Marching To The Beat Of My Own Drum

Time

2012-02-04T10:25:00.000-08:00

Day, Round day

luminous orange in 24 sections

all filled with the same sunny sweetness...

-Octavio Paz

Lepchas Love lament

2012-02-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

I realized the other day that I am literally paying money to become a spinster.

I am a maiden like an unopened bud,
like a pretty supple shuttle,
like a whirling staff.
I am a maiden standing like a twirling spinning thread
like a bright golden tassel standing forlorn behind.
I am a maiden like a tender coiled bud
sung like a sorrowing bird,
loudly lamenting like the tak-mok bird,
I feel sad, very sad.

(Nepalese folk song)

Weaving

2012-01-10T09:17:00.000-08:00

This quarter I am taking my first weaving class. I have put it off partly due to the fact that it is hard to get into and partly due to the fact that I thought I wouldn't like it. I was wrong.
I have only just started and I am already loving it. It is so fascinating to me. There is something so beautiful and meditative about the repetitious motions and the feel of the materials. There are so many different types of weaving around the world and I am assembling a notebook of different styles and artists. Right now I am so amazed by Peruvian Andean weaving. These people, women and men, have a very intricate style that is all done by hand on a backstrap loom. They tie it to a tree or pegs in the ground and go to it. They spin and dye their own yarn and use sticks to make the loom. It has become a very important way to earn money, by selling their work to tourists. The work is incredibly beautiful, especially when you know the labor that went into producing it!

Here is a video of what I am talking about:

Leather working

2012-01-03T12:06:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned I got some leather working tools for Christmas, these are some of the projects I have made since. I made all of these with pretty much just the tools in the picture. I also made use of all my art history text books for weights and some binder clips and glue to hold things together.
A lovely girl in one of my classes was doing a project with leather and it piqued my interest and so I found out what she was using. The sewing awl, which is the second tool from the top is what she was using to sew the leather, which is a bit too thick to send through the sewing machine. I also found a cool video that showed how to do the stitching. Here: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/1216-00.aspx

The first project I made was a cell phone case. In the instructions it said it was for an iphone but it didn't fit my phone which is a lot smaller than an i phone, so I converted it into a card carrier and it works fabulously. I like it because I don't always take the same bag and so I can just grab this and know I have the right cards with me. It is much better than the walmart one I used to have. although it would be nice to incorporate a window to show my ID through.

Next I made a passport holder. I wanted a few easy projects to complete before I started something more challenging. This was easy enough:

Then I finally decided to make a kindle case. I found one online that was just a cover, but I didn't have the elastic to hold in in. I also figured it could easily still come unfolded in a bag and junk could get in next to the kindle so I wanted to make a pouch instead. So I drew up my own plan:

I lined it with some fabric I had dyed in one of my classes by folding a hem down and using spray adhesive to attach it to the leather. After I took the pictures I soaked it in some water and now I am weighing it down to try and get it to bend more easily. I kinda love it.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

2012-01-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like quickly blackening bananas to inspire a muffin recipe. I pulled out my recipe collection and found a recipe for banana bread that I had pulled from a magazine. I of course had to alter it because I can't be satisfied by simply following a recipe as is.
What could be better than banana muffins? CHOCOLATE banana muffins. Yesterday I bought some cashews:

and some almond extract and so I decided to add them to make the muffins even more exciting. Here is my version of the recipe:

Chocolate Banana Muffins Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
1 c. vegetable oil
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 Tblsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract opt. ( I used 1/8 and didn't feel like it was enough)

Beat these all together until light in color and fluffy.
In a seperate small bowl whisk together:

2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa pwd.
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. bkg. soda
1/2 tsp. bkg. pwd
1 tsp. cinnamon

Whisk together until blended then add all at once to wet ingredients. Gently incorporate until just barely mixed. Gently fold in:

3 c. mashed bananas. (about 5 bananas)
1/2 c. chocolate chips (if you want it really chocolatey)

Line two muffin tins with these:

My sister sent me some for Christmas and they are awesome. They stay lovely and the muffins/cupcakes come out nicely. Fill the muffin cups almost all the way to the top. I would say until there is about 1/8" space from the top. That is how they get that nice rounded top. Top with some chopped cashews. I usually will just put them in a sandwich baggie and smash them with the rolling pin until they are broken up.

Bake for 25-30 min. Test with a toothpick. I rotated the pans half way through too.

So incidentally I had some left over batter and I tried cooking it in the microwave. I sprayed the inside of a mug with pam and then poured the left over batter in the mug. I cooked it for a minute and then pulled it out and dumped it out onto a plate. IT WORKED! I've seen mug cakes online before but never quite believed it was really possible. I am here to say it it. The ones cooked in the oven were better but still in a pinch it works.

Christmas Break is Over

2012-01-02T17:09:00.000-08:00

Sorry It has been a while since I posted. I have been keeping myself busy with loads of projects and with work. I don't know if I told you but I work here:

The building is owned by the Scottish Rite, which is a branch of the freemasons. We are the restaurant in the bottom called The Gryphon.

Here are some of my buddies folding napkins.

We serve mostly salads, sandwiches and soup. Everything is pretty good and fresh. Everybody got a little crazy because only a few of us stayed around for the holidays. We all worked a lot of hours and made good money.

Here are some of the projects I've been working on:

Double oven mitts for my friend Leah

Quilt for dad

I made this quilt for my dad for Christmas. He has helped me A LOT this year and I wanted to make him a quilt of his very own. This is the biggest quilt I've ever made. It was a lot of work. I was glad to finally get done and literally went to the post office minutes after I finished the last stitch and took pictures. Luckily it got there in time for Christmas.

I also made some fun stuff for my sister Robin, I didn't get any pictures though. It has been my goal to learn how to read crochet/knitting patterns. Usually I don't have the patience, but I finally did it and made a Bellflower infinity scarf with a complicated stitch. It turned out great and she says she likes it, that makes me feel awesome.

For Christmas I got some leather working tools and some leather. It has been really fun to come up with some projects. There aren't a lot of resources online and so I have had to pretty much start from scratch. Leather working isn't that hard, it is just a matter of having the right tools. Most things made of leather are really expensive, but you can buy leather scrap for relatively cheap. It is kinda exciting to see what comes in the mail. So far I've made a wallet, a passport holder and am in mid process of making a kindle case.

That was my other present, a kindle. I finally gave in and got one because I was reading The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Volume One.

The book is so big it was hurting my hands to read it. Plus if I want to lay on my side when I'm reading it is hard to hold the book. Plus they were only $80. Luckily I found Sherlock Holmes e-books online for free.

The books are really good but are quite different than the movie. Not nearly as violent and sensationalized. We have also been watching the BBC1 TV show Sherlock. Which is AMAZING and I highly recommend it. The first few are on Netflix.

It is a lot more like the book and visually stunning. My favorite is the amazing wallpaper in the scenes. Kinda random but beautiful.

So of course I had to go see the movie:

And I loved it. I want to replicate the Gypsy's outfit and wear it every day. So worth seeing in the theater.

So I guess it was a very merry, Gryphon/Sewing/Leather working/Sherlock Holmes Christmas!

I love U2

2011-11-30T17:49:00.000-08:00

Recently I purchased a little cd player. I haven't really listened to CD's a whole lot since I moved to Savannah. I usually will just listen to internet radio. The only time I really listen to them is in the car but my car stereo doesn't handle burnt cd's too well. So as I was working on projects today I pulled some cd's out that I haven't listened to in a while and it brought a flood of memories back.

Such a good song!

I had a friend that introduced me to U2. He burned me a couple cds and they got me through some pretty tough times. Listening to them today reminded me of him and about how far I have come since those dark days. It is amazing how listening to music from your past can be like visiting an old friend. Some songs will always bring me back to certain times and events in my life.

Projects Projects Projects!

2011-11-19T08:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the projects I've been working on this quarter:

Sultan Slippers

I developed the pattern, made the felt and then sewed them together

Hand Dyed Silk Bow tie, Ascot, and Matching Pocket Squares

I shibori dyed the silk and the developed the patterns for the tie and ascot.

Hand Dyed Silk Wraps

These are large wraps that are lined. They are also shibori dyed and then stitched together.

Coordinating Sewing Kits

This was my three of a kind project. The sewing kits are made with a lovely wool fabric that was donated to the school. I also used fabric from my stash and some that had been donated by a teacher. In total I spent $3 on buttons. I love a bargain.

Now you know why I haven't been blogging regularly. :)

Goodbye Tree

2011-11-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

The giant tree in our front yard has been dropping branches every time there is a storm for a while now. It was mostly dead and so our landlords decided to get rid of it before something bad happens. We weren't sure when they were coming, until one day I came home and found lumberjacks in my front yard!

For every two guys working there has to be four standing around.

It is really weird having the tree gone. It does let a lot more light in the house, I wonder if it will make it hotter in the house during the summer? If you know anything about me, you know that I like industrial equipment. I was like a little kid when I was watching the stump grinder, it was awesome.

Crabbing

2011-10-15T16:21:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I get this text that today we would be going crabbing at three o'clock. I had no idea what this would entail, having never been crabbing before, but I needed to get out of the house and was ready for some adventure. And besides how often do you get to say you are going crabbing?

So I drive out to the island and make my way down an old gravel lane to find a house tucked back in beneath the palm trees. This is the house of the Collins. They are the couple that are assigned to the young single adults. They have a long pathway that leads right out into the marsh and at the end is a dock. Tied to the dock are some crab traps. You tie a piece of chicken in the middle of the trap and then lower it into the water. Every so often you check the traps by pulling them quickly out of the water so if there is a crab inside, it doesn't get away.

Then you have to figure out how to get the crab out of the trap and into the bucket without him clawing your hand off. Sister Collin's employed the use of her sandal and he did not want to let go. We caught a few and then it started to slow down and so we went back up to the house with our catch.

The crabs are kept alive until you boil them to death in a mess of boiling water and old bay seasoning. They turn red when cooked and then are dumped out on the table. I don't know how I feel about cracking through something's exoskeleton to eat its guts but I plunged ahead undaunted. Like my father says, it is a whole lot of work for a little bit of meat. Sister Collin's showed me how to crack it open, scrape off the lungs and get rid of the yucky stuff. I could tell they were old pros at crab eating. I have to admit they were pretty good with some cocktail sauce.

It was a lovely time. I didn't hurt that we had walnut brownies with chocolate frosting for dessert either.

Savannah Greek Festival

2011-10-14T16:48:00.000-07:00

I've spent so much time just trying to get through the day, I haven't done any thing fun lately. Until today. I am feeling great! Okay so by great I mean good enough to wake up early (9 am) and work on homework. Most days I wake up feeling okay, hack up my lungs, and then want to go back to bed. Okay enough of the graphic stuff.

Today I went to Greek Fest with my friend Deanna and her family.
It was so nice to get out of the house and do something that isn't school related. Also on the plus side, the weather is AMAZING.
The Greek Festival is a yearly celebration of all things Greek at the local Greek Orthodox Church. It includes food, dancing, stuff to buy, and music. I've always wanted to go and have never had the chance. We went early to beat the dinner rush and I am sure glad we did, apparently the line stretches out to the parking lot. We got right in.
I got a Gyro and some Baklava, both were delicious. While we were eating dinner there was a band playing some traditional Greek music. The man on the mandolin? was amazing!

My friend Deanna has the cutest kids, here are some shots of her daughter at a church we walked by on the way back to the car.

Pneumonia

2011-10-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

So school started again and of course blogging dropped off. Finding balance, that is always the hard part. Last week I started to feel really ill and so I bit the bullet and went to urgent care. I am 29 years old and I do not have health insurance. The school's "health center" isn't much more than a community health center with useless hours. So I went to an urgent care center suggested by one of my professors. $90 later, which may I suggest is way less than I would pay for health insurance, it was determined that I had a temperature of 102 degrees and most likely pneumonia. It is no joke. It is the the number 7 killer in the U.S. I am still getting over it, slowly. At least I didn't have to go to the hospital, which I probably wouldn't have.

