Random Bits

- Today I have begun the planting of the season. I have a strawberry, a cucumber, a tomato and a squash plant in my little garden. I added Tiger lilys near my gladiolas and went real crazy and bought myself a columbine. I have no idea if any of it will live but I'm hopeful. I don't have the best record with plants but yet there is something within me that longs to garden. So I do my best and just see what happens.

- TO ART THE OMNIPOTENT: My mom called today to tell me that she ran into you. Well not literally but that you helped her with flooring. She told me how nice you were and how helpful and how cool it was to run into someone who knows me. So thank you very much for taking time to talk with and help my mom with her flooring dilemma :D

- The Bark in the Park went well. Had a good time. Did several portraits but only made enough to break even. Not enough to keep me going back. But as I said, we had a good time.

- We are celebrating our anniversary this weekend, even though our anniversary isn't for another month... exactly a month from today in fact. But we won't have time around then next month to do anything other than go out to dinner because we have another wedding out of town to attend. So I have arranged for us to celebrate in a very special and surprise way this weekend. J knows I'm planning a surprise but not what it is. I'm super excited about it and praying everything works out and no one gets sick or anything.

- TO GRACE: I'm thinking about you girl! I haven't really known what to write in your blog... but I'm thinking about ya and praying for you. Just know that.

- TO DID: when are you ever going to give us another blog post?

- TO CATE: I'm doing my best to fix that PDF and get it back to you so you can see what we have so far.

- TO GIRL: Thank you for the interview thing, I think that was the most replies I've ever had to one of my blog posts. Very very fun little thing. I've enjoyed reading everyone's answers.

- TO EVERYONE ELSE: Anyone who asked for questions - they have now been posted in the comments on the last blog entry if you didn't find them yet. And also since I can't think of anything specific that I need to say to you... I just wanted to say hi.

- My godchild turns 11 this weekend. How can that possibly be? She will now be the age at which her mother and I met and became friends. I can only pray that in her venturing into middle school that she will find a friendship like we did.

Hmm.. that's all I can think of at the moment. Just thought I'd give a brief update. As usual it is quite busy around here.

The interview

Girl had an interview session over at her place (which can be found in my sidebar) and I took her up on her interview challenge. If you want me to interview you, just leave a note here in my comments and I'll send you 5 questions to answer on your own blog! I figure if nothing else this actually gives me something to write about here:

1) What extra-curricular activities did you take part in in high school?
I was in drama senior year (the only year you were allowed to take it) but involved in a Teen Arts Guild outside of school from Freshman - post senior year (which is how I know Farmwife, Did & Art)and I was a writer/editor for the school newspaper for two years. I was a member of VICA in the graphic arts/printing division and I worked with what was called the Creative Coalition which basically was a group that put together a book of poetry, short stories and artwork every year called The Stylus, and I worked a bit with a history club as well, and was member of the art club and honor society but those two didn't really do anything.

2) If you were looking for a way to restore yourself and replenish your energy (on a budget), where would you go and what would you do?
If it is nice out, I would go to Buffalo or Bays Mountain or Warriors Path Park or maybe Jonesborough. Somewhere close to nature. I'd go sit alone read, listen to some music, sketch and pray. And I'd get myself a McDonalds or Dairy Queen treat along the way. If it wasn't nice out, I'd still play some music, run a hot bath and go to bed early.

3) Same question, but now pretend money and time are no object.
I'd probably still do the same thing, but maybe go get a massage somewhere before hand.

4) What is the longest amount of time you have spent longing for something and what was it? Hmm. Good question. I don't really know. I guess maybe around 15 years? Most of the time growing up, I felt like always I lived in the shadows. I didn't feel like I had a place to belong. I didn't feel good at anything, there was always someone better. Most times I felt like I was in my sister's shadow because she was so much older than me, it seemed like she always did things first and better. My mother would always tell me "Don't worry sweety, you'll find your place to shine" and she was right. I found a place at 14 or 15 where I did feel like I belonged. And actually had opportunity to be center stage.

5) If you could eat a crayon, what color would it by and why?
Now that's a different question. Hmm, I'd say "melon"

Good news. The potty got vacuumed yesterday. It is now clean and sparkly. But the bathroom saga continues. We've had a pretty bad experience with the contractors we hired. Mostly we have a small job and they have lots of bigger jobs to work on so once our 4 day project ran into problems it ended up becoming a 14 day project because after the 4 days they were booked with other stuff and would occasionally show up to work on ours and occassionaly not. I got mean with them. There is just so long a girl can go washing her hair in the kitchen sink. I was polite but firm. I kept thinking to myself that it's quite obvious from the items in our home that we are Christians, I didn't want their impression to be of a hypocrite or a witch with a capital b. But I really wanted to shower again and I expected them to do their job.

