. but i must redeem myself first with another project passed onto me by belfry. a basket! it's the cutest thing and i will attempt to not ruin it too. stay tuned...

i must also announce that though i lost my beloved paper playing location - there is something new on the horizon! i'm excited. i can't wait - but alas, you will have to until i learn more details. just bare with me...

somy apologies for being so long gone. but i am back - rested and now ready to persue my 'thing a day' from here on out. today's "thing" has already been chosen and i promise to post a picture tonight! but as for why i was absent - i can only plead insanity...

thing a day - day 4...

2008-02-05T16:10:00.000-08:00

oh, so much accomplished to day! where to start - where to start??

first off, let me just say that tuesdays are what i usually term "terrible tuesdays" - dance classes (yes, plural), park time with friends, and generally - just mommy getting mini from one place to another with all of the required equipment, meals and snacks. we arrive home just in time for bath, dinner and bed. it's a busy day for us and i'm no better at it this year than i was last - but i'm more accomplished at having busy work for me to do as i wait during classes.

as you can see from the photo - much was accomplished today!

i'll start with the black shadow in the photo - it's a hat! yes, i knifty knitted a hat! after finishing off the scarf a few weeks ago - i just had to make a hat to go with. i don't really like all 'matchy matchy' , so i went with a black chenille. yummy. i finished the last few rows while at a theatreworks production of "the midnight ride of paul revere" (told you our tuesdays are busy! we arrived there at 9am, then off to lunch and dance class #1). it's a bit longer in the top than i'd planned, but heck - i did it. i'll take it! thing a day - day 4, accomplishment #1, hat

secondly - i picked up my crochet needle. i haven't crocheted regularly since i was mini's age. yes, that many years ago! but finishing the hat and scarf have me determined that i can go back to it. there are SO many more cool blogs and books on the market with patterned things to make that it's not just granny squares, shawls and afgahns anymore! i don't know what i'm making yet - i'm just trying to refamiliarize myself with some of the terminology and skills. i'm thinking that this particular thing might end up on some of mini's dolls. thing a day - day 4, accomplishment #2, crochet beginning

finally - and MOST importantly - I VOTED! see, i even used capital letters for that!
this election is one that i never thought i'd see in my lifetime. there is an honest and real chance that our next president could either be a woman or a black man. that's absolutely HUGE!!
i took mini with me to the polls, i always do, but this year i made more of a point on discussing just why this election is so important. there are still many years for her to realize that blacks have only had the right to vote for about 40 years, and that woman have only had the right 80 years. yes, the 15th amendment said otherwise for blacks, but had it not been for the voting rights act of 1965, the systemized disinfranchisement would still be going on.

we chatted about it. she helped cast my vote.

i think about those people i have know who are not here to witness today. i tear up, knowing they never got to see this. i think of my beloved grandma who grew up in rural indiana. who never got to sit in a restaurant until she moved to california - in her 40's. oh, how i wish she were here. but i am, and i am so proud that two such strong and accomplished people now knock on the door to the white house. heehee, maybe we should call it the brown house or the pink house now!

just kidding (sort of).

thing a day - day 4, accomplished My Vote.

check

thing a day - day 3

2008-02-04T17:50:00.000-08:00

whoo hoo! i've accomplished today's thing. hannah montana movie. sigh...

let me first say the the ticket prices for this movie (it's a MOVIE) are outrageous! $20 per person is much closer to what i expect to pay for a live concert (ok, so its been many, many years since i've been to a concert. blech). yes, you get "cool" 3-D glasses, but still - $20?

but once it was promised, i wanted to carry through - and so i did...

ok, 2nd - let me explain that i didn't intend to like the movie. i took my knitting with me. my intentions were clear.

but like it i did. that little girl has charisma. there is no denying it. the songs were relatively age appropriate. ok, i, like generations of parents before me wonders what a 15 year old knows about "love" - but still - it wasn't over the top or precocious. her costumes were tastefully age true - jeans, t-shirts, cute little skirts over leggings. i'm good with all of that. it's all blinged out and a little bright - but she's on stage, she's supposed to be blinged out...

there was even one song when me and my mom-cohort decided to "rock out" much to the embarrassment of our 7 year olds. a priceless moment when they looked at both of us and wondered what was wrong with us! they survived that moment because the theatre was blessedly empty. yes, homeschooling allowed us to go see the most popular movie in america with only 1 other family. a semi-private screening. whoo hoo...

the only down thing to the screening was that as the movie started, the film was out of sync with the sound. after 15 minutes i could no longer stand having my $40 movie drive me crazy. i had to complain - and they listened. not only did they instantly fix the movie - but we received free return passes for any movie of our choosing! ok, NOW i feel like i got my $40 worth!

so - thing a day, day 3 - Hannah Montana / Mylie Cyrus movie - done, check

thing a day - day 2...