The hard part isn't the illness, it is the keeping up with the school work and worrying about how the bills will get paid at the end of the month, which fast approaches. This week is midterms and projects stop for no man.

I am currently working on making Three Of A Kind in my studio production class. I have to make three products with branding and packaging. I'm thinking about making sewing kits. They need to be something sell-able, not just a craft.
In 3-D fibers we are felting. Felting is fun, unless you have a deadline and are coughing up blood... Shouldn't be too bad.
Asian Art History midterm tomorrow. Six essays on neolithic Chinese culture, Shang Dynasty pottery, etc. etc. Should be a breeze, I should go study now...

I want to be the girl with the most cake

2011-09-17T11:39:00.001-07:00

I'm Alive!

2011-09-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

Have you ever done something just to feel the danger, or to feel alive?

I like to make a lot of excuses about why I can't do potentially dangerous things.
Like:

It is against my personal code of ethics
I don't strap things to my feet that give me questionable balance
I don't have health insurance
I can't
I don't want to
I don't want to look stupid
I'm not good at that
I'm not the type of person who does those kind of things.

It is a load of crap.

Sometimes I feel like this:

I have felt rash at times though. Like I was just going to go insane if I didn't do something different. Lately I have sort of felt asleep. I need rash, I need crazy, I need out on a limb. Being poor, lazy and afraid doesn't help. It has pretty much made me stop doing everything. Luckily school just started and has made me see the world differently.

My current art history professor made a point to tell us the first day that the main purpose of art is

Survival

Without art we just become beasts. We must create.

Here is a list of things I do to feel alive

Drive with the windows down and the music turned loud
Dance without abandon
Walk/drive down a new road
Paint
Watch movies in the theater
Go see really good live music
Dive into the swimming pool
Talk to strangers
Smile without it being false
Laugh without it being false
Take pictures of amusing things
Cry and feel pain
Design and make new projects
Make food for other people
Sing at the top of my lungs
Play games with friends
Chats with girlfriends
Playing outside at night (corn maze, capture the flag, night hikes, etc)
Listen to really really good music over and over
Teach someone something
Love

Do you believe in magic?

2011-09-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

What comes to mind when someone uses the phrase prolonging the magic?

Often you hear people refer to a certain stage of a relationship the "honeymoon phase." People are so enamored with each other that they don't see each other's faults and they are all giggly and annoying to everyone else. When I think of prolonging the magic it makes me think of working very hard to keep things fun and exciting, whether in relationships or anything else. It is so easy to get caught up in depression and negativity. Why can't we always see things for what they really are, a blessing?

It is truly magic to maintain a correct perspective and recognize and enjoy the wonders of this life and all that we have been given.

The Purpose of Life: What makes Mormon's different.

2011-09-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

The next question on my list is Describe your note-taking style and habits. Okay that is uber boring. Why would anyone want to read about that. um I write the subject in bold and then bullet point everything else. BO-Ring. so I am going right to the next one, which is about as juicy as it gets.

Do you believe that we are all here for a reason? What might the reason be?

That is like the question of all questions. And I just happen to know the answer! YES, we are here for a reason. There are many reasons why we are here on earth, in this life. First off, we fought to be here. In the pre-existence there was a war between the followers of Satan's plan and Christ's plan. Satan wanted to force everyone to be good and receive all the glory himself. Christ wanted to give people agency and then give the glory to God. Satan and his followers lost that battle and they lost their chance to come to earth to gain a body.

Coming to earth to gain a body is important because it is the only way to make certain covenants with our father. Such as being baptized, our Endowments, and being sealed together for time and all eternity.

This earth life is a test. Our Father in Heaven gave us bodies and our agency to choose. He has also given us tests to see what we will do with this agency. Will you choose good or will you choose evil? How will you treat your fellow man? How will you treat yourself? He sent us to earth with a built in support system. This is your family. The family is the most important unit on earth. We are here to care for each other, help each other grow, and learn to love others. Don't you want that for eternity?

I know that I was sent to earth to gain a body, to be tested through trials so that I may grow, to learn as much as possible, to get baptized, to find an eternal companion, get married in the temple and to have a family. I am here to choose good over evil so that some day I can return to live with my Father in Heaven once again.

My new roommate told me the other day that she had never met a Mormon before and she wanted to know what made us different. I thought to myself, what doesn't make us different?! There are a lot of cultural and doctrinal things that make us different, but I think this, the fact that we know the true meaning of life. This is what makes us the most different of all.

Ghosts

2011-08-31T09:46:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a ghost?

I don't think I have ever seen a ghost. I do believe they exist though. I believe that they have power if you give them power. There are too many stories for it to not have some relevance. Savannah is supposed to be one of the most haunted cities in the nation. There are a number of Ghost Tours in town. Even one that hauls people around in a converted hearse. I think most of these outfits are successful because of really good story telling. People will believe what they want to believe.
I don't like ghost hunting shows, I think they are dumb. You can create just about anything on T.V. so how do we know that any of that is real. To a certain extent I think that inviting the spirits to join you is like saying, "Hey Satan let's hang out!" Now that is just dumb. You are asking for it when you invite him to play. On the other hand I do like to hear a good ghost story.

Regrets

2011-08-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

List your biggest regrets:

Not getting to know my mother as an adult
Going to beauty school
Spending time in Roswell New Mexico instead of going to Carlsbad Caverns.
Not applying myself more in High School
Telling myself all my life that I can't do things
Getting wrapped up in what Kenny and Clayton thought about me, and letting it affect how I thought about myself.
Judging other people as "too cool" or "snobby" instead of just being friends right away
My inability to maintain friendships or stay in touch with people
Eating too many packs of Ramen and hot dogs with cheese on them when I was a pre-teen.
Getting into too much debt
Buying a house
Caring too much about not caring
Not learning how to believe in myself

I read too much

2011-08-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

What was the title of the last book you read?

I read A LOT. I pretty much spend all my time watching movies, cooking, reading and crafting. Last week for instance I read like four books. Okay so let me see what book did I read last...

It is a really funny book about an average girl who gets freaked out on a flight and tells a random stranger all of her secrets. He ends up being the guy who began the company she works for and drama ensues. It is a quick read and is quite amusing in parts.

I am currently reading:

It is the third book in the series. The other books are called Uglies, Pretties, and Others. So far I have really liked the series but I'm not sure about this book. It follows a character named Tally Youngblood. She has kinda become one of the bad guys in this one and I don't like it. We will see how it turns out. I recommend the series if you like Scifi/Fantasy, it is pretty good.

Autumn

2011-08-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

What is your favorite season, and why?

My oh my I love Autumn!

Ok so we don't really get Autumn at the normal time in Savannah. It happens in November, sort of.

Here is a list of things I love about Autumn:
Goodies baked with Pumpkin
Beautiful color changing leaves
Cooler weather
Layers!
Sweaters!
Pants!
Picking Apples and making things with them
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Back To School
No more mosquitoes or sand gnats

Mostly right now I am looking forward to not having a constant flow of sweat profusely coming from my body at all times!

Sling Bag

2011-08-22T11:46:00.000-07:00

I have been on a hunt for quite some time for a tutorial to make a certain type of bag. I didn't know what it was called specifically, I just knew what it looked like. I finally thought I found one but the link was dead, because that person was now selling the pattern. Through my searching I finally figured out they are called sling bags. I knew it couldn't be hard to make but I wanted to see how they were put together and get a usable pattern. I finally found a tutorial that would work! On a blog called Crap I've Made.
Of course I couldn't just make a simple bag I had to make it patchwork. Mostly because I didn't have large pieces of fabric that I wanted to use, also because I have lot scraps. Anyway after much furtive working it is at last finished.

The inside is lined with some leftover fabric from my cushion project. I added a pocket for my celly and wallet. The strap is just barely long enough so I think I will lengthen it next time.

Back to The Business of Daily Random Info About Me

2011-08-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

Name one thing you have always been good at doing.

Baking Goodies

I swear I would weigh about 30 lbs less if I could stop making and consuming so many goodies. It is a family tradition, no, need to make a treat. Sometimes I make them from scratch sometimes I use a mix. Last night for instance, I was on a mission to make a treat. We asked my new roommate if she was interested and she asked if I could bake. Oh really? Can I? I am not saying that I am so amazing I should start my own bakery but I was called Beckyhomecky once and I bear the name proudly. So, with some help from my other roommate and Duncan Hines this is what we came up with:

This

Plus This

Vanilla bean specks are very important!

And because the box does not include the yummy looking icing, we made our own; which is way better than the kind at the store in a questionable squeezy pack.

So,

This as well:

Made into this:

Hot Fudge Sauce

1 can evaporated milk

1 Bag Chocolate Chips (minus a few samples)

1 Tbs Butter

1 Tsp Vanilla

1/2 C. Sugar

Mix evap. milk, sugar, and chocolate chips in a saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil while constantly stirring to avoid scorching the chocolate. Take off heat once it comes to a boil and stir in butter and vanilla. Mix well and cool for 10 minutes. Store it in the fridge if you don't immediately cow it down. Which you might because it is delicious and so worth the work.

All equals deliciousness and really lets be honest, quite a bit better than the inaptly named "Better than Sex Cake" which I've never really like anyway.

On a mostly random side note, my roommates do not know the wonder of Sweet and Condensed milk. I will need to remedy this, and soon.

Well I went on Vacation and...

2011-08-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

So I was doing really well at posting almost every day and then I went on vacation:

Where I did things like travel six days for three days of stress and illness filled family time. I did also get to go to a casino, see an Asian man in white swim trunks, climb into a tree, poop in the woods, see the salt flats, eat lots of ice cream cones, watch a seal to tricks, cry and run away and go to a soccer game. Just for the record, Burger King ice cream cones are better than McDonald ice cream cones.

I don't want to wait in vain for your love

2011-07-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

What was the longest amount of time you have spent waiting in line for something? What was it, and was it worth the wait.

Let me just say I hate waiting. I am not a big fan of standing in line for anything so I don't have any I waited in line for two days to see David Bowie in concert stories. I do have three relatively short wait in line stories.

I did wait in line to see Harry Potter once. I don't remember which one it was prob 2 or 3. It was the midnight showing and there was a costume contest and such. I only remember one guy in a Hagrid costume that was amazing. The movie was pretty much ruined by the couple sitting in front of us making out the whole time.

Another time I waited in line in the rain forever to get fresh hot pumpkin doughnuts. Every year around harvest time we would trek up to Greenbluff Washington to pick apples, pick out pumpkins from the pumpkin patch and get yummy food. The pumpkin doughnuts are amazing. You eat them literally right off the line, delicious. So worth the wait. We even made friends in the line.

One season of American Idol I got together with my friends every night and watched the show. We had fun and made it a social event. Well when the season ended my friends and I decided to go to the concert. I am by no means a big American Idol follower. I think I have only followed about two seasons out of the million that there has been. I figured it would be fun to go and see the people we followed all season. I was a little nervous that it would suck and I would have a crappy time and all that money would be a waste. The tickets were like $90 and we had to drive to Tacoma for the show. Anyway the show ended up being loads of fun. Other than the part where I almost threw down with some lady who was letting her daughters stand on the chairs in front of us. Afterwards we noticed people were waiting off to the side for autographs. We waited for what seemed like FOREVER for them to come out, but finally they did and we were able to get a few autographs and take some pictures of the people we had been watching on TV. It turned out to be pretty fun and so worth it.

Daily Routine

2011-07-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Describe you daily routine when you get out of bed in the morning.

1. Check my phone to see what time it is.
2. Go to the bathroom.
3. Read my Book of Mormon.
4. Sit and stare into space.
5. Get dressed or shower and get dressed depending on the day.
6. Eat breakfast
7. Stare into space some more.
8. Decide what I am going to do with my day.

Celebrity Crush

2011-07-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

Name a celebrity or famous person you wish would take you out on a date.
I think this calls for another hot guy blog:

Just kidding, seriously now:

I love Rupert Grint, I think he is way funny and hot. It would be way fun to go on a date with him. I even had a dream once that we were dating. It was fun except when him and Emma Roberts kept talking about HP like it was real.