They did finally get everything up and running. Then they came back to "finish up" and we thought they had and we paid them. But... the socket they installed doesn't work. So we've been trying to get them to come back out to fix that, and to bring back our baseboards that they took that they said they'd take to cut and then come back and install. Guess how much luck we are having getting any of that post-payment. *roll eyes*

You live and you learn.

Some day I'll post before and after pics as Farmwife has requested. But I want to have baseboards before I do.

Next weekend (not the coming one) we will be off to Chimney Rock, NC where I will be doing dog cartoons at "Bark In The Park", I think DH and Sasha are coming with me. I did this a year or two ago too and made no money.. but it was in August then and so hot that no one really hung around and DH was sick so I was there by myself. I'm hoping for better this time. I had considered not even doing it, I was so discouraged last time. But DH has encouraged me to give it another try. I'm still leery. I don't feel like much of a sales person and I still have a hard time believing that people will pay to have their dog's picture drawn. But maybe we'll at least have fun at the park together. It will also be Sasha's first trip in the car for longer than 45 minutes. Chimney Rock is two hours from here.

Say a prayer for us if you think about it next weekend.
z

Any helpful hints or tips on this?

I have an issue.
An issue I have no idea exactly the best way to resolve.
Apparently, the contractors left silt or sometype of non-flushable pile of something in the bottom of our toilet when they left. It looks like sand.
But they hooked the toilet back up and all the water is in it now, with the silt still in the bottom (we were not overly thrilled with the contractors we hired... they will never be hired again... this is just one of many things they did/didn't do).
We can drain the toilet but it won't empty totally and the silt remains covered.
What is the best way to remove the nasty silt without making myself sick in the process?

Big spoon and a bucket?
Wet/dry vac? -it's quite a bit of water that's left, not just a smidgen.
Scrub brush?
Other?

Please help.

Just another shameless ploy to get try to get you to visit me and let me friend you at that other place.
Plus, I didn't want my friends here to not at least be invited, even though I know some have issues with posting pictures that people you don't know will see. But I can assure you that none of the people on my friends list over there are complete strangers. I have every single one of them's home address, should I need to go kick butt and take names for any reason. :D So please, feel free to come join the fun.



**Edited to Add***
Okay after Grace's comment I took a look to make sure my statement was true. And although it is mostly true there are 4 people that I do not have addresses for on that friends list. But I do know them well quite well, so please feel welcome and comfortable there.
z

Cows and Donkeys

I learned something new today. For the last while I've been noticing in cow fields up here there is often a lone donkey out grazing with the cows. I grew up around cow farms, my parents even raised cows for a time. But I don't think I ever noticed this back home. Maybe I wasn't paying attention. Or maybe they didn't have the same problems the farmers up here have. But I finally asked what was up with the donkeys and found out that they keep cayotes away.

Who knew.

I was told that cayotes will chase cows until one falls and breaks its leg. But a donkey will chase and stomp a cayote. So.. they keep them in the pasture as guards. Who would have thought. Donkey's just don't look so strong and foreboding but apparently to a cayote they are pretty scary.

I just thought that was really interesting and thought I would share.

My avatar is now sporting my "red carpet" look for my major award of being the proud namer of Farmwife's van.

I would like to thank the little people in my life.... no seriously the three year olds I work with in Sunday School give me most of my inspiration with naming things :P

The casting agent in my head

I've always imagined that my body works a bit like a very large corporation. The extremeties are the blue collar workers and the brain, of course, is the corporate office. The thing about my body business is that they are multi-facitied. They take on a great number of jobs but don't really specialize in anything. I guess that could be argued, but for the most part they don't.

Occassionaly the body corporation dabbles in film. Also known as dreams. Bet you didn't know that there is a casting agent dwelling inside my head, but there is. And she doesn't even require auditions. She just grabs people at random to play roles in her productions. Mostly the genre of films is Avante Garde, an occassional comedy, romance or horror film gets in the mix occassionallly too but they mostly stick with avante garde. But Congratulations Lauren, last night you were a star.

