Ganked

The lovely Shannon from Tattoos & Cupcakes ganked this from Tia, and I just couldn't help myself. I know I said I'd be blathering about medical things soon, but I'm a bit of an escapist, and even though things are fine, I'm not ready to talk about them yet. Therefor I am so happy to come across this little meme.

Outside my window... there is a sky full of stars, and a backyard full of sleepy chickens.

I am thinking... that I should've kept up with how many times I sneezed today. I probably broke a record or something.

I am thankful for... trials. No, really. I am. They really teach me to be thankful. Without trials and scares, I would take a lot of things for granted, things I always want to appreciate, like my health and the people I love.

I am wearing... a really old night gown, like, from 13 years ago. It's baby blue with doggies on it, and is now far too short to wear when we have company.

I am remembering... John 14:27- Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

I am creating... character sketches for the children's story I plan to complete this year, waterdoodles for my etsy shop, a portrait of a friend's munchkin and a great deal of stress for myself, as usual.

I am going... to sleep. I've got to start getting more sleep, and being on time for things.

I am reading... The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. A dear friend of mine really wants me to, so we can discuss it, but I'm having a hard time getting into it.

I am hoping... that I feel better soon. This respiratory/sinus infection is making me feel like a snotty beast. :(

On my mind... I've been worrying about my mom and dad's health a lot lately.

From the kitchen... feathers are always flying, no matter how much I sweep. I pull up a chair for Kimchi Kitty to belong, whilst Mr. T and I prepare a healthtastic meal.

One of my favorite things... is to create things that make people happy. I love it. It makes me feel useful, important.

Noticing that... I am more confident in myself than I've ever been before. I haven't been as hard on myself, and I'm beginning to really be happy with me. (I stole this one from Shannon, and I'm so glad we can both say/type this.)

Okay, taking a minute on that last one. Seriously? This is huge deal, bloggers. Being able to say I'm more confident is one thing, but being able to post this cheesy picture of myself with bed head, lip stain and smudged eyeliner is another entirely. I'm not going to pick it apart and tear myself down. I don't have to thwart anything unpleasant someone might have to say about me. I'm just me, and gosh darn it, I like myself. (Please get that reference.)

Pondering these words... "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Brainectomy

There are times when I'd like to perform brainectomies on people. There. I said it. Sometimes they just have too entertaining of ideas. I want them for my own. My Precious.* Their ideas. Not their brains. But the idea being in the brain makes me think if I possessed their brains...yeah. Gonna stop with this train of thought now. Since performing unnecessary, creepy and unauthorized surgery on people's heads is frowned upon in most societies, I usually just ask permission to use said idea.

Today's example? Jay. He makes charts and takes polls on really important stuff that everyone needs to know. Everyone. And his post yesterday was concerning something I've adored for a long time. Lists. Some of you remember my attempt at List Lust Wednesdays, right? Did you know yesterday was National List Day?! Did you also know that I'm terminally late? Anyhow, his list was way better than any list I've ever had the pleasure of coming up with, so I'm borrowing some of his list categories. He said I could. ^_^

Brainectomy thwarted again.

Things that make me smile in a sad sort of way:

• Grandpa type men getting attention from pretty young girls
  
• My paycheck
  
• Little kids with glasses (Harry Potteresque)
  
• Childhood photos
  
• Little hoppy birds
  

Things that are impossible to do in a sexy manner:

• Snorkeling
  
• Clipping your toenails
  
• Blowing your nose
  
• Changing a diaper
  
• Yawning

Things that bother me when not done well:

• Spelling (Everyone makes mistakes, but lifetime misspellers wound my soul.)
  
• Movie remakes (Clash of The Titans, don't let me down.)
  
• Song covers (If it ain't broke, don't break it!)
  
• Whistling (If you can't carry a tune, don't do it! Sing. That's at least pitiful cute.)
• Handshakes (This one is Jay's and I'm keeping it. I loathe noodly handshakes.)

Things that bring me unending joy:

• Making up my own words
• Putting my forehead to Kimchi Kitty's when he's purring like it's going out of style
• Puppies and baby goats (What are they called? Kids?)
  
• Making things for people that make them happy
• Creating
  

*What?! I'm not ashamed. Well, I kinda am.

List Lust XI: Know What I'm Simply Mad About?

Hello Bloggy McBloggersons! For those of you who remember List Lust from waaaaay back when, you'll notice it's pretty much been abandoned. For any new readers (Hear that?! I have a few more faithful few! Squee!), you are about to witness the redemption of one of my deepest obsessive compulsive loves: Lists!