Here are the runners up:

Shia LaBeouf not too shabby

Ryan Gosling, only if he kisses me in the rain

Ethan Embry, ever since Empire Records love love love

N. P. H. love him, don't care if he bats for the other team

Ryan Reynolds, enough said just look at the picture

Travels

2011-07-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

Write about a recent adventure or travels.
Well I haven't had any recent ones but I do have one coming up!
Next weekend I am going to perhaps drive perhaps take a train to Charleston South Carolina to catch a plane to Chicago to catch a plane to Salt Lake City! Where I am going to spend time with friends and family. My sister Robin is going to pick me up and then we are going to play. I am going to a soccer game with my friend Justin and I am going to visit my cousin Michelle and some more of my family. Then on Monday I am going to California for a family reunion. We are going to stop in Reno for some fun times and then proceed to Cali. I am super excited to get to spend a week with my family, I do love them a lot. I want to fly kites and eat food and tell stories and see nieces and nephews. Then I will reverse order and come home. Boo. I am super excited to get out of Savannah for a while.

Home Sweet Home

2011-07-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

Describe the longest amount of time you have ever been away from home.

I don't know the longest time ever, but it has been 8 months since I've been home this time and I really miss it.

I am from a small town in Washington State, my dad still lives there with my brother, his wife, and their son. I live all the way across the country in Georgia. So needless to say I don't get home very often.

Here is what I miss:

Watching animated movies with my dad on his 57"
Putting whatever food I want in the cart because I know my dad doesn't look at the cost

Access to free fruit and nuts from our orchard

Congregating on my dad's bed while someone is on the computer in his room

Talking to my brother about his latest project

Going to see the garden

Dinner and Game night at the Patersons

Going into town

Making Chocolate Chip Cookies for an appreciative family

Playing Uno

Planning crazy meals that usually involve Filipeano food or a smoker

Nieces and Nephews

Scriptures and Prayers

Canning peaches and/or jam

Visiting my friends in town

Everything is so much simpler at home.

Dark as Night

2011-07-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

Are you afraid of the dark? Why or Why not?

I in fact am not afraid of the dark and will walk through a dark house quite easily. Sometimes I will freak myself out, especially if I have seen a scary movie lately, but not too bad.
I am always turning the lights out for other people and movies are much better in the dark. I don't know why I am not afraid. I guess I just have faith that everything will be alright.

Oh the sweetest thing

2011-07-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

Quote the nicest thing anyone has ever said about you.

I'm sure there have been some really great things said about me, it is so hard to remember them all!

hardy har har ar egh cough cough....

anyway...

I do remember being very flattered once when my roommate told me that a cute boy said that I really pretty eyes.

It is too bad I cover them up with glasses all the time.
I also really like it when people tell me I'm funny and that they like me because I say what I am thinking.

The air the air

2011-07-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

What is the one thing you cannot live without?

Well of course there are the obvious answers. Air, water, food, shelter.
Family of course! I have the security of knowing that even if they or I die, we will be with each other again for eternity. So they don't really count for this list.

But what are the dumb things that I love, that I could probably live without but don't want to?
Here is a list:

#1. Rilla
I got this gorilla when I was a kid and I have pretty much slept with him ever since. I think he has held up pretty well for 20+years. I tried putting him away and learning to sleep without him but it didn't last so long.

#2. My down comforter (magenta duvet Rilla is sitting on)
If you have never slept with a down comforter, you do not know what you are missing. They are so amazing. Mine has just about lost all its feathers and is kinda lumpy but I still love it. I even sleep with it in the summer when it is a billion degrees because I love it so much.

#3. My worn out, marked up, much loved, Book of Mormon. I have been reading this copy at night for years! When I try to read out of other copies it is difficult because this one has everything marked, even where the chapters are on the side. (That is what those markings are) I even wrote a very short summary on the top of just about every set of pages. All of the references to Deity are marked in Yellow. I love this book.

#4. My Lappy
I pretty much live on this thing. If I'm not blogging, checking facebook, email, etc. I am listening to music or watching netflix. Best Graduation Present Ever. I will be sad when she finally calls it quits.

#5. Aveeno face products
I love them. I had bad acne for years and years until I started using Aveeno. This face wash in particular has been nice. I tried Pro-Active and hated it, then I tried Aveeno and LOVED it. It doesn't matter which kind, but I usually use the calming because my skin is crazy. I particularly love that it has an spf in it.

#6. My manky old box of bobby pins.
I don't even know how long I've had this thing. If I were to guess I would say probably about 10 years. It has traveled, let me tell ya and there are still quite a few bobby pins in there. I have chronically short hair and am always in need of a bobby pin or two, so this comes quite in handy. I say if you are a bobby pin user, splurge and get the box at sallys and you will never be in need. It doubles as a nice holder for your tweezers as well. Which by the way, you should also invest in a really good pair, you won't regret it.

#7. A good book.
I always need a good book I can read and unwind. I like to read right before I go to bed. It is a little rediculous but I really like reading children's science fiction/fantasty. Such as Harry Potter, Fablehaven, Chronicles of Narnia, etc. Right now I am reading The Mysterious Benedict Society and it is pretty good.

#8. Eggs
Scrambled, fried, boiled, I love it. I would probably eat them for breakfast every day if I could. ooh with ketchup on it!

#9. Cell Phone
Okay not so much for talking, I don't do a lot of that. I mostly use it as a clock and a calculator. I also text a bit too. I always say it is just an expensive alarm clock. I would hate to not have it in an emergency though so I can't rationalize getting rid of it.

#10. A good set of pans
Okay so I don't know how people get through this world without knowing how to cook. It is unfathomable to me. In order to do some good cooking you need good pans. Enough said.

My first Job

2011-07-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

Describe your first job:

I have had a great many jobs in my short life, but my first official job was at the West Richland Library as a page.

It was my job to organize the books that came in from the book drop and then put them back on the shelves in order. My mother worked as a librarian and she was the one that got me the job. I got to learn the dewy decimal system pretty well but I wasn't allowed to talk to people. Now if you know me at all you know that was torture. To pass the time I would have imaginary friends. Okay so they were real people, regulars that came to the library, but I wasn't actually friends with them. There was this one guy who I had a crush on that came every so often in his scout uniform. I always would watch for him, but not once did I ever talk to him. To this day I find myself wanting to re-shelve mis-shelved books.

weeeeeelllllll

2011-07-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

What is the most annoying sound you have ever heard?

I really hate it when people draw out there vowels to excessive lengths. I used to work next to a woman who would talk like that all the time.
"Oooooh Iiiiiim soooo sooooryyy thaaat iiiiis toooo baaaaaad."
I wanted to strangle her.

T-shirt Scrap bracelet/headband

2011-07-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a really cool tutorial on how to make a 5-strand braid headband:

Make it and Love it

This blog has a lot of really cool projects that are affordable and super easy. I recommend you check it out.

I have a freakish head that will have nothing to do with headbands. If I put them on they pop right off, so I decided to alter the pattern to make a cool bracelet.

I really like the 5-strand braid. I am thinking about trying it with different materials.

Tomorrow

2011-07-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

What's on your calendar for tomorrow?

First I will probably read and think about working on projects.

Then, I am going to work at 4 p.m. at Churchill's Pub in the split section, which means I am first cut.

I will then come home and watch:

So You Think You Can Dance!

Who is my favorite, you may ask?

Not too shabby

Who do I think will win?

What are your predictions? Favorites? Least Favorites?

I pretty much cringe every time I see Jess Leprotto. He totally creeps me out. Is he a good dancer? Yes. Does he have totally creepy facial expressions? Yes.

Found

2011-07-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

One time when we were kids my brother lost his jacket on the playground. My mother told him to go to the lost and found and if he didn't find his own jacket, to pick out one he liked.
What a funny thing to say.

Name something you found; what was it and where did you find it?

Cushions. One day I was walking to school and someone had set couch cushions, without covers, next to their garbage cans. I almost walked on past them, but not to let an opportunity pass I had to go back. Upon close inspection they were in pretty good shape and so I shoved them in the trunk of my car. They lived in the trunk for a while and then in our garage. Last quarter I ended up using them in a project for my Quilting class. They turned out great!

Alone

2011-07-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

Describe a time you felt alone.

Please refer to this blog Fear Factor.
That was last week though and I am feeling much better now.
Sometimes I really like being alone. It is nice to have the house to yourself and do whatever you want and not have to answer so anybody. I can watch a cheesy Disney movie and not receive any flack.
I do however also love attention, and chats, and laughing hard with friends. Like that time Tancy and I tried on Annie's wedding dress. That was fun.

Peachadoodle

2011-07-03T16:36:00.000-07:00

So never quite satisfied with Peach Cobbler I have created my own recipe.

Peachadoodle

I threw a handful of blueberries in this one!

First make Snickerdoodle cookie dough

1/2 c butter (softened)

1 c. sugar

1/4 tsp bkg soda

1/4 tsp cream of tarter

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. flour

Beat butter for 30 seconds. Add sugar, bkg soda, and cream of tarter. Beat until combined. Scrape sides of bowl and beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour and stick dough in the fridge for 10-15 min, while you prepare the peaches.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Next you slice 5 cups of fresh peaches:

Boil water in a deep saucepan

Stick peach in with a slotted spoon for about 5 seconds.

Pull out and carefully cut with a paring knife around the circumference,

pull the peel off and pull the pit out. Cut in slices, removing the weird junk in the middle.

Toss sliced peaches with 2 Tbl. of sugar and pour into a baking dish (9x13).

Top the peaches with bits of the cookie dough and sprinkle with a mixture of:

1Tbl Sugar

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

Dash of nutmeg, ginger, cloves

Bake at 375 uncovered for 30-35 minutes.

Serve with icecream

BFF

2011-07-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

Write about the last time you spoke to your best friend. What did you talk about?

I have a lot of best friends, all over the country. I would have to say my very best friend is my sister Robin. We totally understand each other and we are very similar. When she came to visit me my roommates were blown away by how much we sounded a like. We get along most of the time, but because we are so similar we tend to get annoyed by each other really quickly. Luckily we get over it just as fast. I love her because she knows exactly how I am feeling and we can easily relate to each other. We speak the same language. I think my favorite thing about Robin is the fact that when we get tired and silly we laugh really hard, which we call slappy, and we can't contain ourselves. I think really good friends need to be able to laugh really hard together.

Our last conversation was minutes ago, and we talked about food. About how she participated in a rib eating contest (Awesome!) and about peach cobbler variations. One of our favorite things to do is to make a treat. We are also both very excited about our upcoming family reunion and what kinds of dishes we are going to make.
I love my sister Robin!

Magic Thingamijig

2011-07-02T09:15:00.000-07:00

If you invented a device that could fix one problem you are facing right now, would you use it?
What problem would you like to solve?

Other than the obvious -a machine that gives me more money,
I would invent a machine that clears my mind and makes me motivated to do more.
I am plagued with laziness. I get tired of doing things and then quit. I wish I could push through
the lack of desire I have to do the actual doing of things and make things happen. I have a lot of time on my hands and I just sit around and watch TV or surf the net or read.
It seems like this is possible without a machine, I just have to figure it out and do it.
Hmmm..
Early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise
Maybe I should try that.

I would also like a nice set of noise blocking wireless headphones that are sleek enough that you could lay on them. I like to wear headphones to sleep on the airplane or when I watch netflix and it would be nice if they were more comfortable.

Everything is going to be FINE

2011-07-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

Describe a time in your life when everything turned out fine, despite the odds.
Okay so that is like, ALWAYS. Everything generally turns out fine. I always seem to forget this though, when the going gets tough. This is a nice post to follow up the depressing one from earlier this week.

