Wouldn't you?
Monday, October 13, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Can't we just live there?
Growing up I had a framed print in my room, above my bed, of the absolute most picturesque cottage you've ever laid eyes on. The title below the picture was just that, "Can't we just live there?". I find it an appropriate title for this next picture, one of the cutest houses I've laid eyes on around these parts in Wonderland. It's a bit of a jaunt from my house to this one as it lies on the outskirts, but oh, if I was going to change from City Mouse to Country Mouse, this would be my home of choice.
It's on just enough land, oh, probably 5-10 acres I would guess, to allow my husband to rescue as many dogs as his heart would desire, allow me to finally get a kitty for my own, and then for us to throw in a few chickens, a pony (dappled, of course), and a goat named Nan (from one of my absolute favorite movies of all time, Tammy and the Bachelor).
I'm sure glad that dreams don't cost a thing...
It's on just enough land, oh, probably 5-10 acres I would guess, to allow my husband to rescue as many dogs as his heart would desire, allow me to finally get a kitty for my own, and then for us to throw in a few chickens, a pony (dappled, of course), and a goat named Nan (from one of my absolute favorite movies of all time, Tammy and the Bachelor).
I'm sure glad that dreams don't cost a thing...
Friday, October 10, 2008
Tribal love
Um, yeah, sorry about the lapse in blogging lately, or should I say, just not posting quite as often nor quite as much artsy-crafty goodness as all good and faithful blog followers deserve. I shall amend that at once. Er, tomorrow, at once. Er, probably more like tomorrow evening.For now, I'll just give a fast synopsis of the last few days around here: sewing, bird-rescuing (a tale to be told), thrifting (a new venture for me that I think I will be doing more of in the future, fun fun fun!), dice-rolling (hence the lovely Halloween costume pictured above, necessary for the ultimate-in-fun Bunko evening), indie craft show attending, and just general mayhem on the prairie as usual. I promise to return tomorrow with stories. And more pictures.
And just so you know, the costume above should not be taken lightly. I am, in fact, a card-carrying tribal member, don't let the whiter-than-white skin and green eyes fool you. I even got Indian money when I turned 18, can you believe it?! My dad's mother was born in Indian Territory, and I am darn proud to be an Indian princess. And I do believe it might have been the Great Spirit who helped me in my Bunko wins last night, ha!
I'll leave you with an old Cherokee blessing:
May the warm winds of Heaven blow softly on your home,
And the Great Spirit bless all who enter there.
May your mocassins make happy tracks in many snows,
And may the rainbow always touch your shoulder.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Heaven help me.
I finally broke down and started reading Twilight.
Ugh - I could have told you this would happen. I am halfway through the first book in the series, and here I am, immersed up to my eyeballs, barely able to put the dumb book down and get anything else accomplished. The bright side to this is that I am actually looking forward to a movie premiere this winter. Only a few weeks ago I was still horribly bitter about Hollywood's stupid decision to push the next Harry Potter premiere from this coming November all the way to next summer. (Don't even get me started on how stupid that is, with November producing the absolute best chilly and gloomy weather, perfect for Harry-watching.) So now I will be looking forward to this movie instead.
If you'd have asked me anytime sooner, I would have never been interested in anything vampire related. (I know, I know, strange especially coming from a girl who is very much a Harry Potter fan, which isn't all that far off with its wizards, sorcery, etc.)
Ugh - I could have told you this would happen. I am halfway through the first book in the series, and here I am, immersed up to my eyeballs, barely able to put the dumb book down and get anything else accomplished. The bright side to this is that I am actually looking forward to a movie premiere this winter. Only a few weeks ago I was still horribly bitter about Hollywood's stupid decision to push the next Harry Potter premiere from this coming November all the way to next summer. (Don't even get me started on how stupid that is, with November producing the absolute best chilly and gloomy weather, perfect for Harry-watching.) So now I will be looking forward to this movie instead.
If you'd have asked me anytime sooner, I would have never been interested in anything vampire related. (I know, I know, strange especially coming from a girl who is very much a Harry Potter fan, which isn't all that far off with its wizards, sorcery, etc.)
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Glassblowing 101
So last night we had one of the coolest dates ever. Glassblowing. Really.
I had heard that there was a studio in our city, and my initial idea was to do the date for my husband's recent 40th birthday, but alas, the studio is smart and not open during the hottest months of summer. So we instead made reservations for the first Friday night we had free after they opened for the fall, and off we went. I think my husband really had no idea what was in store, but thankfully, he is always up for my wild hairs...
After signing our lives and the lives of our firstborn away on a piece of paper (just kidding on the firstborn bit, but definitely acknowledging the dangerous aspect of standing in front of a 2000+ degree furnace with a metal stick in our hands and how we wouldn't turn around and sue them if we were stupid and got burnt), we were first assigned our safety goggles.
Stylin', eh?
Our instructor was cool, way cool. She asked us what we would like to make, and I, of course, blurted out immediately my desire for a pumpkin, since that is one of the offerings. She explained that pumpkins are not the most fun to make since we can only "assist" on those, but she said she would make us a pumpkin (with my assistance) and then we could each try our hand at a flower, the flower being one of the most fun things to make since there were a lot of steps to it and we could each do the steps ourselves under her watchful eye. All this to say, she was way cool since we would actually be bringing home three glass creations instead of just two (which was specified in the "glassblowing for two" package we had paid for). Yay for us.