2008-02-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

uh, oh!! i forgot to post. uh - i forgot to "do" something - that i did yesterday!

i did stuff. really!! I did!

yesterday i came home from hogwarts school to hubby clearing out the 'back room'. well, we call it the 'back room', but actually, it's just the 'other bedroom'. in our teensy, tiny house, it's the room that should be mini's bedroom. but we've always used it for computer stuff and as the catch all in a house too small. well, mini needs her own space - and this is the only space left.

i won't bore you with all that went on upon my arrival. but he continued to work on the room - alone - and i attacked the bedroom. it's all pretty now! ok, maybe 'pretty' is a bit optimistic - but it's better organized now. i even cleaned thru one of my clothes drawers! 1 down - 4 to go.

i even took on making a 2-d drawing of an item in a book. uh - ok - technically, the item that i drew it from was 2-d as well, since it's in a book - but work with me here - you & know what i meant! LOL soon as i can find the camera - i'll share it with you. i haven't really tried to draw in many years, so it's very basic. but mini loved it - so i'll continue to play with the design and see where it goes...

thing a day - day 2 - clean bedroom - check

thing a day - day 1

2008-02-02T20:35:00.000-08:00

ah - so here goes. the "thing a day" challange has forced me to set a goal and get *something* anything accomplished.

today was a hard day to start. but start i did. i dropped mini-me off to a playdate and i had some time - all by myself! yay!! that doesn't happen for a homeschooling mama very often. i initially wanted to come home and spend time clearing the disaster that is my home. but hubby is STILL off from work - so it sort of feels useless to do such a thing. i mean - if i do it - he'll undo it soon after. so i put the time to otherwise good use. i had *ME* time!

lunch while i read a book, then a movie while i - initially - knitted, then soundly slept through about 1/2 of it. was it good? it had it's funny moments, but with the busy-ness of the last 2 days - nothing was going to keep me awake. i'm glad i didn't go to see a movie i would have been really upset to have slept through!

so - day one was accomplished!! "thing a day" = *me* time. check...

thing a day...

2008-02-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

so a friend told me about a site where you post something that you do everyday. it can be a craft, a list - just anything. i guess the goal being to set a goal and accomplish it every day. i need this. of course, the minute she told me about the site while at the park with our lil'dancers, i forgot the name of the site. but, she pulled thru and sent me the link. i won't complain that i didn't actually see the email until after the deadline to register. i guess that somehow "technically" falls under the realm of it being my fault. blech. whatever...

the site you ask? it's here. i'm intrigued with the concept. *i* want to be a part of it! don't they know it's ME??? what's up with shutting down the registration before *i* have signed on? sigh...

so i've enlisted my crafty clan to do the same thing - but better! why will ours be better? well, because its US. soap, belfry and me. dragonfly artisans. anything they can do, we can do better. hahaha

and i'm off. i don't know what i will accomplish today. my brain is still recovering from the "2nd Annual (Un)Official Homeschool day" it was 2 full (and might i add - early morning) days for us. Y.E.S. classes, character breakfast, official photos, sing-a-long on the Columbia and rides, rides, rides. i'm tired. but i'm determined to do a "thing a day" today.

stay posted... a photo of todays accomplishment will be posted here - tonight.

so proud...

2008-01-30T15:57:00.000-08:00

ok - first, as promised!! ta-da!!! here is my first EVER knitted ANYTHING! yes, i used a loom - but that's knitting too, right? now on to my hat...

next - here are the cards that I made a couple of weeks ago, long before it was announced that my favorite cropping spot was shutting down on me:

this is much like one i posted before. different papers and a little closer to the penny rug it's originally based on...

tic tac toe anyone???

and finally...

what i'm MOST proud of today. minime managed to get thru a dentist appointment! Yay! you see, last year when we did it, it was an hour of trying to get her to open her mouth for the 7 minute cleaning. this time, it only took about 3 minutes and AND, she then let them go back in and put a sealant on one (JUST one) of her permanent molars. the other must wait 6 months for the next appointment. two others may require additional work. x-rays will reveal just *what* at that next appointment. but otherwise, mr dentist assured me that her teeth are otherwise in very good condition.

i must also brooch the subject of spacer retainers to her dad. considering we just made insurance decisions and can't change until october - he will NOT be happy. sigh...

where will i go? what shall i do?...