So I'm going to talk about my family reunion last summer. It went so well that I was amazed. It could have been all fights, people getting lost, kids running away, somebody getting hurt but instead it was super fun and amazing. Pretty much my whole family from my Dad's side showed up and we had a blast. We all met at a huge lodge in Utah, that had plenty of space for everybody, and everybody got along. I love my family, but when we get together somebody is always offending somebody else, somebody gets their feelings hurt, and then the rest of us mummer and gossip about it the whole time. This didn't happen! It was amazing. Everybody helped out and we had a great time. It helped that there was a lot of space and things to do. Plus a lot of us hadn't seen each other for years so there was a lot of catching up to do.

The funnest day playing in the rain

Grandpa Willis

Dad, roastin' the pig

Shotgun Shooting

I truly felt like this was as close as I was going to get to the Celestial Kingdom, here on earth. This summer I have another family reunion with just my Family and I am really looking forward to it. Also they plan to continue the tradition of having a large family reunion next year too. I am so glad because I love my family.

Good People

2011-07-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

Name one thing you feel brings out the good in people.

Natural Disasters

There is nothing like a natural disaster to bring out the best in people.

Volunteers, Donations, Concerts, Quilting Circles, Cutting up trees with chainsaws,

Toiletry kits, Clothing, Canned food drive, Clean up, the list goes on.

I feel like we will be seeing a whole lot more of that in the coming future.

So get ready.

Fear Factor (depressing blog alert)

2011-06-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

Write about your greatest fears.

My greatest fear is that I will never find someone who loves me. They say whatever blessings you don't receive in life, you will have the opportunity to experience it in the after life, but that doesn't keep me from being scared about it.
I am 29 years old and I have not once had a boyfriend, not once had someone who I liked like me back, not once been truly kissed, not once had someone pursue me. At least not enough so, that I actually knew about it. I try to figure it out in my head, try to find a reason. None of them are good. I am ugly, I am rude, I am annoying, I am fat. I am scared.
I don't think I am ugly, mostly, but every single time I have ever shared my feelings of liking someone with them, they have told me they aren't attracted to me. Now to "protect" myself I am rude to guys before they even have a chance to be rude to me. Maybe if I reject them first than I will be okay. Then if I do actually like someone I go to overboard with the asking them to come over and feeding them bit. The ignore them and they will come running bit never works for me.
The only guys that have liked me enough to make it known are nonmember guys. Great guys, but never the kind that could take me to the temple. What is wrong with me that not a single member guy has ever liked me? The fact that I live in Georgia doesn't really help either, due to the lack of good guys my age.
I do have faith that someday it will happen, due to the fact that it says so in my patriarchal blessing. The day to day waiting and worrying isn't that much easier though.

What if by the time I get married I am too old to have kids? What if I never get to have kids? What if when I have them I can't handle it? What if one of them dies and I can't handle it? What if my spouse dies?

What if I am never financially secure? Will I always be poor and in debt?

What if I have a horrible disease and I don't know about it or treat it because I don't have health insurance? Most of my days I have hives of varying degree. It makes me groggy. It makes me itch. It makes my joints sore. It makes my hands and feet burn. I am tired most of the time and lack enthusiasm. I don't know what causes them, stress?, I don't know how to effectively treat them. Benadryle helps but mostly makes me so sleepy I can't function. If I go to the doctor they poke me, say they don't know what is going on and give me ineffective and expensive medicines.

Most days I am hanging by a string. I live pretty much from day to day. If anything really bad happened I would be finished. I have faith that Heavenly Father loves me, but that doesn't mean he is going to make everything roses for me.

I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger

2011-06-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

Write about something you know now that you wish you knew earlier in life. How could this knowledge have helped you?

First off I have to say that that picture is pretty epic.
This is another hard one. It is so hard to say if I would've done things differently I'd be any happier.

I kinda wish I would have known that I wouldn't like doing hair and it held no future for me. I guess it is a good skill to have, but if I would've gone to college right away I could have a profitable profession right now and health insurance. Rather than desperately scraping to get my bills paid every month.

I wish I would've cared more about my grades and which classes I took in high school rather than popularity nonsense.

I wish I would've known that the economy was going to tank and that I was going to go to Art School and then I wouldn't have bought a house.

oh la la, what will I know in the future, that I wished I knew now?

Before It Is Too Late

2011-06-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

Describe 5 things you want to see or do before it's too late.

I love bucket lists. I always find myself wanting to write things I've already done though. I used to have a good one and then I think I got mad and threw it away one day. I even started a life list journal once where I was going to write about everything as a crossed it off the list. Yeah that didn't go far. Most of the things on my list are just places I want to travel to. Let's see if I can narrow it down.

1. Get married to the man I love in the temple and start an eternal family.

2. Become financially stable.

3. Travel the world. Turkey's whirling dervishes, India's holi festival, NYC, Backpack in Europe, Paris, etc.

4. Visit the major art museums, Louvre, Met, Moma, Albert and Victoria, etc.

5. Spend more time with my family.

Just can't get this song outta my head!

2011-06-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

What song was stuck in your head recently, and what were you doing at the time that made you think of it?

Okay well I haven't had a song stuck in my head for a long time. So I don't really have an answer to this question. I was humming Families Can Be Together Forever at work the other day because I was in a sour mood and felt like nobody liked me. I ended up having a great night because I went around helping every body when I didn't have anything else to do. I even made good money.

There is one song that I hate that always gets stuck in my head if I hear it. It is that horrible Katie Perry, I kissed a girl song. Irritating. I have to sing primary songs just to get it to go away.

My biggest mistake

2011-06-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

What was the worst mistake or decision you have ever made in life? What could you have done differently?

This is a hard one. I think our mistakes are obviously annoying but are also opportunities to learn from. However here are some things I wish I had done or would do differently:

I wish I wouldn't have been so immature when my mother died.
I wish I could believe in myself more
I wish I wasn't as selfish
I wish that I was more willing to serve others
I wish I was friendlier
I wish I wouldn't have trusted Master Cuts to "trim" my hair (worst haircut ever)
I wish I would've taken pepto bismal with me to Manila
I wish I was able to see my family more often
I wish I was nicer to men and so they would want to date me
I wish I would work harder
I wish I would've made more effort to know my grandparents

Wow that list is longer than I thought...

My First Kiss

2011-06-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

Write about your first kiss. Was it everything you wished or hoped it would be?

Ha ha this one is sort of funny and mostly sad.
So I have never really had a "first kiss" I have however been kissed on the mouth by a guy I had a mad crush on. Here is the rather anticlimactic story:
I had this big crush on this guy. We will call him Dale, because that is his name. We were all at a young single adult dance and Dale, my roommate Jen, and I were dancing along. A song came on and Dale said,
"I will kiss whoever knows who sings this song!"
And then of course I said,
"Isn't this Eric Clapton?"
Sure enough Dale grabbed my face and planted a kiss right on my lips, after just a minor bit of hesitation on my part. Luckily I didn't read into it too much. I did however go immediately and tell my friend and roommate Rachel. She didn't believe me. I just laughed about it and the dance went on as normal.
Later that night or the next day, I don't remember which, Rachel told me that after the dance Dale announced that he had kissed me. At which point she told him I was VL. (virgin lips). He couldn't believe it.
We never talked about it again. I look back on it as mostly a funny incident.

Pretty sure the incident happened at this dance, note Dale in the striped polo

I would say that no, that is not what I wished or hoped my first kiss would be. But it is a lot better than it could have been. I suppose it doesn't even count.

What I want to do

2011-06-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

Name one thing you always wanted to do, but haven't. What has prevented you from doing it?

I have always wanted to ride in a hot air balloon. Marriage proposal in a hot air balloon: automatic yes.
Why I haven't done it? Lack of access and cash I suppose. It is not every day that you happen upon someone offering free hot air balloon rides. Definitely want to do that before I die.

Robert Frost

2011-06-22T21:07:00.000-07:00

Robert Frost wrote a poem titled The Road Not Taken. Name a road you've always wanted to travel. Where do you hope it takes you, and what might you see on the way?

I have always wanted to travel to Europe. I had a big fascination with Italy for a while, then Turkey, and now Spain. Really I want to see it all. I have done a lot of arm chair traveling and travel within the United States. It is my goal to be a really good traveler. I want to be able to just go with the flow, sleep anywhere, and be able to enjoy any situation as part of the adventure. I'm not very good at this yet, since whenever I get hungry or tired (which happens a lot when you are traveling) I get super cranky.
Anyway. In Spain I want to see the Alhombra which is/was a mosque with amazing tile work.

I also would love to see Santiago de Compostela. This church supposedly holds the relic of St. James and a major pilgrimage site.
I would like to go to Turkey to see the Blue Mosque and the whirling dervishes.
I think it would be super fun to just backpack with Europe. Maybe as a honeymoon someday. Start in England and just work our way down to Turkey, riding trains and staying in hostels. How fab.

Something about me

2011-06-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

What is one thing nobody knows about you because nobody ever cared to ask?

That is a hard one because I like attention and so I tell everybody everything. I don't know if there is anything that nobody knows about me. I can think of a few things that only a few people know, like the fact that I have a heart shaped birthmark on my bum and I like to think of myself as a Carebear.

I am afraid of abnormally tall people. They make me feel uncomfortable and I try to avoid them. I'm talking like NBA tall. That is just creepy.

I don't want a really expensive car, even if I had a lot of money. I think I would be satisfied with a Honda CRV. That is what I plan to get when I get a real job.

Life Changes

2011-06-20T08:26:00.000-07:00

Turn to an entry in your journal or diary from a year or more ago. What has changed and what has stayed the same since then?
Here is a blog entry from years ago:

Drive this car to work, work to pay for this car

Friday, April 18, 2008
Current mood: discontent

Sometimes I just feel like I am going through the motions. Wake up, eat, do stuff go to bed. I am keeping busy, but busy doing what? What difference does it make. Sometimes you are just too busy to find out.
Things I do right now: Listen to my stations on pandora.com, go to school, try not to eat eggs for breakfast everyday, think about doing yoga, read books, try to be nice to people, think about doing visiting teaching, stress out about finding a "real job", water my plants, watch my seeds germinate, dig weeds, drive my car, think about cleaning my car, check facebook, watch movies, organize family home evening, hate waiting at the bank, make dinner, have crazy dreams, take iron suppliments, drink water, and watch american idol.
I be: Sister, fhe co-chair, student, workstudy, prized pupil, hortclub president, friend, aquaintance, long-lost friend-person you know, ward member, girl, woman, child, person, human.
That is all I know

A lot of this is the same. Although I am not feeling discontent anymore. I still listen to pandora, go to school, eat eggs for breakfast most days, stress about finding a real job, water my petunia, drive my car, check facebook, watch movies, have crazy dreams, take iron supplements, and drink water and make dinner.

I also watch netflix and so you think you can dance. I work on sewing projects, I plan the future, I teach primary, I think about doing zumba, I alter clothing, and make treats.

Back then I lived in Spokane and was unhappy with the monotony of my life. Since then I have moved to Savannah Georgia to pursue my dream of going to art school. I miss my house and my friends in Spokane, but I live in a nice house and I have a job. My car still works, sort of. I have great roommates and live in a beautiful city.

I be: Sister, Primary helper, student, restaurant server, honor roll student, fibers major, friend, funny girl, person with a car, roommate, daughter, person that cuts hair, acquaintance, long-lost friend-person you know, ward member, girl, woman, child, person, human.

Cherished Childhood Memory

2011-06-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

What is your most cherished childhood memory?

That is a hard one. I immediately remembered how sometimes my mom would sit in her bed and talk on the phone or plan lessons for Seminary. We would pile in bed with her and just lay besides her. I would take her hand and play with the loose skin that looked like phyllo. I really cherish that memory.

One time we were on a family vacation in San Antonio Texas and we stayed at this cook motel that had a swimming pool and playground. It started to rain cats and dogs and I finally understood what that saying meant. It was the most rain I had ever seen in my life. It flooded in seconds and of course we had to play in it. We had so much fun. Soon we realized that swimming in lightening wasn't very smart so we moved to the playground and soon started going down the slide. It was hilarious. When they went down the slide with the water they flew off the end really far. We laughed so hard. There were these little kids that were watching us. It is one of my favorite memories of all time. It was a great day because we were so tired from traveling for so long. We just needed a fun day together.