The body's latest film production was another avante garde flick about accomodating crazy ladies, and riding buses.The only parts I remember from it were that Lauren and Babybear got on a bus that I was riding on and we were surprised to see each other but happy none the less. Then the scene changed to my parents living room and I was getting ready to go out with another friend (one form Wisconsin) when this lady pulls up in a huge brown El Comino with some rather scary large hillbilly types and asks me if I'm ready to go. She was Native American of some sort (I gathered this info from the dream catcher dangling from the rear-view mirror) and quite obviously not in her right mind, perhaps a medicine woman of some sort. She looked a bit like a tan Morticia Adams. She told me we were going to go find some ghosts. I asked if my Wisconsin friend could come with me. She said no. I asked if Lauren (who had apparently followed me home from the bus) could come and the old woman begrudgingly said yes. The last thought before the dream ended was "I hope this doesn't take long, I have so much to do today, I hate when she shows up like this, but you gotta accomodate her or it will hurt her feelings" then a very smiling Lauren (like she had been fresh plucked out of a picture) got into the El Comino , which was again much like a bus and I woke up.

I didn't say the body makes good movies.. it just makes strange ones. They also make "enactment films" like you'd see on Unsolved Mysteries or America's Most Wanted. Playing out scenes of something I've read or heard about. Like things I read in your blogs. Since I don't know some of you in real life, you and your family members get cast by the casting agent in my head. Sometimes I imagine the little voice in my head whispering "The parts of P2 and Cath are being played by Guy Hannah use to date and girl who works in Classified." And since I watch these little enactments in my head, I'm always completely shocked when I see a real picture and they look nothing like the "actors" my casting agent put in their place. P2 and Cath being case in point :). Now that I've seen pictures to be able to work on them a coloring book, the casting agent is recasting their roles as well as Cate's role. I can hear it whisper as I read Nanabanana's blog "The parts of P2 and Cath will now be played by Stan (a client I work for who looks a bit like the real P2) and girl from the Addys (who looks quite a bit like Cath)". Now why the casting agent in my head doesn't cast P2 or Cath into their own roles now that I know what they look like, I guess is because I don't know their mannerisms because I've never seen them in real life and there fore in moving images (like the ones that play in my head when I read) they have to be played by people I've actually me.

It's an interesting business this body of mine.

Someone please save me from renovation pergatory.

We are on day 8 without our own shower. The bathroom remodel was suppose to take 4 days. Why is it that no one tells you their stories of "if they say this long, it will probably take twice that long" until after you are in the middle of things yourself and are stressing over how long it is taking?
I found three grey hairs this morning. This is not uncommon to me, since my hair is somewhat dark and dark hair tends to grey early but for the most part all the grey I've found up to this point has been on the underside of my hair. But these three are on the top of my head. Most disconcerting.
Sinks are not fun to bathe in. I'm so happy we decided to do this renovation while we are still kidless. The poor dog is a nervous wreck. She gets sick almost every night.. but is not acting sick so we are petty sure it is just her nerves because things are all out of kilter. Dogs, especially huskies, - much like children, tend to thrive on schedules and repetition. The vet told us in the beginning. She is a mix of two nervous breeds. They like their order and control. Gee, who does that sound like. No wonder I feel like the dog understands me so well.

Thank you Farmwife - we watched the new James Bond movie last night. And for at least the first half of it, all I could see was Clinton Kelly from What Not To Wear
it took me a while, but I got over it and was able to finally picture him as the debonair spy. Now I wonder what will happen the next time I see WNTW.

Yes, yes. I've been gone a while again. But I have an excuse. It has been Busy with a capital B. But I'm happy today because I am not at work. Nope, I am waiting on bathroom people .... ahem ... I mean remodelers. We are redoing the bathroom. We are finally going to have an outlet in the bathroom. No more blow-drying in the hall. I am excited. And this ladies and gents (if there happen to be any reading - which I doubt on this blog) is part of my vacation. I am taking today and Thursday. DH will be here with them tomorrow and Wednesday. I'm trying to get a lot done but really I've spent a good portion of the morning catching up with everyone else that I read on here. I'm hoping to get a couple of more illustrations finished, maybe some laundry and a few more things. He's been here once and he is due back around 1(had to go to Home depot for more supples - wondering how much more that is going to cost us). I'll post before and after pics at Farmwife's request at the end of the week.

Until then, just know that I'm alive and that there haven't been any more Possum sitings since the last post.

Oh! I know something I was going to ask you all. What are your favorite novelty sayings? (i.e. "Life is just a bowl of cherries", "live, laugh, love", "What if the hokey Pokey really is what it's all about", that kind of thing) Or if you could hang a sign outside your residence what would it be?