2008-01-28T20:09:00.000-08:00

ah, yes - you've heard it before. but where?? no - not from that movie. no, most likely you heard me screaming this upon my return from our mini-vacation last week. it's just not right to return from a few days in the sun & snow - to news that your "home away from home" will no longer be.yes, they are closing. the blasted lease on their location doubled (doubled!) and they decided instead to simply close their doors. my thursday nights of nothing but paper - are over. sigh...

the good news is (well, for we customers, you know) is that everything is on sale - fixtures included and belfry was able to snag some wood chairs for but a mere pitance of a price. i won't brag about the stamps & paper I found at but 1/2 the price. there are still tears in my eyes for losing my favorite thursday nite spot - but i'm good with the whole discount thing too!

farewell, crop circle...

I did it...

2008-01-27T21:13:00.000-08:00

well, i tried to show you a picture of my very first ever *knitted scarf*!!!but the gremlins running around in my computer have apparently decided that enough is enough. all of the grinning and bragging (to myself, of course) that i've been doing about finishing this 1 year old project and actually figuring out how to get it off the loom without unraveling - was simply too much for them to bear. i'm so sorry. no picture to gloat over. no photo for you to praise me as being the world's best knitter EVER. i'm so sorry - try not to let it ruin your day.

but... i can show you this and this and finally, THIS!!

oops, sorry - that last one was just for me.

Well, if you took a good look at the finished projects - my scarf is a varigrated grey, soft and perfect. i promise to post a pic when the gremlins are sleeping and not paying attention to what i'm doing.

but for now...

change of plans...

2008-01-19T14:45:00.000-08:00

yuk...

my day isn't going as planned. cleaning, organizing was what i was to do today. i enjoyed 2 days of crafting - 1st on cards. the second evening was to be spent on scrapbooking. i am woefully behind on my albums and i do miss them so i had 6 blissful hours with other adults - scrapbooking. but i came home to pestilence. i guess i had to pay.

as i arrived home and closed the front door, i heard the shower running. it was almost mid-night, so i figured my recovering hubby (from assumed food poisoning) was in the shower. i walked into the bedroom where child would be fast asleep. as i walked past the bathroom, the odor of bleach filled my senses - but, why? i didn't stop to worry about that for long - as i wanted most to reach my darling little girl, whom i promised to wake-up and kiss when i returned home.

as i bent over to kiss her little cheek, she turned over to give me a hug. i was surprised. she was clearly awake but not trying to fake having been asleep. it was all very matter of fact. i thought this was odd - even for my dear husband who never acknowledges "bedtime" - for her to be awake at this hour. i chose not to ring the alarm, but decided it was better just to soothe her and send her back to sleep. ah, but that was not to be.

2 minutes later - child is on her hands and knees - spewing what need not be described. ew! i'll spare you the details of the additional 2 events that took place after midnight - but, i'll just say the the word of the night was, yes - YUK

so, here i sit. on the computer. child is on the couch - sleeping peacefully for the time being. all spewing of otherworldly matter has ceased. i'm allowed about 15 minutes at a time away from her before she begins her search. when she finds me, i am returned to the sofa where she plants herself upon my lap. then i am caught.

i would like nothing other than to take photos of my latest cards and deliver them to you - online. but that must wait. what was beleived to have been hubby's food poisoning has spread to child and i must work hard for it NOT to spread to me!

i sense i'm about to be found out. back to the couch i go...

oh, and...

2008-01-11T17:36:00.000-08:00

and this card...

is based on this penny rug design that a friend is making....

valentines...

2008-01-11T16:48:00.001-08:00

ok, so i'm a little early. you see - i'm making up for the fact that i never got around to holiday cards. i do mean christmas and new year holidays, you do understand. so i'm trying to be all prepared and everything and get started. these i made last night. i played with some of my stamps and new colored pencils and markers. i have no idea what the next set will look like - just stay tuned...

ooh...