Last summer we had a family reunion and it seriously was the best week of my life. I love my family.

Crush

2011-06-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

Who was your first crush and what made them special?
The first crush I can remember was on this kid named Andy. It was in first grade and I had a crush on him because he had spiky hair. Whey you ran your hands over it, it felt funny.
I have had a lot of crushes since then. Way too many to think about or list.

Cravings

2011-06-17T07:34:00.000-07:00

When was your last food craving, and what did you crave?

Olive Garden

I have been craving Olive Garden for about two years. I don't know why I haven't gone, there is one in just about every city in the country. I think I haven't gone just because it is kinda lame. You know, it is so cliche to go to the Olive Garden. Some might say it falls into that Ugly American genre. I can just hear it now:

"Let's go to the Olive Garden, that's Fancy!"

You know those restaurants, Red Lobster, TGIFridays, Applebees, Chili's, etc. In every town, predictable, but not that great. Anyway, I have decided it is because everyone in the commercials seem like they are having such a good time! They are all family and are laughing and are having the time of their lives. We like to joke about how I want that too. So that being said, Sunday is my birthday and my roommates are taking me to The Olive Garden. We are all going to make lame references to Uncle Bob and laugh and pass the salad around the table.

Excellent!

What are your Religious Beliefs?

2011-06-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

What are your religious beliefs? Have they changed, or have they always stayed the same?

That has a very lengthy answer. Here is the short version:

I believe in Christ. I believe he is my redeemer and that through him I can live in Heaven with my Father in Heaven and with my earthly family forever, if I keep my temple covenants and always strive to be the best person I can be.
I believe that when a man and a woman are married in the temple, and keep those covenants, they and their children can be sealed together forever.
Joseph Smith did see God the Father and Jesus Christ and was foreordained to restore the true church to the earth.
The book of Mormon is another testament of Christ and is a true account of his people in the Americas.
I know that prayers are answered. Heavenly Father hears and answers all prayers.
Trials are meant for our good. We are given trials so that we may grow and learn.
Man has been given agency to choose good or evil and it is up to us to decide what we will do with that agency.
I believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to be the only true church on the earth. I also believe that there is a latter day prophet, Thomas S. Monson and twelve Apostles that are ordained to lead the church.
The priesthood has been restored to the earth and it is a portion of God's power given to worthy men to help bless and take care of Heavenly Father's children.
I believe in being honest, loving, virtuous, and that we are all brothers and sisters and so we should treat each other that way.
I believe in repentance. Nobody is perfect and through the Atonement of Christ we can repent of our sins so that we may be forgiven.
My whole life I have been taught these principles and my belief in them has only grown stronger.
There is so much more. For more information please visit: www.mormon.org and www.lds.org

One Thing To Change

2011-06-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be, and what would you do if later on you changed your mind?

If I could change anything about my appearance I would definitely want thicker hair. I am seriously going bald and it is frustrating, I'm not even 30 yet! It isn't too bad yet, but I'm just worried what it will look like in the future. I don't know if it is just inherited or if I have alopecia, but I have been using Nioxin and that has helped stop it from falling out some. I am trying to grow it out and my little pony tail is so puny.
I met a lady once at work who was way balding and she wanted this nice thick shampoo set haircut. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. I tried cutting it the best I could but it still just looked bald. She was rather upset that it didn't look like the picture. There was nothing I could do.
Sometimes we joke about how I should get a wig. It is nice however that it is really fast to do my hair. It only takes about 2 minutes to blow dry it. I know some girls that have hair so thick it takes half a day for it to dry. sheesh.
If I got thick hair and decided it was too much of a hassle I would thin it out with thinning shears.

What do you think of this Paula Young wig?

Bad Habits

2011-06-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

List your bad habits and/or addictions and what you have tried to rid yourself of them:

Well I don't know if I've tried too hard to rid myself of them, but I do have some bad habits and addictions

1. Checking Facebook too often.

2. Turning into Bowser when I get near men.

3. Becoming a nazi when it comes to the organization of the kitchen.

4. Becoming overly frustrated with other drivers, I mean seriously could we just use our blinkers?

5. Watching WAY TOO MANY movies and TV.

6. Self Deprecation

7.Spending more than I make.

8. Being Lazy and not working to my full potential

9. Powdered Drink Mix (Tang, Quik) consumption.

10. Cold Cereal

11. Selfishness

12. Dressing like an awkward 13 year old boy

13. Not maintaining friendships

14. Saying rude things out loud about people when they can hear me.

15. Talking with my mouth full of food and interrupting others when they are speaking.

That is the nice/bad thing about being single for so long. You get set in your ways and don't really think about changing things.

What Music Album would be used for the movie of your life?

2011-06-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

I've been asked this question before and I really don't know one specific album that would fit. Here is my life playlist quickly off the top of my head:

(please note that these songs mostly not a representation of what I was thinking, feeling, or going through, they are songs I was listening to or liked at certain points of my life.)

1.America by Neil Diamond
My Mom used to make us listen to Neil Diamond, Jim Croce, and the Beatles when we would clean the house. My brother Jon (or was it Phillip?) would run around the house singing this at the top of his lungs in a very high pitched voice.

2. Jamie's Got A Gun by Aerosmith
I remember at some point I realized I only liked the music my sister's liked (NKOTB) and so I heard this song and decided it was my favorite song.

3.Blame It On The Rain by Milli Vanilli
Sure did like this song and remember being super excited when it aired on TGIF. What a let down when the truth came out, pretty sure I just liked it because they had long braids.

4. Yellow Submarine by The Beatles
In Kindergarten the teacher put this record on and my life has never been the same since.

5. Mary Jane's Last Dance by Tom Petty
Yep, this was my favorite song in the sixth grade. You gotta love some Tom Petty, still a great song.

6. Suicidal Dream by Silverchair
Well yes this was a depressing song but you have to admit it is pretty good. Ok well maybe not, but to a moody middle schooler in the 90's, it was great.

7.1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins
This was my first CD. It was a single bought at a used cd shop purchased at the same time as a Bob Marley T-shirt with bright rasta colors. Man I was cool.

8.Fu-gee-la by the Fugees
I saw this video on TV and Lauren Hill's voice kinda changed my life. I knew I needed to hear more of this type of music. I got this, my first full length CD, for Christmas. I remember playing it really loud hoping to impress my neighbor Barry Wang, with how cool I was for having it.

9. Bulls on Parade by Rage Against the Machine
Sara and me were pretty hard core, we listened to Rage and wore Jinko's with angst. Okay so I don't really remember what we had to be so angry about but man high school is hard. (note sarcasm)

Jinco's for those of you who weren't a victim to this fashion crime.

9.5. I Love You by Sarah Mclachlan
"And I forgot
To tell you
I love you
And the night’s
Too long
And cold here
Without you
I grieve in my condition
For I cannot find the strength to say I need you so"

When My mom passed away we listened to this on the way home from the viewing. Let us just say I BAWLED my eyes out.

10. Say It Ain't So by Weezer
At the beginning of my Senior year in High School I got a job at a Nuclear Power Plant doing data entry (not a lie). I hated it. I had to drive my Geo Metro 30 minutes out to the site. Yes for those of you not from home, it is referred to as The Site, sounds ominous doesn't it? Anyway to keep myself from driving into other vehicles on the very boring drive through sagebrush and dust I would rig up a cassette player through my cigarette lighter. Don't worry because this was a cassette that had the holes taped over, so I could record the Weezer blue album on it. So influenced by this album I would arrive at school some days and sing it down the hallway at the top of my lungs. Man Weezer is great.

11. The Thong Song by Sisqo, Baby Got Back by Sir Mix Alot, and Mambo #5 by Lou Bega
After I was done working at the power plant, it didn't last long, I started attending beauty school. These three songs were the soundtrack for our drives to beauty school in Pasco, about 30 minutes from our town.

12. Time of Your Life by Greenday
Pretty sure this was our graduation song

13. Brick by Ben Fold Five
Howard Amen Park, swing set, singing at the top of my lungs.

14. Zombie by The Cranberries
After graduation I moved to Utah and rode with Sara in her crown vicki with the windows down and Cranberries blasting the whole way.

15.She Has A Girlfriend Now by Real Big Fish and Pink Triangle by Weezer.
Ok so I would play these songs when I would cut my friends hair because I thought it was funny. Now, years later, I realize they probably thought I was a lesbian. No wonder I didn't get any dates...

16. Roxanne by The Police
One time I was particularly upset about a boy not liking me and so I listened to this track on repeat over and over and over very loudly.

17.Satellite by Dave Mathews Band
One day we were driving down out of the canyon and Griff had Dave playing very loudly with the windows open. This completely changed my opinion of DMB. It soon became my go to music for driving in the car and for tuning out my roommates.

18. Electrical Storm by U2
My friend Clayton really liked to share/force his musical interests on others. He gave me a U2 mix with this song on it and I would listen to it on my headphones and lay on my bed staring at the ceiling like they do in the movies. On a side note, he liked to change the words to songs and so this one was called Electrical Bourne, after one of our friends.

19.Band on the Run by Wings
I have always been a big Beatles fan and there really could be another one of these lists dedicated to the Beatles songs that mean things to me. This song however is my all time favorite song. It never ceases to bring a smile to my face.

20. Glass Danse by the Faint, Nothing Better by the Postal Service, and Something About Us by Daft Punk
All introduced to my by Hayley and Becka my awesome Bennie and June Apartment roommies. We would listen to cool music and dance while we would do the dishes, it was awesome. These bands are the type that when you hear them for the first time, you are totally changed and wonder why you hadn't been listening to them your whole life. I went to a Faint Concert once, and it was hands down the best concert I have ever been to.

Okay so there are so many more, this is just a little handfull. This blog could be a book really. Just a few others: pretty much anything and everything from Arcade Fire especially My Body is A Cage, Eric Satie, and Fiona Apple.

Art Quilt

2011-06-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple projects from my art quilt class:

This is refered to as a whole cloth quilt because the top isn't a bunch of fabric pieced together. This was our first project and it is stitched by hand. I actually really enjoyed doing this and it wasn't too hard due to its small scale. We also learned how to do a binding, which wasn't too bad. It is the first item I have made at SCAD that has been put on display, granted it was with both art quilt classes, but still it was cool.

These cushions were my final project for the class. They were a lot of hard work but I am really proud of how they turned out. There were a few stressful moments when I thought I wouldn't be able to finish them, but it all worked out in the end. This class was my favorite so far. I learned a lot and I had a great time and was able to make some cool stuff that I could be really proud of.

A Totally Useless Possession

2011-06-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

Name a totally useless possession and how you came to acquire it:

This is a piece of foam that a kid named Sam in my 3-D class carved using a saw. I happened to be in the room at the same time and so he gave it to me. It now resides on my cork board.

My top 5 most visited websites

2011-06-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

#1. iGoogle is my homepage

This is where I do all my searching and my email. I especially like google images and google shopping.

#2. Pandora

If you have yet to submit to the Pandora phenomenon I highly recommend it. Although with more and more commercials it is starting to get annoying. It is an internet radio where you pick bands or genres you like and pandora finds music like it. My current fav's: 90's alternative station, Niko Case, Arcade Fire, and the PG Comedian station.

#3. Facebook

Yeah so I'm addicted. I am not proud of it, but it is true. I love being able to know what people are up to without actually having to talk to them. Shallow maybe, but at least I'm willing to admit it. Plus it is the easiest way to see cute niece and nephew pictures, like this one:

Isn't he precious?

#4. Netflix

I love watching movies and what better way then pretty much whenever I want. I have learned though that there are a lot of REALLY AWFUL movies. It is nice though to be able to turn them off without feeling like you lost money on a rental. My typical night: Get on Netflix, look for movies, find a movie I've never heard of, go to:

#5. Internet Movie Database

This is a great site for watching previews, reading plot lines, and seeing cast lists. You can also click on the actors and see what other movies they are in. It is really useful when you know you've seen someone in another movie but you can't quite pinpoint it. IMDB to the rescue! They also show previews for movies that are about to be released and have tons of pictures.