Congratulations you have become my demographic.

Zann vs. The Opossum

Just to let you know. Possums must die. I've decided that is their sole purpose in life is just to breed and then die to be carrion. Because I certainly can't think of any useful qualities they maintain in life other than to provoke carnivorous and sometimes less than brilliant animals. Last week a possum (I hate spelling it the proper way with an "o" so I'm using my own spelling) trapsed through the field behind our house teasing our dog in her fence. Then the stupid possum climbs the tree in the corner of the yard. Our dog, whose primal instincts for rodents is strong starts jumping at it and discovers that she can get not only around the tree but also up the tree and over the fence. Thanks to this new found knowledge we have to watch her like a hawk at night when we let her out now. If we hear barking we check to make sure she isn't heading to that corner of the fence. Well tonight we got a little lax on that and I thought my fears had proven true. I have no babies. This dog is my only baby. So having her run away is not one of my favorite thoughts. It scares me. Sure she has a collar, and tags and even a microchip, but there are dangers in the world that she doesn't know about and that I don't want her to learn the hard way about. So when she didn't come when I called I got a little nervous. When she didn't come when J (the lead dog in our house) called. I got scared. Threw my shoes on and grabbed my flashlight. She wasn't on either side of the house, but J spotted her in the corner with the tree. She hadn't climbed the fence. In stead she had gotten herself stuck behind the tree. I had to climb through the brambles and honeysuckle vines into the tangles to free her. All this in the dark. I am still picking twigs out of my hair.

I'm pretty sure I heard a possum laugh as J and myself escorted our ashamed dog back into the house. Next warm day that we have, I'm breaking out the trimmer and taking out that overgrowth of honeysuckle and then I'm bringing out the chicken wire and blocking that area of the fence from certain curious hounds.

But I have to say. I'm really glad to have her back in the house. I don't know how I'd go to sleep without getting tucked in by the dog.

And she does tuck J and I in. She sits on the bed with us until she thinks we are asleep then moves down to the floor. It's sweet.

You all knew I couldn't resist a MEME, didn't you ;)

1) Is your blog identity a pseudonym or part of your real name?
It's part of my real name, kind of a family nickname. Well that is if you remove the "li" from the end of it. Those were the first two letters of my maiden name. I always know who really knows me or who just knows me from some formal meeting by what they call me.

2) How many states have you lived in? Countries?
I have only lived in this state I am in now, unless you are counting states of mind, and then there have been numerous states that I have lived in. I have visited Mexico once on a Summer Mission trip but only for two weeks, and I crossed into Canada once while doing a co-op business trip in Michigan but I was there a total of about 3 hours so I don't think that counts. All I remember is how scary the bus ride back and fourth was.

3) How long have you been blogging?
What exactly constitutes blogging? I've been conversing back and forth, sharing ideas and thought with people over the internet since 2001 when I was posting on the WeddingChannel.com's message boards and had my own little "wedding journal" there. It was a wonderful place to talk wedding stuff with other people who were totally engrossed in planning without driving everyone else who knows me in real life nuts and getting labeled a "bridezilla". Friendships were forged there and several of us from those boards (after some difficulty with stolen information, trolls and what not) moved on to Livejournal (that other place in my sidebar) around 2004 because of the ability to guard your more intimate information. Farmwife started blogging here in 2005 or 06 and convinced me to join, and then later Lauren came along, and then Art and Did (all who I knew in person) and then through them I've met you other great people. And I've been here sporadically ever since, keeping LJ as my main place to ponder.

4) If the Internet completely disappeared, would you have to go through a blogger recovery program such as blogoholics anonymous (BA)?
Absolutely. Not only that but I'd have to go to emailanon, and websiteanon, and comicsanon. Because a big portion of my time is spent working through, communicating with or learning from the internet.

5) When you aren't blogging, what are some of your hobbies?
drawing obviously. I enjoy a good book or movie now and again. And spending time with husband, dog, friends and family. I still enjoy attending live theater, but no longer participate in performing though it is on my list to try out for something within the next 3 years. I also always have about a bazillion little projects that I'm working on, but believe it or not most of them usually get finished.