2008-01-09T09:04:00.000-08:00

ok, just a short post this morning to get me rolling.

last night i got to have mama's night out. it was our monthly book group meeting. we read classics - over50 years old, thank you - and last night was our time to pick books for the upcoming year. i won't list out everything, but a couple of my choices did make the list!

fanny hill- i keep hearing this book referenced in old movies. if they were talking about it then, it is time for me to know wht they're talking about!

daisy miller - i've only recently discovered this title. but it goes well with miss fannie hill - don't you think?

madame bovary - heehee, are you seeing a trend here in theme?

lady chatterley's lover - ok, surely you see where we are going now...

ok, that's it for me right now. i've much to do today. please take a peek at our books - and maybe join in our reading adventures!

i'm off to craft!

a few of my favorite things...

2008-01-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

well, i'm tired of griping about that male person in my house. (i do love him - i just really want him to go back to work - yesterday!) and i've not gotten to do any crafting because i can't seem to get things around here organized the way i want (refer back to statement about hubby STILL being at home - all the time - for the reason why). I have no photos of the things i've been up to because our computer is low on space and while he is certain it's all my photos using up space - i'm equally as sure it's the CAM & CAD programs he's installed, and not used in over 2 yers - that's taking up needed space. so i'm not uploading pics right now. they all sit in my camera, unhappily. Ok, so i wasn't quite finished griping. i think i'm done now.

but it's given me lots of time to peruse blogs. i'm new to all of this, so i'm always looking for inspiration. here are the ones i'm simply addicted to:

Paperlicious - LOVE her! her posts are funny & irreverent. her work is beautiful. i'm there everyday, waiting like a little puppy who wants a head scratch. when will she post again??

Angry Chicken - OMG! her crafts just make me drool. i want to do everything she is doing, NOW! no - Yesterday!

PoppyTalk - I've just discovered her - really liking it so far...

A Little Hut - another newbie to my list. Check out the tinker toy tree and the chalk lamp. Fun!

and finally - I can't leave out my two crafty mamas with whom i share much time and energy. they are the ones that have gotten me off my duff and moved my crafting along...

kats in the belfry and Shenanigans. Nothing more to say - but they are my buds and their blogs are fierce.

i'm off to enjoy being at home today. well, i have many things here to do - including washing mini-me's hair (it's a 2 hour job). please visit a few of my favorite blogs. i'm sure you'll love them just as much as i do!

Into the New Year...

2008-01-02T20:12:00.000-08:00

and we start.

first off, please forgive me for my lack of "capitalization". i'm tired of it. i don't feel like hitting the "shift" key that often (and yet - i just did it several times to tell you that!). anyway - at any moment i may drift back and forth between proper typing and just typing. you can still read it - so get over it. ha!

i spent a nice day with belfry and soap. this kidlettes hadn't had much time together most of the holiday period - they needed to re-connect, as did the mamas. and it was delightful. i also had the chance to talk out some issues going on that i needed to voice - and make sure i wasn't sounding 'looney' for thinking. i thank belfry & soap for hearing me out. now i can look for a solution.

it also made me come to a great conclusion about my crafting. I need a space! (ok - so i already knew that & said so, yeah-yeah) i must create a space. man-child has let me know that we will not be returning to the land of 'home of 2 computers'. so, that means that the computer that was to live in my bedroom - will not exist. ok then, fine. (yes, i pout, too!) that space will now be dedicated to my crafting. (insert evil laugh)

think he'll mind?? i'm sure we can find someplace to put the bed! heehee

Caught...

2008-01-01T18:16:00.000-08:00

belfry (still looking for a "good" name for her) posted that I said I "never start a new year with a messy home". Well, I must confess that 2008 started with, yes - a messy home.

I proudly say that it wasn't nearly as messy as it could be. Or even nearly as messy as it had been earlier in the day. You see - I tried! My mother instilled in me - many years ago - that you should always start the new year with a clean home. Alas, "the way your home is when the New Year starts, is the way it will stay throughout the year". sigh...

Well, my house has been a disaster zone much of the year (tells you a little about the start of 2007, huh?). So, I belatedly decided that I must get some control for 2008. I also went back to some of the principles of FlyLady. My house motto: Progress, not perfection. And that's what my house had when I rang in the New Year - Progress.

I'm still aiming for that "clean house" for 2009 - but for now, I'm getting there "15 minutes at a time".

Starting anew...

2008-01-01T17:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I trust that everyone (that means you) made it through the new year? Yes, of course you did dear, or you wouldn't be here reading this! Enough said.