Okay so who really just has a top five? Here are the other ones I frequent:

#6. Savannah College of Art and Design login

So I can access Blackboard and my school email.

#7. amazon.com

I like to buy stuff there

#8. Dictionary/Thesaurus.com

Best way to sound eloquent when you are writing!

#9. Bank of America or Wells Fargo

you know, checking up on the dough flow

#10. Stumble Upon

The best place to completely waste time. If you haven't been to this site I highly recommend it,if you like amusing things. It is a HUGE time killer.

80 Journal Writing Prompts and something lost

2011-06-10T17:47:00.000-07:00

I was stumbling and I found a site called TomSlatin.Com with 80 prompts to get you started writing. I thought it would be pretty interesting if I worked my way through them this summer. I am pretty bad at writing on my blog regularly and so this might help. Wish me luck!

Numero Uno:
Name something you lost or gave away that can never be replaced.

Oh so many things! My first thought was of all the wonderful things I had to get rid of when I moved to Georgia. I decided to uproot my whole life and move across the country and so pretty much everything had to go. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I still think about the bits of yarn and fabric I could be using. The groovy green ottoman that I absconded from my sister Alisa. Pretty much all of my kitchen stuff.

Once upon a time I was 17 and I had this pair of Simple shoes. They were green skate shoes with a flame detail stitched in the sides. I loved those shoes, they were so comfy and I thought they were so cool. I took them to girls camp that summer and I remember putting them into the back of my dad's car when he came to pick me up. He took me straight from camp to a summer session at the Seattle Art institute for high school students. Somehow they never made it. I have no idea what happened to those shoes but they were gone forever. It is more than ten years since then and I still think about them.

Another shoe story: I was at T.J. Max once and found a pair of leopard print heels with a red velvet ribbon woven around the foot opening, ending with a bow on the toe. They were beautiful and $70 so I couldn't rationalize it so I walked away. I still regret that decision. I probably wouldn't ever wear them but I would own them and they were beautiful.

When I was 17 my mother died after a terrible battle with mutiple myloma, bone cancer. My mother can never be replaced. I love and miss her more and more each day. I didn't even know what I was losing then. Now I wonder how she would feel about the decisions I have made in my life. I wonder if some of my decisions are more about remembering her and what she liked and less about what I like or want. I'm not really sure.

My Mom at 27

I feel sad about not knowing my mother as an adult. I was a selfish teenager when she died. All I could think about was all the casseroles we were going to get. What an idiot. I want to call her and tell her about school, about life, about boys (or mostly the lack thereof), about what life was like for her, about how she met my dad and what she thought when she was my age. I want to see her with her grand kids. I want to see her enjoy retirement with my dad. I want her to come visit me so I can show her around my school and my work.
I know that she is in a better place blah blah blah, but I still wonder how different my life would be if she were still alive.

Needle Case

2011-05-17T17:48:00.000-07:00

My teacher has a great needle case and so I decided to make one too. I drew up the design and used some of my left over quilt fabric. The needle case is for the little notions that you need when you don't want to bring a whole sewing kit. Next quarter I am taking a studio production class where I will learn to produce multiples to sell. I kinda love it.

Baby Grace's quilt top

2011-05-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

My sister Alisa just had a baby and so what better excuse to make a baby quilt? I had to make a 9 patch quilt for class and so this is what I came up with:

Isn't it precious? I can't wait to meet her.

Quilt Blog Time!

2011-05-17T17:38:00.000-07:00

So I have finally found my favorite class. I never understand what people were talking about when they said they got so absorbed in work that they forgot about food. How could you forget about eating? Well I finally understand.

This is my log cabin quilt for my art quilt class

Piecing on muslin

Happily quilting, okay well some sort of shoving the fabric through the sewing machine nonsense

The evil free motion foot, don't trust it for a minute!

Here is the unit

Love it!

Temple Trip (Testimony Alert!)

2011-04-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta and attend the Atlanta Temple open house. It ended up being a nice trip. My roommate Annie, who isn't a member, came with me and I had an interesting time explaining things to her. We rode up with a couple of the young single adults from church and they helped me explain some things. People who have served missions are a lot better at explaining things. We explained that we don't speak about temple ordinances outside of the temple because they are sacred, and then Ray compared it to security clearance. Annie can easily relate to that because both her and Ray are in the military.

There were tons of people there and so we were sort of herded through like animals but the Temple is so beautiful and it made me remember what is really important and what I am doing here on earth. Before we went through we watched an informational video and it sure did give me goosebumps when I heard the brethren of the church bear testimony of the Temple.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true church on the earth and the power of the Priesthood has been restored to the earth. By the power of this Priesthood we have the opportunity to be sealed to our families for all time and eternity. This is such a wonderful and beautiful promise. In return we must follow the commandments and keep His spirit with us always. What a wonderful thing to know and be a part of.

After the Temple we went to downtown Atlanta to eat at Gladys Knight Chicken and Waffles. Well we were dumb and didn't think about there being a hour long wait, so instead we went to a nice fire cooked pizza place. They had amazing root beer and we had a good time. It was kinda a long drive for just a couple hours in Atlanta but it was so worth it.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

Artist's interpretation of sugar cookies

I finally made busted out the fun cookie cutters my awesome friend Amanda gave me. They are gingerbread men that look like they have bites taken out so that when you take them somewhere no one will eat any and you can take them all home with you.

This poor fellow had half his body chopped off!

Because nothing says Easter like pastel colored dismembered bodies...

A Brand New Quarter

2011-04-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

So a brand new quarter has begun and I am pretty excited about it. I am taking CAD for textile design, which is essentially a photoshop class, an Art Quilt class, and Composition and Literature class. I'm finally not taking a useless foundations course. I feel that all of these classes will be beneficial and I will learn a lot.

In CAD we are learning how to take a design and clean it up and put it into repeat using photoshop. In my Art Quilt class we are learning hand quilting, which is essentially hand stitching a design on a quilt to hold the top to the bottom. I comp/lit we are reading short stories and then learning how to write essays about them. We just read "A Rose For Emily" by William Faulkner. It is a short story about a town's fixation with a crazy old lady. We are also reading "Rena's Promise". A book about a woman who goes to a concentration camp. It is pretty interesting so far.

I got my report card for last quarter and I got straight A's so that feels good!

LIGHTENINGS AND THUNDERINGS

2011-03-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

So it has been really really nice here in Georgia. I mean like in the 80's nice. Which is nice until you get in your car and it is a kagillion degrees and it is MARCH and all you can think about is how you have another 8 months of it... (wah wah I shouldn't complain) I should say that I would rather it be 60 degrees all the time until I want to go swimming. Anyway, this morning I noticed they were predicting lightening storms. I was aghast. (I don't really know what that means, and really I didn't have a whole lot of time to be aghast because I had 15 minutes to get ready so that I would be able to leave in time to pick up some kid who wasn't even there for church, that is a whole nether blog) Anyway number two: So I get out of church and it is 80 something and I think to myself yeah right it is not going to rain today. Jump to an hour later:

It had started to rain so I opened the door so we could get some of the yummy smelling rain air in the house. Then I heard a strange noise, I was talking to my roommate and I said... "that sounds like......HAIL!" and so we ran out and it was like a hurricane had descended. The pictures really don't do it justice.

I don't know if that helps either. It was the craziest noise, like the house was being fired upon and the windows would bust out momentarily. Tancy and I ran around the house like crazy people screaming and throwing the front door open then running to the back and throwing that door open, then running back to the front. My other roommate Annie is actually a meteorologist and we woke her up with our screaming and with the deafening noise the hail and thunder was making. She was not all that happy about hail because now she has to go to work early and deal with planes flying through the weather. She works for the army air field. Anyway it is still raining and it has completely made my day.

Pincushions

2011-03-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

For my final for my creative thinking strategies class I needed to make a piece that exemplified exactly what "Fibers" meant to me. So if the subject of Fibers was wiped clean from the earth and I had to explain it with this one piece what would I do? Okay so it isn't like this needed to be a PhD Thesis or anything. My professor isn't that picky. So I wrote down all the things that are important to me about fibers. I decided to go with a poem:

Stitch In Stitch Out

Fibers Manifesto by Rebecca Willis

Stitch in Stitch Out

Patterns handed down, gathered, garnered

New expressions, new variations of old ideas

Thread, yarn, fabric, dye

Knitting, crochet, macrame

Handmade goods given as gifts

True love and sacrifice of time and ability

Heart-made expressions manifested through cloth

A warm quilt wrapped around a loved one

Explosions of flowers on a favorite dress

Springtime in the winter

A beautiful soft old shirt

Silent solitude of repetitive motion

Reflection, thought, muscle memory

Learning that it is okay to start over

Seam rip the mistakes and make it right

Begin again and follow the steps correctly this time

It is okay to make mistakes, they add character

Self expression of print of craft of self.

A thought an idea made tangible and given as a gift

A gift for someone to use and to love

I don't claim to be a poet but sometimes that is the best way to describe what you are feeling.

So for the project I wanted to make something that could be given as a gift, was something handmade, something I designed, and something that is useful. So I decided to make everyone in my class, including the professor, a pincushion. Most of the students in my class are fashion or fibers students so that helped. I told them too that if they didn't have need for a pin cushion that Mother's Day is coming up and they had my permission to re-gift them.

When I was coming up with the idea I wanted to impart some of my personality into them and so they are a bit cynical. Like for instance, who would stick pins in a unicorn? Anyway here is the picture:

L-R back row: Voodoo Doll, cactus, carrot, tree/mushroom, eyeball, pants, cupcake

middle: Unicorn, cloud

front: frowny man, thumb, porcupine, and a knife.

It was actually a lot of fun to make them. I presented them in little gift bags with sparkly tissue paper. Nobody knew what was going on until I started giving them out. Everyone was pretty surprised. One girl, who I didn't even know, emailed me later to thank me. Needless to say I got an A.

Bagel and Lox

2011-03-12T04:52:00.000-08:00

So now that I live on the east coast I have to try all sorts of different foods, for the experience of course. Yesterday I tried Bagel and Lox.

What it is: A toasted bagel (onion in this case) with cream cheese (it must be a theme today) and some salmon on top. The salmon is cured and cold smoked and so it kinda tastes like the salmon you would get on sashimi. It was good. I don't know if I would order it every day but it was worth the $7 bucks I paid for it for the experience.

oooey goooey

2011-03-12T04:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I made Paula Deen's Gorilla Bread and it is incredibly rich and amazing. Follow the link for the recipe but it is essentially monkey bread on crack or cream cheese in this case.

I didn't have a bundt pan and so I had to cook it a little longer but it was still good.
It is super easy, basically you buy those tubes of buscuits from the grocery store and wrap cubes of cream cheese in them with cinnamon/sugar. Then you layer them with cinnamon/sugar, pecans, a butter/brown sugar mix that has been melted on the stove and bake for 30 min. Super easy and delish! Way fattening but calories don't count when you are enjoying yourself so much.

I mean just look at that gooey cream cheese center and tell me that doesn't look delicious

and one more time....

Mojito Lime Tacos

2011-02-22T10:42:00.000-08:00

Sorry there is not a final product picture of this recipe because me and my roommate Annie ate them all because they were delicious! Having had Tacos the other night at FHE we decided we needed to make some ourselves because then I could have as many as we wanted without feeling like a cow in front of other people. I initially intended to make tradition tacos but I didn't have ground beef and so chicken it was.

Mojito Lime Tacos

Chicken Breast
Mojito Lime Marinade Packet
Corn Tortillas
Olive Oil
Lettuce
Salsa
2 Avocados
Guacamole Seasoning Packet
Monterey Jack Cheese, Shredded

1.Defrost chicken and and cut into small strips. Cook with some olive oil in a little sauce pan and add a little bit of water. Sprinkle with a bit of the Mojito Lime Marinade packet to taste.