(6) How many languages do you speak?
Well the only nationally recognized language that I speak is English, but I also speak Southern, Sashaneeze see two posts down, and Pig Latin

7) Favorite vacation spot?
I've only been once, but it was so beautiful that I would love to go back to Charleston, SC. But I suppose my favorite is just going home to visit. Or to Pigeon Forge for Christmas. It's always a bit like a mini vacation to me. But I'd also like to go back to Islands of Adventure in Orlando someday, and there are tons of other places I'd like to visit. Farmwife, I hope to surprise DH with a getaway to Fall Creek Falls sometime this year, I haven't been since I was 7.

8) What is your life verse, quote, or theme?
The verse is one of my mother's favorites as well that she has passed on to me. The women in our family rely on this verse because we are natural worriers. Joshua 1:9 "Be bold and courageous, banish all fear and doubt, For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." But currently my favorite quote that I have been striving to live toward and pray most every morning (I hung it on my fridge) because it spoke what my heart could form words to say is from John Baillie:

Speak in my words today, think in my thoughts, and work in all my deeds. And seeing that it is Your gracious will to make use of even such weak human instruments in the fulfillment of Your mighty purpose for the world, let my life today be the channel through which some little portion of Your divine love and mercy may reach the lives that are nearest to my own."

9) What is the hardest job you have ever had?
None of the jobs I've had have been extremely difficult. Some have been extremely annoying and miserable, but not difficult. But there have been difficult assignments within those jobs, and I'd say for me those would be the ones involving working with groups.

10) What is the most rewarding role you have had in life?
Aunt, god-mother and Wife are all tied for the #1 spot at the moment.

Since the last time I blogged here....

A lot has been going on around here that has kind of kept me from blogging here. But here is a detail-less recap of what's been happening around here. I sometimes feel guilty for not blogging here much but it isn't because I don't love you girls, it's just that I already let everything out somewhere else and I don't like repeating myself. So once again I will plug That Other Place and I promise that if you comment to me fairly often here, then I will "friend" you over there. But anyway... here's you a quick rundown.

Since the last time I blogged here:

- I have finished a logo, two brochures, 4 illustrations and picked up a new freelance gig that may or may not work out. But could be very exciting if it does. Nana, do you still want me to do your daughter's coloring book? It may sound like I don't have time, but I do.

- forgot my parents were coming to visit until two days before they arrived.

- chased the dog through a field in my work clothes after another opossum incident and her discovery of a tree in the corner of our lot. Why a opossum was out in the morning I do not understand.. but those darn things just taunt dogs.

- received the emails you have sent but have not had a chance to properly think out my answers and respond.

- signed up for a basket weaving class

- started some home renovation projects.

- discovered that we have a termite colony in the back of our lot and therefore need to have the house sprayed/protected.

- discovered how expensive that can be.

- went to an awards ceremony where we got to dress up like gangsters and my hubby won an award and I won a door prize.

- had puppies over to play with Sasha- which was very cute and entertaining because all but one was scared of her, and she was completely gentle and sweet with them. She makes a good puppy-sitter.

- We had our first real accumulative snow of the season.

- Have made plans to visit my family for a mini-reunion in two weeks, and plans to go to two showers at the end of the month (one baby, and one wedding).

- Have been reading Curly Girl and have learned a lot about my hair Art after I finish it, I will happily pass it along to you if you'd like.

- Have watched several movies, DH is on a movie binge, including The Prestige very good twisty kind of movie, Lady in the Water don't bother it was awful, Barnyard Very cute, but kind of weird since there is a male cow in it, and I kept wanting to call the mouse Sheen. Cars super cute and well done. I'm finding that I really like Owen Wilson.

I can't think of anything else right now. I need to go get dinner ready for guests coming over tonight, and see if I can't memorize my story for tomorrow's children's church- oooh! Remind me to tell you all about that sometime.

A message from the demander

Reading Wandering Heart's blog today reminded me why I'm not allowed to bake expanding breads. Not long ago (back around my birthday) my mother-in-law gave me a bag of starter and a recipe for Amish bread. It seemed easy enough from the instructions and it was the gift that keeps on giving so I thought I'd give it a shot. Problem was we were going out of town that weekend and the bread batter needed to be burped and fed each day. So I packed it up and brought it with us. Of course the night before we left was the very night that the bread batter needed to be fed and separated making 4 new bags of batter. So I did that and baked one batch. I'm not sure how I managed it. I followed all the instructions and I certainly wasn't trying to be messy but I just kept finding batter and flour in various places. When I went to take DH a slice of bread after it had cooled from the oven. He was amused by pointing out the various places on my person that I had gotten batter and flour. I had it on my rear (goodness knows how, it's not like we have a place to sit in our kitchen), I had it in my hair, I had hand prints on my shirt and a slotch on my glasses. I was a mess. The kitchen was a mess. But hey, at least the bread was good. But it made waaaay too much for just two people. So when we went out of town the next day I took the bread and the batter with me and left it all with my mother, with the instructions and comforting words of "it will not hurt my feelings if you throw this away after I leave". I think she probably made one batch too and got rid of the other bags. But who knows. The Amish bread may be making its way through my hometown as we speak and then on to bigger and better places. It just keeps growing and growing....