Today has been slow, I've managed to cook my first (and if I work it properly - my last) meal of the year. You see - I LOVE to eat, but I hate cooking. Yet, I'm in a household that requires just that due to allergies. I won't bore you with details, just know that blasted allergies have made me hate cooking even more!

So, on to the new year. My goal (aside from the annual get organized, lose weight thing): I'm going to find a semi-permanent location for my crafting! Dang blasted! I LOVE my crafting and setting it up, tearing it down, or having to transport it to another location just doesn't allow me to craft freely. So - somewhere in this 600 square feet of house that I'm forced to share with mini-me & man-child - I WILL FIND MY SPACE.

Ok, so this isn't an actual photo of my house. But, trust me, it's not that far off. You see, our door opens from the side, not the front.

Happy New Year...

2007-12-31T20:09:00.000-08:00

Oh, it's been a while. I've been here. So busy - so blasted busy.

I just wanted to pop in and say a Happy New Year to you all. I wish you well for the upcoming year. I wish for peace in the world, I wish for all your dreams to come true.

I wish my husband would "fix" his back and GO back to work.

Enjoy your holiday!

Special...

2007-12-16T18:10:00.000-08:00

Guess what? I had a "Special Order"!!!! Oh, yeah - I told you that last week. Well, I'm telling you again!

But this time I have photos...

Next - I've still have some journals for sale. The dance studio that mini-me dances at has agreed to display them in their boutique!! Hmm, wouldn't it be nice to sell enough journals to pay for the dance lessons???

Oh!! Ooh! I didn't tell you - I've been asked to give a session at our Homeschool Conference next August!! I'm so excited - and it's on a topic that I really love! But I won't spoil it all - you'll have to wait to find out what I'll be talking about!

So, that's it for now. I must pack up for the mini-vacation we are taking in 'sin city'. Let's see if "what happens in Vegas" really does stay "in Vegas". hee hee

Recovery...

2007-12-09T23:10:00.000-08:00

Whew! We did it. Our first craft fair! YAY!!!!! Who is "we" you might wonder? Well, without giving away *real* names - I'll use those thought up by one of my crafty co-horts. *We* are "Dragonfly Artisans" and that consists of "soap", "paper" and, well - she's never given a pseudonym to herself - so I shall call her "the bag lady" until she comes up with better. heehee.

My main concern for the day was seeing my "Enchanted Musing" business get off to a start. I made a number of sales, not as many as I hoped, but it was a special crowd, and a small one. But good sales nonetheless! I learned alot about what 'that' crowd looks for and went away with lots of inspiration for what to do next. The best thing about the day for me (aside from hanging with my craft buddies "The Dragonfly Artisans" and their mini versions) was that I scored a "special order" for some of my tags (my FAVORITE tags!). The order has already come in and I will start on them ASAP. Yay me!! This is an early version of the design. I'll try to get better pictures as I make more.

Other than that - it's time to get life back to normal. Or whatever THAT is! LOL. It's always subject to interpretation for homeschoolers. This week, things look slow. Well, I take that day-by-day. Mini-me has complained about the lack of time she's gotten from me. She has been gypped lately. Time to make that up. We have many activities from her countdown book that we've yet to complete - so those things will get done. We did a bit of 'time-sharing' today by cooking up a batch of 'organic peppermint chocolate bars' and making marble magnets for some of her friends. Tomorrow *may* be spent working on applesauce/cinnamon ornaments. We will see. There is also a "Borrowers" house to work on, our fairy houses for Hogwarts school to complete and a myriad of other unfinished projects that need attending. I would also like to have a clean house so that it's ready for the Christmas tree. Ok - I'll just shoot for a clean space for it.

And then there's the laundry. There is ALWAYS the laundry...

But for now, I'm back to stamping, stickling and aging tags. And I'm happy to be doing so!

24 Days Until Christmas...

2007-12-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

Ok,

So child received her "Countdown" booklet today. She LOVED it ("You're the BEST scrapbooker in the WHOLE world, Mommy!!). And today's activity is to set up the menorah. We try to celebrate all the fall/winter holidays that we can. So we must go dig out our boxes for the holidays and get things moving. But first we had to head out for our Saturday classes. That did not turn out well...