Today's list will pick back up where I left off, and teach you/remind you of a few possibly quirky/unimportant things about me.

List Lust XI: Know What I'm Simply Mad About?

1. Puppies & Puppy Breath (Bull Terriers are my favorite!)

2. Mr. Snuffleupagus & Those Big Soulful Eyes

3. Tall Frosty Glasses of Raspberry Lemonade

4. Almost Every Part Johnny Depp Has Played,

Along With His Sense of Style & Ridiculous Good Looks

5. Kermit, For All The Same Reasons As #4 :P

6. That I Can Get Away With Being Simply Mad About Two Muppets Without Blog Persecution.

7. Tim Burton's Brain (I figured a picture of Burton himself would suffice.)

8. Being Married To My Adorable Husband

9. Gustav Klimt's Artwork (This is my favorite of his pieces-Musique.)

10. God/Love (They're one and the same, in my opinion.)

Guess that's all for now. Better save some for another list. What are you simply mad about?

Her Majesty's A Pretty Nice Girl

I think it's fairly obvious to everyone that I have a fairly mild, yet terminal, case of the scatterbrain. Apparently, last month I decided to grace 20SB with my presence, and sign up for a blog swap! Yeah. Totally forgot about it! Thankfully, my partner decided to shoot me an email. Bless him.

His name is Kendall, and from what I can tell, he's quite the character. I've visited his blog a few times now, and think he's definitely worth the click. If you're anything like me, though, you might want to avoid Thursdays. They're definitely TMI. ^_^

Okay. So, we may be drastically different, but since I'm the self proclaimed Queen of Comparisons, I thought I'd give Sir Kendall a small introduction via a List of Similarities.

I know no uncreepy way to do this. So, here goes:

1. We wield the ability to strike up a conversation with a brick wall.
2. We have a possibly unhealthy admiration for apple juice.
3. Our general attire consists of jeans and a hoodie.
4. We share an obviously founded loathe of noodly handshakes.
5. Our childhood inability to write neatly resulted in ocd penmanship.
6. We don't smoke, but love the aroma of a pipe.
7. We do NOT understand the strange attraction most gals have to Edward Cullen, but totally have the hots for House. Okay-he may not totally agree with that last part, but he did say he had a pimped out cane.
8. We ♥ Apple products.
9. Deep healing breaths are part of an elevator ride.
10. We ♥ Princess Bride. Sigh.
11. Our ocd spans out from penmanship to encompass the potty and the kitchen...I wonder if he calls oven mitts Po-Po's? It's only natural. They are there to "serve and protect".
12. You'll find us barefoot more often than not.
13. The day we discovered Stuff White People Like was a good day.
14.We share the belief that everyone should know how to drive a stick.
15.We both have the tendency to wander off during guided tours.

So, he's like my twin...only not short and white! So, tune in tomorrow for his highly anticipated post.

Oh, and I'll be posting over at his place. So, come comment. I need moral support, folks. ^_^

*I know. I'm like the scary internet girl that shows up on your doorstep jabbering on about how "we just have so much in common!". Right?

Listless List

As I have once again had a ridiculously busy day, I have no brain power left to compose. So, here's another list to keep you ravenous beasts appeased. 25 random things about my sleepy self.

1) I draw faces on my toes.

2) I have quite a few neighborly freckles who decided to move in together, and become heart-shaped.

3) My Mom and Dad call me Rosie.

4) I wear flip-flops until there is a threat of frost bite.

5) I'm pretty much a hippie minus the whole drugs and sexual revolution thing.

6)If my nails aren't pretty, I feel like a dirty hippie.

7) I love women through the eyes of Gustav Klimt. Usually. The ones that don't look like they have jaundice.

8) I have a possibly unhealthy attraction to Trent from Daria. He's so hot...he's making me sexist(FOTC plug. Sorry, but I just can't stop).

9) I am on a quest to own every Johnny Depp movie known to man. Even the one's I hate. Obsess much?

10) I am determined to one day visit New Zealand, Australia, Alaska and possibly Norway.

11) Late night animal planet shows give me nightmares. Did you know there is such a thing as a nasal leech?!?!?! Nightmare.

12) I don't drink caffeine, but tea makes me want to. I know I can have decaffeinated, but it's just not the same. So many nice cozy teas of which I will never partake. :(

13) Big city mentality depresses me severely. I want to run around staring people in the eyes, screaming, "We're all human!". I realize that I'm most likely insane.