Saute until cooked through. I usually leave the lid on to retain moisture and so it cooks in the liquid and it really moist when it is done.
2. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and fry each corn tortilla on each side until starting to brown and bubble. Fold over and continue to fry a bit. Then drain on a paper towel.
3. Mix Avocado goodness with Guac mix. Mash with a fork. You can refrigerate it for a bit but I'm not that patient.

4. Shred lettuce, chop tomatoes or use Salsa whatev, Shred cheese.
5. Assemble tacos and chomp.

Super Deliciouso!
(I should get paid for endorsing McCormick)

Dear Sara,

2011-02-16T12:28:00.000-08:00

. We were so cool. I have this glorified image in my head of you and me pulling out of your parents driveway, driving down the freeway in the crown vicky, tank tops, singing Cranberries at the top of our lungs. I love that I was functioning as the rear view mirror. I wish we had a video or photos of that experience. It is one of my favorite. We didn't need or want our parents to move us and we figured out the hard way that Provo and Rexburg didn't suit us but we did it on our own terms. It may have taken us a while to get here but we are better students because of it. We are doing what WE want to do, not what is expected of us. Now the trick is taking that life experience and instead of it making us tired, using it to make our new experiences that much richer.

Becky the traveler

2011-02-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a project right now that involves lots of applique and that takes a lot of busy work. So I am watching this show on netflix called Dhani Tackles The Globe. It is about an American football player who travels the world learning the different sports of each country. It is a pretty interesting show and it doesn't hurt that Dhani is really hot.

Anyway it made me think about some of my traveling experiences. I am an avid armchair traveler and I love to travel but I'm not very good at it yet. When I was in the Philipeans I got really sick and when I was in the airport I sat on the ground and scooted myself along the line because I was about to explode out either end. When I was in Nelson B.C. I stayed in the motel by myself watching TV instead of going out because it was cold. One time when I was in Mexico I was sitting in the back of the bus, the tour guide was making a speech about how we all needed to come back to Mexico because they have open arms. I had had a long day and I said very loudly, "Yeah more like open pockets!" That is class right there. I was in Atlanta once, my first time in the south, and on the first night I scratched my eye somehow and spent practically the whole time in bed with a patch on my eye. This summer when Robin and I got to the Carlsbad Caverns five minutes late and couldn't go through I literally threw my purse on the ground and started complaining very loudly. The gift shop attendant sort of slinked off all scared like.

Something gets into me. I get tired and hungry and cranky. My routine is messed up, my sleep is messed up and I get all wacky. One of my life goals is to be a good traveler. That means being able to sleep anywhere in any kind of conditions, go with the flow and enjoy each turn of events, and being able to get out and risk my comfort for the sake of adventure, meeting new people, and learning about different cultures. Wish me luck.

I Dyed and went to Heaven

2011-02-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I got to spend most of the day in the Dye Lab. This is a special lab in our Fibers building set aside just for dyeing fabric. It is pretty amazing. We pay a lab fee and we can come in and use the equipment and dye. I am going to explain one of the dye processes for you and it will be like you were there!

The dye powder is bought in bulk and so we mix the correct amounts to make the colors we want in this magic box. This makes it so that the powder doesn't become airborne and kill us. Okay it probably won't kill us but it isn't very good if you get it into your lungs.

You add the dye powder to the jar and then add a bit of water to dissolve it. Then you shake it up real good.

Here is my work table. There are lots of different types of supplies available for dying, rags, measuring cups, newspapers, spoons, clamps, etc stored under the tables. I am going to mix my dye with water and salt in this big plastic container.

Steps for dying cotton:

1. Scour the fabric with synthrapol (special soap) and water for a few minutes.

2. Dissolve powdered dye with a bit of water and mix well.

3. Dissolve salt in water you will be using for dyeing.

4. Add dye and mix in well.

5. Add pre-soaked and scoured fabric.

6. Stir around in Dye for 15 minutes.

7. Take Fabric out and place in another bucket. Add Soda Ash (activates the dye) and mix in well.

8. Add fabric back to dye bath and let sit for a long time. Keep stirring it occasionally.

I was dyeing a skirt that I had tied in rubber bands.

9.You let it sit for a long time then rinse it out and pull off the rubber bands then rinse it some more until the water runs clear.

I don't think I added enough powdered dye to the mix because it didn't really turn out. I learned that it is VERY IMPORTANT to learn and pay attention to ratios. Dang math, it is important!

I also did a project where I soaked fabric in soda ash water and then hand painted dye on it

.This was inspired by some imagery I collected during one of my road trips. Way way fun. This is why I am studying fibers because I get to do this kind of stuff for homework. Cool, huh?

I need you to pay attention Georgia Drivers!

2011-02-04T13:49:00.000-08:00

So I think there are a few things that we need to review:

1. There are these signs on the side of the road with a big black number on them. That is the speed you should be going. Look at your speedometer if it doesn't match that number and it could safely, then by all means match it. Oh heck exceed it a little.

2. When you are planning to turn your car onto a different road, by all means please warn the rest of us by switching on your blinker. In most cars it is a lever that extends out of your steering column.

3. When it is dark, rainy, foggy, or any other poor visibility conditions it is customary for you to turn your lights on so that other people can see you. This enables them to merge into lanes of traffic without cutting you off and swearing loudly because they didn't see you barreling down the road all crazy like.

4. Cross walks are these special lanes marked at the intersection of roads that are provided for people to safely cross the street. If you cross the street willy nilly wherever you please, without looking, you deserve to get hit. Oh and it is okay to walk the 10 feet it takes to get to the cross walk and wait for the signal to cross. I mean after all what is your hurry? You've been standing in the park all day like a creeper.

5. The name Freeway does not mean that you are free to go 100 miles per hour. Please refer to number one for information on finding an appropriate speed levels.

Thriftsters

2011-02-03T15:40:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep because I kept thinking about a business plan I have been formulating. If I had the means I would open a business here in Savannah where students and artists could donate their leftover art/craft/building supplies and purchase likewise. So many of our classes make us buy stuff that eventually has leftovers that we are never going to use. There are also a lot of students who fly home over the summer and can't store all their extra supplies. It would be so nice if there was a place you could go to find stuff for a project where you wouldn't have to buy a whole pack. People could also donate projects they didn't want anymore and people could re-purpose them. Everything would be organized in bins and on shelves for easy perusal. The walls would be painted by students in groovy designs. In the shop their would also be a small gallery of student work and all the proceeds would go to the students, minus a small gallery fee. I could also employ students who can prove to me that their parents aren't paying for college :).There would also be a section of clothes and a hot chocolate shop where I would sell baked goods like scones. Mmmm scones

The existing thrift stores in Savannah are abysmal affairs. Way poor selection, way over priced, and incredibly rude employees. Not even worth it. Today at the Good Will I found what I wanted but the employee was so rude to me that I put it down and walked out and went to Target. It is quite tragically bad. One of my favorite memories is the hours I used to spend sorting through racks at Thriftrack in Richland Washington, the best thrift store then and since. Somehow it died a miserable death and is now tragically something else. I think it's demise began when they started to make a "retro" section and over pricing it. Sad. I got some good things at that store. You would think with a city as old as Savannah there would be some great thrift stores. Alas there is nada.

What do you think of my business proposition?

The end of the day

2011-01-30T13:56:00.001-08:00

There is no sudden joy like the taking off of one's bra. Not for another's perusal but for the simple fact that your day is over and you no longer need it.

The Scream

2011-01-29T07:22:00.000-08:00

" I was walking with two friends and the sun set and the heavens suddenly turned to blood and my friends continued walking. I stopped by the fence, deathly tired. Over the cold blue fjord and city was a flaming reddish yellow, and I felt a huge scream course through nature."

-Edvard Munch

More Than Just a Painting

2011-01-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

Just a painting of a lady with a bunch of random shapes around her, right? Not quite.

This painting is a portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, the wife of Austrian sugar baron Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. Ferdinand commissioned the painting from Gustav Klimt, but purportedly Klimt and Mrs. Bloch-Bauer had an affair. She is the only woman he painted twice and it took him multiple years and hundreds of sittings to finish this painting. Adele died in 1925 and her husband fled from the Nazi's when they annexed Austria in 1938. He left behind palatial estates including his art collection that were quickly stolen by the Nazis. Reinhard Heydrich, one of the key planners of the holocaust, took up one of his estates and even gifted some of the art collection to Adolf Hitler. The painting of Adele eventually ended up in the Austrian Gallery.

Before Ferdinand died he willed the painting to his niece, Maria Altmann. There was much controversy over who the painting should belong to. The Austrian state claimed that Adele herself wanted the painting to stay in Austria. Eventually the Bloch-Bauer records were released, where it never stated either of them wanted the paintings to belong to the Austrian state. It was even found that the "donation" records for the painting were signed "Heil Hitler."

The painting and four of it's brothers were finally given to the Altmanns, who had relocated to California. No sooner were the paintings in their possession than they decided to sell them. Not only sell them but sell them for more than any painting at the time had ever been sold for. One gallery offered 100 million for four of them. They turned this down. They were contacted by Billionaire Ronald Lauder (Estee Lauder's grandson) who had had his eye on the painting for quite some time. Lauder is the owner of the Neue Galerie in New York city. The Neue Galerie specializes in Jewish art that is recovered from Nazi's. Lauder finally got the painting for a cool $135 million dollars. The most that had been paid for a painting up to that time.

The beautiful thing about art is not always only what is being portrayed but the stories that go along with each piece.

For more info: Tyler Green 'This is our Mona Lisa' cnnmoney.com Sept. 28, 2006

Carne Asada: Vegetarians Look Away!

2011-01-27T09:18:00.000-08:00

Lately I have really been craving some good Mexican food. Surprisingly enough it is hard to find good Mexican food in Savannah. I used to have a friend at community college named Roberto who would always talk about Carne Asada as if it was the most amazing thing to ever be created. I had never had it and have always wanted to try it. I finally decided to give it a try and here is a link to the recipe I found:

Taqueria Style Tacos- Carne Asada

It reminded me of some amazing tacos I used to get when I worked cutting hair at Weldon Barber.

Well I set to marinating the Flank Steak last night. It is marinated in this amazing concoction of soy sauce, olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, and spices. Today I made the onion relish and skipped the salsa because honestly I'm not interested and couldn't find chili pods at my grocery store. I also whipped up a batch of Spanish Rice using Rotel tomatoes because I've heard they are the best and I wanted to see if this claim was true.

I've been told a number of times that I have low iron levels. Hopefully this helps:

After marinating the flank steak you cut it into small slices and fry it in oil. All the yummy juices start to flow and simmer out of the beef. It smells so good. I hope you can imagine the smell when you look at this picture.

mmmmmm meat

After it was cooked through I cut it into small pieces so it would be easy to eat in tacos. This will get topped with the onion/cilantro relish and Fresco Mexican cheese after being piled into warmed corn tortillas.

Deliciouso!

On a side note: When I was in High School I thought it would be edgy and different to write "I eat meat" on the back part of my backpack. Ohh I know a real subversive statement! Anyway somehow it actually looked like I wrote Teat Meat. Which is something different entirely.

Death and Life by Gustav Klimt

2011-01-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

Thinkertoys

2011-01-08T14:30:00.000-08:00

"We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, or the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death. But within this realm of joy or with joylessness, with hope or with despair, with humor or with sadness, with a positive outlook or a negative outlook, with pride or with shame, with inspiration or with defeat, and with honor or with dishonor. We decide what makes us significant or insignificant. We decide to be creative or to be indifferent. No matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make. We decide. We choose. In the end, our own creativity is decided by what we choose to do or what we refuse to do. And as we decide and choose, so are our destinies formed."