On to the glassblowing...
She made us a pumpkin, with my blowing assistance (we all know how much hot air I am full of, haha):
It was a lot harder than you might think to be the assistant and blow the glass. While she was sitting on the bench rolling and shaping the pumpkin, I had to bend over quite low, put my mouth on this metal rod, and blow into a small hole while she was rolling the rod with her hand. The breaths had to be very controlled, and it was hard not to knock your teeth on that metal rod while it was rolling.
Then, the fun really got going. It was time for my husband and I to become glass artisans ourselves. Thankfully she first walked us through the entire process herself, demonstrating as she made a flower. Then she made us practice each and every step without the heat and the glass. This was especially important because as she pointed out, once the human body steps in front of a 2000+ degree furnace, your brain automatically goes into "fight or flight" response and oftentimes forgets all the important things she said to do.
My husband went first, not the easiest task, since he was to be the first guinea pig in experiencing the heat, the glass, etc. My husband is not necessarily a daredevil by any means, so he took it super serious, and I could tell he was apprehensive, especially about possibly burning himself.
And then it was my turn. Believe me when I tell you that the second person to do this has the definite advantage. Watching my husband react to the ultra-hot furnace, seeing how hard it was to keep the rod turning at the right rate and time to keep the glass on the end from falling off, observing the difficulty in pinching the glass to make the petals of the flower, etc., all helped me to have an easier time of it.
The finished products, which I just picked up this afternoon:
My husband's flower --
My flower --
and the pumpkin --
And that, my friends, is the recipe for one of the coolest date nights ever.
I had heard that there was a studio in our city, and my initial idea was to do the date for my husband's recent 40th birthday, but alas, the studio is smart and not open during the hottest months of summer. So we instead made reservations for the first Friday night we had free after they opened for the fall, and off we went. I think my husband really had no idea what was in store, but thankfully, he is always up for my wild hairs...
After signing our lives and the lives of our firstborn away on a piece of paper (just kidding on the firstborn bit, but definitely acknowledging the dangerous aspect of standing in front of a 2000+ degree furnace with a metal stick in our hands and how we wouldn't turn around and sue them if we were stupid and got burnt), we were first assigned our safety goggles.
Stylin', eh?Our instructor was cool, way cool. She asked us what we would like to make, and I, of course, blurted out immediately my desire for a pumpkin, since that is one of the offerings. She explained that pumpkins are not the most fun to make since we can only "assist" on those, but she said she would make us a pumpkin (with my assistance) and then we could each try our hand at a flower, the flower being one of the most fun things to make since there were a lot of steps to it and we could each do the steps ourselves under her watchful eye. All this to say, she was way cool since we would actually be bringing home three glass creations instead of just two (which was specified in the "glassblowing for two" package we had paid for). Yay for us.
On to the glassblowing...
She made us a pumpkin, with my blowing assistance (we all know how much hot air I am full of, haha):
It was a lot harder than you might think to be the assistant and blow the glass. While she was sitting on the bench rolling and shaping the pumpkin, I had to bend over quite low, put my mouth on this metal rod, and blow into a small hole while she was rolling the rod with her hand. The breaths had to be very controlled, and it was hard not to knock your teeth on that metal rod while it was rolling.
Then, the fun really got going. It was time for my husband and I to become glass artisans ourselves. Thankfully she first walked us through the entire process herself, demonstrating as she made a flower. Then she made us practice each and every step without the heat and the glass. This was especially important because as she pointed out, once the human body steps in front of a 2000+ degree furnace, your brain automatically goes into "fight or flight" response and oftentimes forgets all the important things she said to do.
My husband went first, not the easiest task, since he was to be the first guinea pig in experiencing the heat, the glass, etc. My husband is not necessarily a daredevil by any means, so he took it super serious, and I could tell he was apprehensive, especially about possibly burning himself.
And then it was my turn. Believe me when I tell you that the second person to do this has the definite advantage. Watching my husband react to the ultra-hot furnace, seeing how hard it was to keep the rod turning at the right rate and time to keep the glass on the end from falling off, observing the difficulty in pinching the glass to make the petals of the flower, etc., all helped me to have an easier time of it.
The finished products, which I just picked up this afternoon:
My husband's flower --
My flower --
and the pumpkin --
And that, my friends, is the recipe for one of the coolest date nights ever.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Turning my TV back on
Ya'll know I am simply OVER THE MOON with excitement today. Why?, you ask. Well, let me tell you, in case you don't know me as well as you thought you did.
Pushing Daisies returns tonight!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, it's the best show to be on TV in a very long time. It's so different than everything else out there, so much more magical, so Technicolor, so clever. I love everything about it, especially the scenery and the wardrobes. In fact, I pretty much wish I had every outfit that Chuck wears. Seeing her with her cute ponytail also makes me regret chopping my hair, but c'est la vie, right?
What are you waiting for? Go set your DVR!!!
Pushing Daisies returns tonight!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, it's the best show to be on TV in a very long time. It's so different than everything else out there, so much more magical, so Technicolor, so clever. I love everything about it, especially the scenery and the wardrobes. In fact, I pretty much wish I had every outfit that Chuck wears. Seeing her with her cute ponytail also makes me regret chopping my hair, but c'est la vie, right?
What are you waiting for? Go set your DVR!!!
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