14) I hate having to explain my name every. single. day. It's enough to make a girl lose the hyphenation.

15) I have an aversion to chai tea. Oh, the nasty milkiness of it all!

16) Lemon poppy seed muffins are like crack. Wait. What do they make out of poppies? Not crack. Whatever. I just mean I love them. Lemon poppy seed muffins. Ohm nom nom.

17) I have an Etsy shop, but have yet to post the first wonderful hand-made thing.

18) A few of my favorite phrases are: "Right as rain" and "Thick as thieves". Oh, and "Glorious!".

19) I get along really well with small children and most critters. Except large fowl. Geese. Turkeys. They have something against me.

20) I love caves and swimming, but definitely not swimming in caves. If there is the slightest bit of moisture in a cranny of some sort I freak out about the chances of it flooding.

21) People are all the time telling me I smell like fabric softener. Why this outsmells my Clinique, I do not know.

22) I had Chobap one time in Korea and it is my favorite food EVER! Can't find the ingredients here. :(

23) I forced myself to paint a landscape ONCE, and I'm contemplating making myself do it again. Just as an exercise, but oh how I dread it.

24) Time is something I cannot grasp. 15 minutes. 3 hours. Ummm...okay. I'm terminally late. It's an illness really.

25) If I'm around anyone with any accent for more than 30 minutes it starts rubbing off on me.

List Lust

I'm trying my best here to avoid slacking in the post department. It's approximately too late for too much coherent thought. So, I thought I'd make a lovely little(though I know very well that it may end up not-so-little)list. A lovely little list of things I love, and perhaps a photo or two. Perhaps. It's bed time, and I have to expedite this. I have to convince my brain that I'm not an art student anymore. I can sleep normal hours. If only.

I love...

1. Burt's Bees body soap because it doesn't mush all up when you drop it in the shower.
2. face scrubs that make your face tingly.
3. macs.
4. creepy cute things, much like anything Tim Burton's ever conjured up.
5. otters and their apparent outlook on life.
6. relationships and communication.
7. notebooks filled w/lists and coordinating doodles.
8. trying new things.
9. how bad stuff makes you appreciate good stuff.
10.trusting that God's got my back.
11.points for neatness.
12.the audacity of the bunnies I've known.
13.reading and writing.
14.flying kites.
15.making stuff.
16.making people happy.
17.being on time, but never am.
18.having warm(not hot)feet.
19.watching cats take baths.
20.fresh air.
21.camping and hiking.
22.children's books.
23.clean sheets.
24.puppy breath.
25.blowing bubbles. Oh, how I love blowing bubbles.

What do you think? 25 enough for now? I think I'll do a list of 25 things every week. Sound like a plan? Things I love. Things I hate. Things that are green. Ooh! That's next week. Yes. Yes.

I'll save the picture post for in the morning. Sweet dreams folks.

I Stress Over These Things

For your viewing pleasure...two very fun hand painted fleece scarves!

Side note: Fleece is evil, and rotary tools are the devil.

Christmas is creeping closer, and my crafting is almost complete! I can't wait until that bright and shining moment when everything is finished. I will mark the last name off my list and weep. Weep for joy, you hear?!

In an attempt to spare you from yet another "I'm overloaded and it's my own fault" post, I will be taking advantage of the fact that I've been tagged!

Ari tagged me to list seven random/quirky things about myself. So, with no further adieu.

1) My name is written on page 77 of every book I own-except my bible.
2) I have a tattoo of one of my drawings-a snail.
3) I used to play with the feathers in Stevie Ray Vaughan's hat when I was a baby. He and Lonnie Mack were friends of my Grandpa Jerry's.
4) Helena Bonham Carter is my girl crush.
5) Bunnies and otters make me cry.
6) I'm a non-alcoholic lush.
7) I had my nose broken with a baseball bat when I was little, and now I can pop it.

Alright folks. You're it: Ashley, Matt, Becca, Lauren or guest blogger(which I'm now counting as two), Andy, and The Dutchess!

* Link to your original tagger(s).
* Share seven facts about yourself in the post-some random, some weird.
* Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
* Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs/twitter.
* List these rules.

K is for Kermit!

First of all, here's the other muppet magnet I made for Ariana. I thought he was quite appropriate for this post. ^__^

So, here I've been all busy, and too preoccupied to come up with something interesting to post. Silly me. I forgot that Lauren gave me a K!