But it is just too messy for Mrs. Messy herself.
(that would be me if you are wondering).

I've always identified with this book:
Billy Brown Makes Something Grand

The bread incident was no exception.

Artist/writers/ whatevers block

I just can't pull it together. This use to come easy, but I'm worn out. I can't think, my brain is tired. I'm at the spot that I wanted to be in and now my ideas seem to be putzing out. Or at least tonight they are. I have one of my very few and far between opportunities to do creative work at work and I can't think of a thing. My mind is an almost blank. It isn't totally blank. I have ideas but I just can't seem to get them to work out in a cohesive fashion. I miss school! I never thought I'd say it but I do. I miss the sitting around drinking soda, eating donuts and having brainstorming sessions in a creative inducing environment with other creative minded people. I miss feeding off of everyone elses ideas until we each had gleaned something that we could present. Some design firms do that very thing, but it seems to be against the religion of newspapers. I've tried it with DH but we think too differently and brainstorming sessions seem to work better the more people that you have. The more backgrounds, the more useless knowledge and ideas that are thrown, in the better they work.

My brain has now switched off of the assignment at hand (or rather assignments as I've picked up another freelance gig which I also seem to be brain-dead on) and I'm now trying to figure out how I could start a website for people who want to brainstorm. How would it work? See the problem with bringing people together online would be that they are all working on different projects and want to brainstorm about different stuff and then there is the possibly of competitors running into each other. But there has got to be a way to provide this service to people who need it but don't get it where they work. Hmm... any ideas on that guys?

Anyone know of any great moments in history involving newspapers working together with the people? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Okay I think I'm going to do something mindless for while and maybe something will come to me. In the meantime, I would love to find a way to show my avatar beating her head against a wall but I can't seem to figure out a way to do that either. But that would best express what I'm feeling at the moment. At least I feel a bit better now that I've expressed the emotion in words.

Today's Question to Ponder:
Why does orange juice always make me feel thirstier than I was before I drank it?
I'm guessing it has something to do with the acidity.. but seriously that's annoying.

Random bits

• My good friend had her baby yesterday :D It's a boy and I'm estatic for her. Happy Valentine's day to A & S and their son whom I will from now one refer to as RC-Cupid :)

• I have discovered much to my non-suprise that I am not girly

• I don't understand why people "plant" fake flowers in their yards or in planters. Inside I kind of understand... but artificial flowers outside? I realize they are less trouble but really.. why not just not just plant the real thing or get a low-maintenance plant to go in its place. There are a lot of really pretty low maintenance plants out there. Surely they don't think the plastic sticking out of the ground looks real? Especially in the middle of winter?

• Been having dizzy spells lately. Went to my regular check up yesterday and mentioned them to the doc. He checked me out thoroughly and found out that I have a sinus infection. Said there is lots of fluid on my ears, which is probably the cause of it. I've never had a sinus infection where I wasn't stuffed up before. This is my first SI where I can actually breathe normally, but now I'll have to start using nose spray to clear out the passages. Lovely.

• I want to learn to sew again. I've forgotten how. I need instruction. My mother taught me when I was a kid but I lost interest and have now lost the knowledge. It is not like riding a bike apparently. Unfortunately I'm having trouble finding somewhere or someone to give lessons that don't take place for hours at a time during the middle of the day.

• Why is it that places around here that offer lessons in things that I'd like to learn or get better at ( such as cooking, sewing, scrapbooking, knitting, cake decorating, Tai Chi...) always offer them in the middle of the day. Do they not think that the people who work regular office hours would like to take a class occasionally? Can't they do a Saturday occasionally? *sigh* oh well.

• It is very cold but there is no snow here.

• We are going to the chocolate fest and an advertising awards banquet this weekend. Somehow I don't think my healthy eating is going to stay in tact.

I'm not sure why, but this illustration reminded me of Farmwife. Maybe it's the hair. Or perhaps that the character is expecting... or maybe it was all those bulb catalogs she got me hooked on ;)