I picked up our "Hogwarts" buddies (yes, Saturday school consist of HP related classes for science and beyond). We leisurely drove ourselves over to the Nat'l History Museum, only to be confronted with MILLIONS of red/gold decorated USC fans and a smattering of gold/blue UCLA fans. Yes - today is the BIG game at the Colosium and parking was at a premium. Our other Hogwarts buddies who had to travel a further distance, got stuck on the freeway in all the USC/UCLA traffic. We all turned around and went home. Well, sort of home. There was a small detour to a nice place for lunch first. But home we are now. We will make up classes another time.

I'm off to work on making journals. I'm SO far behind.. 1 week to Faire.

It's Finished...

2007-11-30T19:06:00.000-08:00

I FINALLY finished mini-me's "Countdown" booklet!

I'm very excited about it. I've been dragging on doing it, but now that it's done, I'm very excited and can't wait for her to see it - tomorrow.

It's nearly impossible to photograph at a good angle - but here it is! Each pocket has a decorated tag in it for each day of December - leading up to Christmas.

I'll try to post our activities every day. Wish me luck! LOL

at it again...

2007-11-26T19:25:00.000-08:00

Yes, this page looks different - AGAIN. I can't help myself. When I don't feel settled with something I change it until I'm happy.

So far - I like this.

Check back tomorrow to see what I think then...

Bad Mommy...

2007-11-26T09:12:00.000-08:00

Well - I started off honestly enough. I mean, I meant well. I started work on mini-me's "Count-down" booklet for the holiday season. Tags in pockets, festively decorated, holiday activities on the backside. The pockets were done, so I began decorating the tags. Oh, man - were they pretty!! I was seated at my favorite scrapbooking store, so there were lots of crafters (ok - just one other. work with me here!) who were enthusiastically watching me work. They began asking about the price of the tags. Sell the tags??!!! NO!! These are for my precious, sweet mini-me who asks for so little, yet deserves so much. For my sweet girl who loves when mommy makes things for her. For that child that gushes with delight any time she receives any gift - small or large. Sell them? I think not! They've been designed just for HER. With HER in mind. With the wonder of what Christmas is for for HER. SELL THEM???

Um...

Ok - What's a good price?

Happy child. Happy Day...

2007-11-22T09:57:00.000-08:00

Mini-me has been asking for her own journal for a week. She(I) wants to keep a running list of ALL the things she see's in the stores that she wants this holiday. I finally managed to do it yesterday, and she was rewarded for her patience this morning. The ribbons were a personal request.

Now - only 50 more to go.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone...

2007-11-19T14:32:00.000-08:00

It's been a few days, but I'm here. Just busy.

We celebrated a birthday - Hogwarts style - with a friend. I can't say enough about the party, but it was a party Harry himself would have enjoyed!!

I thought I'd get to spend the day crafting, but my calendar popped up with plans to attend a Balinese dance performance this morning. No rest for the weary. It was beautiful to see though and all the children enjoyed it much. Min-me came home and started doing her versions of it. I can't blame her - i'm certain I'll find myself doing the same when no one is around! heehee

Oh, so - did you notice the new color?? Ocher. WHAT is ocher??? I would have called it something I know like - celery. You know, food. I KNOW food. But ocher is what they put up, and it's what I've got. The jury is still out (it's a jury of one - me) but we'll see if I settle with it.

Tirrrrreeeedddd....

2007-11-16T17:39:00.000-08:00

Did you get it? I'M TIRED. yep.

For some reason I awoke at 4am. No rhyme to it - just did. Couldn't get comfy. Turned on the TV after a while and started to doze, but that was an hour later.

Worst part of it all was that mini-me & I were due out to tour a charming colonial farm where they reenact the period of 1800's. A nearly 2 hour drive from our teensy-weensy cottage. The drive out was fine, barring the 20 minute wrong turn I took. But coming home was, well... I'll say it again - I'M TIRED. Know what I mean? Yeah - Nothing I did on that long freeway drive home was keeping me awake. Music, political talk radio - with opposing views & values - air conditioning, or even being wind beaten in the face with all windows and car orifices opened! I finally found a Starbucks and fell, face first, into a steaming cup of "Eggnog Latte" (hey - if you're going to do it - DO IT!!). We arrived home safe and sound. But, I still want sleep.

But I will not go to bed too early. I know what will happen - I'll be awake again at 4am. Can't do that. Nope, I'll go to bed right when I'm supposed to. And I'm counting on a nice long - solid - sleep.

For tomorrow, I tackle that laundry...

maybe... heehee

Happy, happy day...