She nabbed this wonderful little game from here, and I'm keeping the ball rolling.

The idea is you comment and I'll give you a letter too! Then you can make a list of your ten favorite things beginning with that letter. Now, doesn't that sound like fun?!

10 Favorite K's

1. kabobs (veggie of course)
2. kangaroos
3. Kermit The Frog
4. kismet
5. kisses
6. kiwi
7. knickers
8. knitting
9. koala bears
10.Korea

Crafty Distractions

It's not possible for me to not procrastinate. I've been overwhelmed with tasks lately. You've seen my list. Yet, I find myself ignoring the large projects to do little time consuming things, like making little clay vampire incense burners and finishing upcoming swaps.

This little bit of vampiry goodness is for Ari. I made him out of sculpey. Consequently, it's interesting that this clay is for sculpting, yet there's no T in it's spelling. Hmm. Anyhow, with Halloween coming up and our shared obsession for a certain southern gentleman, I thought it appropriate.


My latest swap assignment was to make a fish themed hand made post card. I'm mailing it off today. It's going to Brazil! Hope it makes it without getting rained on. I water colored it.


So, I have absolutely nothing to post about really. Nothing I want to think about anyhow. In case you hadn't figured it out yet. The crafty eye candy is just to hold you over until I actually have something to say.

I have to go to a visitation tonight and a funeral tomorrow. I hate it and I don't want to go. Assembling with a bunch of upset people to cry together about something we have absolutely no control over really isn't my thing. It doesn't really jive with my whole escapist thing.(I didn't make it up Matt. I didn't.^__^) Ugh.

Ok. Off to work.

Tonight Tonight

I love girls' nights. Given, they're usually only myself, one of two other gals and one of our three husbands, but it's a treasured event. I seriously go through withdrawals if we miss a week.

I have a few individuals I refer to as soul-mates, and most of them are girls.

List O' Soul Mates

Todd: husband person
Jodi: friends since we were eleven
Ari: friends since we were fourteen
Annie: also friends since we were fourteen

I know I use the term in a manner other than usually directed, but it works. Thus, girls' night is a glorious occasion. I can not live without these people. Breathe? Maybe. Live? Not a chance. We can spend large spans of time apart, but there's something that keeps us wound up in each others lives. We were simply meant to be.

This evening will consist of Ari and I crafting and yapping ourselves into oblivion. She's making the long trek to my place and good times shall be had. Watching my husband attempt to be polite, and escape the estrogen filled living room at the same time, is reason enough to look forward to such gatherings.

Life is good when it's simple.

Gotta head to work!

Handy Dandy Notebook

This chaos of mine comes in waves, and it is almost entirely self inflicted. Who's got the time?! I feel like a Lewis Carol character.

The White Rabbit, desperately scrambling to keep his head.


Alice, stretched too thin, reminding herself that her very good advice is useless when ignored.


There are simply not enough hours in the day to accomplish all this stuff I get myself into. I just find it hard to tell nice people no. Even if they request something completely ridiculous, I acquiesce. Strolling casually into overwhelming situations has become a favorite past time of mine. I feel like my head is hanging by a thread.


This little guy, both adorable and juvenile, is my newest attempt to remain sane and semi-organized. Yes. I have a little notebook addiction. Although, they each serve very separate functions. The moleskin is for brainstorming and sketching. I have another for writing. This one shall be an external hard drive of sorts. So I don't crash and lose it all.

So far my list consists of:
1. fishy post card swap (cause I love me some swap-bot)
2. Halloween sculpey creations
3. a new painting to replace one I sold(bittersweet)
4. three owlies
5. four watercolors of cats
6. one watercolor of a dog
7. a watercolor of my supervisor's baby
8. a commission I DON'T EVEN WANT TO TALK ABOUT!
9. a watercolor of some munchkin I've painted before

Not to mention cleaning my house and getting Kitty's radiator replaced. Yes, I name my vehicles. Laugh if you want. I love her.

Serotonin, Here I Come!

I'm gonna go out on a fairly sturdy limb here in assuming that if you are currently reading these words, then you most likely read the earlier post concerning the poop fest of a day I've been having.

In quiet desperation I went in search of blog upliftment(I'm not sure that's even a word. I might be on a roll here. I've now coined the terms "poop fest" and "upliftment"). I meandered over to Lauren's shenanigans and whatnot. She always cracks me up, or makes me think about how much I hate my hair. Anyhow, I don't know the chick, but I like her blog. She got this thing from Meg, whom I think is just wonderful. Meg got it from someone else, and NOW IT'S MINE!!!! MINE you hear?!

YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Hobo Cherokee...Nice: I am a quarter Cherokee Indian, and could very easily become a bum.

YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name):
H Leg...hmmmm

YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Green Otter


YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born):
Rose Lawrenceburg...how lovely.


YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)Leghe...I guess it's the Norwegian that makes anything to do with my name sound phlegmy.

SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Purple Smoothie...watch out now..I got THIS!

NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Jerry Cliff ^__^ I miss these guys.

STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
Happy Twizzlers

WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )
Marie Arthur

TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
King Kaanapali Hi(great city, right?)

SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Fall Tigerlily

CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Kiwi Dressy

HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Corkscrew Willow..I didn't eat breakfast.

YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)
The Painting Sunshine Tour...finally something I can work with. ^__^


Lauren, Meg...sincere thanks for some much needed nonsense.

I am now going to the lake to absorb some sunshine and create some serotonin. Have a good weekend everyone! xx

Done. Finished.

Well, love. Vacation is now officially over. Done. Finished. My heart aches because of it. Never before have I wished to stay at a beach riddled with tourists, all running around like palmetto bugs on a cool, shady sidewalk. A semi-private beach is somehow less commercial. It was packed, but completely beautiful.


The whole week rocked. I snorkeled for the first time, meeting a plethora of hermit crabs, that inhabited humble little homes, stolen from their previous tenants. My sister and I were not big fans of walking in that shag carpet, otherwise known as kelp, but it was worth it.

We(my husband: Todd, my sister: Jenni, her boyfriend: Rob, and myself) visited the perfect little community of Seaside. You know. That place from The Truman Show. It was an obsessive compulsive's dream! That beach was also quite beautiful. We know, because we were SUCH tourists!


We took to the deep sea in a sail boat/pirate ship with Captain Rex, where we saw a family of bottle-nosed dolphins. One group traveled closely alongside our boat, putting on a show. There was even a baby that proudly rolled and flipped, showing off his pink underside. Unfortunately our camera had been placed below deck for the rougher portion of the excursion, which included the dolphin sightings. :(


My sand piper husband got bumped up to a bobbing ocean dweller! He actually waded into the water and stayed there! We watched for jelly fish and sported our dorky goggles to watch the little fishes that swam all about the kelp. He also became the beloved subject of most of my photos, much to his chagrin.


On the evening of the 4Th, we stretched out on Mirimar's cool, sandy beach, under the stars, watching drunken amateurs shoot off Chinese pyrotechnics. All of this under close observance of local law enforcement. It was truly a sight to behold. A little nerve racking, but overall a thorough celebration of our independence.

Coming home was bittersweet. Work is mostly bitter, but I plan to adjust. I will make it through the week, here at my office, solely due to a lovely coworker. While I was frolicking on the beach, she was doing ungratifying portions of my job, and making a to do list for me. This might not sound great to you, but I could just kiss her!

Have I mentioned how I ADORE lists? They make my heart go pitter pat. Seriously. Lists are the thread that keep my pretty little head sewed on tightly.

blink-blink

I stare blankly at this glowing screen of procrastination, ignoring my list of chores. Blink. Blink.

Meanwhile said list is doubling, nay, tripling in size!

The oh how wonderful this trip will be feeling has at last evaded me, having been chased for about 2 weeks now. I have successfully reached the FREAKING OUT stage! Too much to do in preparation, and so little time to achieve it all.

UGGH.

Tagged...

Ari tagged me to make a list, which I adore. However, it is a list of quirks. Six to be exact. This is going to involve an elimination process.

1.) I absolutely adore making lists! One down. Five to go.

2.) My toenails, at any given time, are most likely painted heather purple.


3.) I have frequent nightmares about living things being cut right down the middle!(Is this too weird to tell?! I can't help it. It's a dream!)It's horrifying, but not messy. I don't see it happen. I just find them in half! Last night it was my bunny-Pacha..very upsetting.


4.) I have a thing for otters. If I could be any animal-that's what I would be, and I would harass crocodiles on a daily basis, and sleep while holding hands.


5.) I say my favorite color is purple, but it's really green. I don't know why.


6.) I love shoulder blades...man shoulder blades. They're sexy.

Now that you have a mild idea of how strange I really am, will you still love me?!^__^