-Michael Michalko,

"Preface to the New Edition"

in Thinkertoys

Beauty as I see it

2011-01-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

Beauty is a hard thing to describe because everybody has a different interpretation. The dictionary describes it as the quality of a person or object that brings deep pleasure to the viewer. Because we all have different taste, views, opinions, and come from different backgrounds this is different for everybody. For some people beauty is very important. They want to be beautiful and they want to surround themselves with beautiful things. Sometimes at great cost to the point that it is detrimental. We have all seen the people with way too much plastic surgery. They end up looking scary and fake, just because they wanted to look more youthful or “better.” There is also the continual battle between inner and outer beauty. I think we have all met people who were beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside and visa versa. I believe when we learn to see people for who they really are that is when we can see the true beauty within and without.

A lot of people get so overwhelmed with all of the bad that is happening in this world that they forget to see the beauty that surrounds us every day. If you take time to look around and appreciate the little miracles around you, you can really see the beautiful world we live in. The way the light hits the leaves and flickers in the sun, the old lady watering her roses in bright red shoes, the old man wheeling down the street in his motorized wheelchair with the pinwheel fluttering in the wind, sunsets streaking pink across the sky, brand new babies learning how to smile for the first time, laughing so hard you cry. Our lives are full of wonderful happenings. These are the things that we can draw inspiration from and where I believe true beauty lies.

The Candler Hospital and Oak

2011-01-03T11:52:00.000-08:00

It being the new year I have become more motivated to get out and get some more exercise so today I decided to go for a walk. I joined this website called Walk Jog Run, where you can plot routes and it will show you how many miles they are. You can save them on the website and look at other peoples routes as well. Anyway this morning I wanted to walk all the way to Forsyth Park and back which I have always thought would be prohibitive until now. It is about 4 miles, which was actually so doable.

On my way there I discovered the most wonderful thing. I was looking at some of the architecture, which is impossible not to do in Savannah, and discovered this old building.

There was a historical marker outside and so I wandered over to read it. This was Savannah's first hospital. And believed to be the second oldest hospitals in continuous use in the United States. It was founded as a Seaman's hospital in 1803. I believed at one point it was moved to this spot from another location. Later it became a poor house and hospital and was seized by Sherman during the Civil War to take care of confederate soldiers.
The truly amazing thing is the giant live oak tree on the side of the building. It is over 300 years old!

Apparently they cared for captured wounded Union soldiers around it's base. It is so amazing to be so near such history! Around the front of the hospital there is a grand staircase that I climbed up to peek in the window. The whole place is in shambles and it is attached to an incredibly ugly brick building. It sure would be interesting to see what it looked like in the 1800's!

I suppose something like the above picture taken in the 60'a of the front. Now the whole right hand section of the building is apart of another building and there is only access to the porch from the left hand side of that staircase. Here is a spooky picture of it at night. It looks haunted and probably is.

It is funny that I never noticed the tree or the building until today. I have driven past it probably a hundred times. Sometimes you will never actually see your city until you see it on foot.

Things I learned about myself this year

2011-01-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of a few things I learned about myself and others this year:

I think it is creepy when people train their cat to go to the bathroom on the toilet

I can drive across the country with my sister and we won't kill each other

I would rather not have a boyfriend than have a boyfriend who wears a blazer, khaki's and a part in his hair and then throws up all over himself because he is drunk.

I don't have to go on facebook every day ( a recent discovery)

19 year olds think they are a lot more mature and smart about the world than they actually are, I guess that goes for most people

Sometimes you have to just do the dishes whether it is your "turn" or not

I'm a little bit addicted to netflix

Dogs are going to bark and get hair all over everything and you might as well come to terms with it and just let it go

The most important thing I have learned in college so far is that you just have to be prepared to start projects all over.

Poverty and illness are two easy ways to lose weight

Just when you think you will be ok financially things will come crashing down around you.

I have become a happier more optimistic person than I once was and I feel sorry for people who aren't, and yes I would much rather be happy and optimistic than "realistic" which is what I used to say and is a recipe for feeling depressed and sorry for yourself all the time.

Bruschetta

2010-12-23T10:16:00.000-08:00

The other day at work I was waitressing a Christmas party we had in the basement. When the people all leave, if there is leftover food we get to have it. Usually everybody swarms in and snarfs it all down. Anyway there was some bruschetta and I tried it for the first time. We serve it for an appetizer on the main menu but I had never gotten a chance to try it. I was starving and so I tried some. It is amazing. I am not usually a tomatoes by them selves person but the combo of the balsamic vinegar and garlic with basil is amazing. I have been wanting to make some and the stars aligned so that I would have most of the ingredients. Some random guy dropped a bunch of day old bread from a bakery off at the church and so I acquired a baguette. I purchased some tomatoes and garlic and scrounged up most of the other ingredients at home. This is a super easy recipe and I'm sure probably really good for you. There are a number online such as:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/double-tomato-bruschetta/Detail.aspx#
Which is the one I based mine off of. I didn't have any sun dried tomatoes but it didn't really matter.
Pretty much you mix minced garlic, tomato, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper together let it chill for 10 min. and scoop onto toasted baguette slices. At work they toast the baguette slices with a sprinkling of cheese on them. Then top the whole thing off with a sprinkling of shredded Parmesan cheese. I can only imagine how good this would be with fresh tomatoes from the garden!

Finally figured it out!

2010-12-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

What do you think?

Peony Repeat

2010-12-10T10:14:00.000-08:00

I decided I needed to create a portfolio of work separate from the work I've been doing in school. Often they make you do very specific projects that don't really fit into a body of work, you would want to show, that represents you as an artist. I started a drawing for a repeat print a while ago and it has been staring at me ever since. I've wanted to finish it but for some reason couldn't find the inspiration for it. Unfortunately I have wasted a lot of time putting it off and wasting time doing nonsense. I realized yesterday that my break is already half over and I've accomplished not a lot. So today I finally finished it.

I am slowly trying to learn a program called Gimp. It is a program that is a lot like photoshop, but you can download it for free off the Internet. I totally recommend it if you want something you can use to manipulate pictures. So I drew a repeat pattern, scanned it and than created a repeat using gimp. I am still quite the novice but it gives me a good idea what a repeat will look like on a grand scale. I'm still struggling to find a good project size and scale to work with, not knowing what applications I actually want to work in. Anyway it feels really good to finish something that has been sitting on my desk for three weeks making me feeling guilty for not wanting to draw every waking moment of my life.

This is the drawing I made,
I am still trying to figure out how to get the repeat in a format I can post. Stay tuned....

Really?

2010-12-04T16:05:00.000-08:00

Guess what this is....

If you guessed an alternative to disposable pads you guessed right.

These are from a company called Party In My Pants. Yep that's right, party in my pants.

I have yet to ever consider menstruating a party, but hey with fabric this pretty who knows.

Babies use cloth diapers so why don't we use cloth pads?

I remember my mom tellingme about when they would use something like this:

Bleck!

I'm sorry I'm sure you could've gone your whole life without seeing that.

I'll take the up to date version any day.

Anyway I discovered Party in my Pants at a store called Brighter Day.

It is a neat little natural foods store in Savannah. I being poor, don't shop there

but sometimes I go in and imagine myself being a quinoa eating, acai drinking,

7th Generation using sort of person.

Hmm now if I had $13 to spend on a pad....

Eat Pray Love

2010-12-02T14:44:00.000-08:00

This is another prime example of the book being way better than the movie. I had wanted to read this book for a while and then the movie came out. I wanted to see that too, but due to finances I couldn't rationalize a trip to the theatre. I randomly found the book on the shelf and set out to read it. I knew reading it before watching the movie would probably ruin the movie, but I couldn't resist. I needed something to read. It is a pretty good book about Elizabeth Gilbert's road to understanding life and God. I disagree with some of her conclusions but her journey and discoveries are certainly enviable. It would be nice to pack all your belongings into storage and take off for a year. She is lucky that it is so easy for her to make new friends wherever she goes. I have always dreamt of traveling abroad and that is why I was initially drawn to this book. Self discovery is always important as well. The book has much stronger religious overtones than the movie and at points it got to be a little too much.
The movie was sort of a disappointment, but they usually do feel lacking when you know that there is so much more to the story. It did make me want to travel more and open myself up to more opportunities. Sometimes I feel so trapped, I wish I had the resources to see and do more.
What did you guys think?

Burlesque

2010-11-28T17:26:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I needed a break from the monotony of nothing to do so I went to see Burlesque. It was about 12 in the afternoon and so it was me and a couple lesbians in the audience but I didn't care. I was a bit afraid to see this movie due to it's risque nature but I actually loved it and it wasn't that bad. Don't get me wrong there were some parts that I wouldn't want my dad to watch, but not as bad as it could have been considering the nature of the topic. I do love movies about people coming from nothing and making it in the big city. I also love love love amazing costumes, dancing, and singing. Christina Aguilera does an amazing job. I don't know about the acting but the singing was amazing. It reminded me a lot of Moulin Rouge but not quite as fantastical. I now am dreaming of getting my haircut like her cute short bob in the film. Oh if only...

zappatos of desire

2010-11-25T05:54:00.000-08:00

I want these boots, I always thought that I was left out of the tall boot party because of my inherited extra large calves. But! They actually make boots for us large calf girls and these are beauty to my eyes. On sale to boot. literally.

I also want these shoes, I have been searching for them for at least five years. No joke.

An Image of Yesterday

2010-11-25T05:47:00.000-08:00

Homemade whole wheat pancake batter on the front of my pants.
Black yoga pants.
Purple family reunion shirt from last summer.
Flat, yet clean hair slowly growing down to my shoulders.
The leaves need raking so I do it.
Piling them up in the next door neighbors yard
They are from her tree after all.
I've finally stopped sleeping with a stuffed animal after twenty years of co-dependence.
Bright green pumas, a favorite for eight years at least.
Same plastic glasses, scratched but still giving me sight.
Am I comfortable or complacent?

After all isn't the name "yoga pants" a fancier way of saying stretch pants?

Maybe it is time I grew up and wore things like "slacks."
Slept with another person instead of a stuffed gorilla.
Do uncomfortable shoes become comfortable over time?
Is that why everyone seems to think I am 22?
Because I wear the same clothes and the same expression from six years ago?

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

2010-11-23T11:18:00.000-08:00

These are oh so good and chewy. Watch out the disappear fast!

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water or O.J.
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons tubinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2.In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
3.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container."

I usually like mine with less ginger. I also have another recipe that is like this that calls for white chocolate chips, simply devine! I'm going to take them to Thanksgiving dinner, yum!

Now it is time for a break

2010-11-22T08:42:00.000-08:00

Well I made it through the quarter. That wasn't too bad. I now have a month and a half to reflect. Or get another job. Maybe some day I will have money left over at the end of the month. Who knows. I am really enjoying my new job at Churchill's, it is SO much better than Bennigan's. It is strange how things come along. I am hoping to get busy and start making some things for my etsy shop.
I was going to post a blog about the shoes I want real bad but blogger wont let me so instead you just get words. Lately I have been spending way too much time online. I have discovered a new website called www.stumbleupon.com it is out of control amazing. You set up your preferences and then it lets you stumble through really cool pictures, articles, products, videos, and interactive sites. I could waste time on there for hours. It is ridiculous. Then you can thumbs up or thumbs down the things you like or don't like and it modifies your preferences. I have found lots of really cool sites and blogs that way. I have decided if I am just getting on the Internet to waste time I should do it unplugged and that way when my battery is low I have to get off. We'll see how that works. Well back to work I suppose...

Cool Guys

2010-11-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

Adrian Brody

Andre 3000

Beck

George Clinton

Grandmaster Flash

Mos Def

Seth Green

Slash

Jason Schwartzman

Wentworth Miller

Repeat pattern

2010-11-06T15:47:00.000-07:00

This is the first repeat pattern I created for my repeat pattern class. The inspiration was supposed to be fall.

The first step is to create a unit that when put together creates a repeat. In the most basic way you trace multiple copies of it and then tape them together to create your repeat.

Then you trace that onto your bristol and paint it. This photo shows my color selection and mixing process. We were also assigned to come up with two coordinates. These are designs that could potentially go with or compliment the main design. Such as in the pillows matching the couch, etc. I wanted to use some less predictable colors so chose the blue, green, and grey as the predominant colors.

Final result before mounting for display.