2007-11-15T10:23:00.000-08:00

Ooh!! It's my personal "happy" day of the week! Thursday. Why? Because I get to play with ALL of my paper stuff to my hearts content - or at least until 7pm when i must leave to pick up girl-child.

I have already loaded my car down with most of my supplies. We have a history club meeting first, then she will go home with her best girl-friend and mom to their house for the rest of the day. *I* will park myself at my favorite scrapbooking store and get a lot of work done. I might get in a good 6 hours today!

First off, I know you're wondering why I'm toting all of my supplies to a store when I could just do it at home. Well, if you're keeping up on me, I ran out on dishes, laundry and many other household duties yesterday in favor of a romp with a 'mouse'. Who can create in such a mess?? Besides, they have snacks, music, good company and plenty of inspiration. I can walk to several locations for lunch/dinner - and NO LAUNDRY looming over me or dishes in the sink begging for my attention. Yes, I'm escaping again.

Besides, I have craft fairs coming up soon and b-day & Christmas-y projects that also require my attention. Must get to work on them. Last night I stayed up WAY too late working on a journal for a dear friends daughter. It's a collage of sorts and I'm just tickled pink at how well it's turning out. Well I tried to put it all together last night and... (again, I stayed up WAY too late) - I punched holes for the back of the book in the wrong spot. GRRRRR. Well - at least everything else came out well. But I have half a book cover to re-make. Waaaaaaaaa!

That's ok though - it's Thursday - it's all about paper. It's my Happy, happy day...

What is it today?

2007-11-14T07:34:00.000-08:00

What to accomplish today? I've so much to do - you can't imagine! Hurricane girl-child has been thru this old house several times - and she's not even awake yet! I haven't the energy or will to deal with it right now. So what to do?

Well, we are in the process of clearing out our "extra" room (a term used LIGHTLY, as space of any kind around here is premium) to make a bedroom for said child. But between man-child's work schedule and girl-child and I running around the city doing 'school' - we are rarely home at the same time to finish clearing it out. Can't have man-child moving my stuff, I'd never find it again. So it waits...

I have MANY crafty things to work on. Journals, cards, tags all need to be made. I had great success last night when I started on a "Countdown" calendar for child to enjoy leading up to Christmas. I'm still glowing from it - but I don't want to work on any of that stuff right now.

There are always the requisite dishes in the sink, laundry overflowing and yard to work in (whoa! did I just say 'work in the yard'? LOL yeah - like I've EVER done that! Let's just say there is lots of house work to deal with. Yeah, that's better). I don't want to do ANY of that.

I'm going to Disneyland...

Warming up...

2007-11-12T22:33:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a few days since I've posted. Lazy? Me?? Naw!! Ok, a little. But really - I've just been trying to warm up. But YAY!! A few days ago, hubby finally turned on the old furnace. And don't you just know it - 2 days later - we're back to 75 degree weather! grrr. Oh, well. But those few days of 'cold' weather gave me the perfect excuse to buy some knee-high socks! I haven't had any since elementary school. And I LOVE them. Warm & funky.

I just spent the evening washing mini-me's hair. It's curly - no, CURLY. And she has a lot of it. Nearly down to her bottom-end. Still you think "how long can that possibly take?". HOURS is the quick answer to a L-O-N-G process. Ask any black woman how much time they spend in a beauty salon on a Saturday and be very surprised if they say anything less than 4 hours. Yes - our magnificent beauty takes time. And it's no different for mini-me - except without the gossip, burnt ears and chemical burns from the perms. Baby's hair is 'pure' and there is nothing worse than combing thru tangled child hair. Cause once you comb thru it - it's tangled again! But it's all good now. She asked for, and received, eight braids. Why eight, you ask? Because she knows with eight braids, mommy is done torturing her by combing thru that magnificent mane for at least a few more days. Eight braids buys us both time. I no more want to comb any more hair than she wants to sit for 40 minutes having it combed. Eight braids buys us 4 days to a week. And often - that feels like too soon.

And some wonder why my hair is cropped SO short! ha.

Getting Started...

2007-11-07T19:48:00.000-08:00

i don't really know where to start. i'm learning. i'm a mom. a crafter. a 'jack of all trades' - i do - or at least try - a little of everything. today it's blogging.

my day was COLD. our heater isn't turned on yet and my blood is still set to a 'summer' thermostat. but no time to worry about that. i have journals and cards and paper crafts to work on. i'll post pics as i get them going. i really do LOVE paper stuff.

so join me on that journey...