tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92254812024-03-23T14:13:14.424-04:00...And So It Goes...sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.comBlogger393125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-72126668423593884892012-08-22T17:33:00.000-04:002012-08-22T17:33:07.390-04:00When?Okay. I'm still running. I am not so religious as the C25K program dictates. I don't always make it 3 times a week but I pretty consistently make at least twice a week. I am up to running a miraculous 28 minutes at a go. Who would have ever thought that? At my age? God, I am ancient and running 25 minutes 2-3 times a week. I never did that in my 20s let alone in my ... whatever. I am signing up to run in a 5 K next month. E wants to join me. If nothing else I know I can walk that far. So far the farthest I have gone in one of my runs is just under 2.5 miles.<br />
<br />
But...<br />
<br />
Yes, there is a but. <br />
<br />
But I don't love it. A (virtual) <a href="http://www.tertia.org/" target="_blank">friend of mine</a> started running at about the same time (admittedly I am about 15 years older..god!) and she says she loves it. But me...don't love it. I don't want to think about running. I have to talk myself into it almost every day (<em>it's only 30 minutes; you can do anything for 30 minutes; it's not gonna kill you</em>, etc.). During the run I am constantly checking to see <em>if I am at halfway; can I turn around? how much farther?,</em> etc. Okay, afterwards I am always glad I did it. I am not sure if it is an actual physical 'good feeling' or if it is just mental, knowing I am doing something good for my heart.<br />
<br />
What I want to know is: <strong>When am I gonna love it?</strong>sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-67079574635502770822012-06-18T23:39:00.002-04:002012-06-18T23:39:46.810-04:00Fitness Tales...I have just started week 3 of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9225481#editor/target=post;postID=6707957463550277082" target="_blank">Couch to 5K</a>. I have not skipped a day nor have I walked instead of jog/run. A few times I have almost literally had to kick my butt to get out there ('...c'mon, fatass...it's only 30 minutes...'), but I made it. Today when I started it was 94 and had cooled off to a balmy 93 by the time I had finished. But I handle the heat better than I do cold and snow and ice. It will be interesting to see if I can keep it up in the wintertime.<br />
<br />
I have also been following the advice of the esteemed <a href="http://doctormama.blogspot.com/2006/05/listen-up-maggots.html" target="_blank">DoctorMama</a>. She advocates S L O W I N G D O W N...especially for us couch jockeys. She says to run so slowly that people may point and laugh at you...an arthritic sloth is the way she puts it. So I am running for time only. I have no idea how far I am running (even though I run on the track at the local middle school, I am so addle-brained that I lose count of my laps after 2 or so) and I am going so slowly that I am certain I saw a snail laughing the other day (pointing with its little antenna). This has, so far, not stopped me.<br />
<br />
Yay, me.sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-33979540251753751362012-06-13T18:47:00.000-04:002012-06-13T18:47:06.824-04:00Darwin at workWe should all be thankful that <a href="http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/13/12202632-teen-shoots-gun-at-gas-tank-but-bullet-ricochets-and-kills-him?lite" target="_blank">this guy</a> removed himself from the gene pool. Hopefully he hadn't yet procreated.sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-68608816467061483592012-06-06T21:52:00.000-04:002012-06-06T21:52:04.908-04:00Couch to 5KI'm doing<a href="http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml" target="_blank"> it</a>. Day four. I'm still alive.sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-51579803646660085822011-09-02T12:55:00.003-04:002011-09-02T12:58:35.151-04:00Stolen post<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>I stole this picture from <a href="http://www.sweetney.com/2009/05/well-thats-one-way-to-send-off-a-coworker.html">Sweetney</a>. What I really want to know is what the heck does Sasha do for a living???<div>
<br /><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gW8p4DmdYs8/TmEKvZkEK5I/AAAAAAAAAjU/r3jYhuNHZuU/s320/cake.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:left;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647807217131596690" /><div>
<br /></div><div>
<br /></div></div>sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-81165253747134620712011-06-09T19:36:00.004-04:002011-06-09T19:50:37.760-04:00Not that I'll win but...I'm gonna enter a contest; I'm gonna enter a contest... And you can too! Yes, you too can win an iPad. Just go to <a href="http://www.iambossy.com/giveaways/2011/06/06/the-ipad-giveaway/?showcomments=1#comments">Iambossy.com</a> and leave a comment. That's it! Leave a comment maybe win an iPad. It's offered by <a href="http://www.bradsdeals.com/">Brad's Deals </a>(which kinda sounds like a cool thing anyway).<br /><br />I want an iPad.<br /><br /><em>(They (Iambossy & Brad's Deals) don't know me from Adam...I could drop off the face of the earth today (or tomorrow) and they wouldn't know or care. I just wanna win an iPad...not that I will but...)<br /></em>sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-72261376141720412632011-05-16T15:03:00.003-04:002011-05-16T15:21:25.569-04:00At eightI finally made a video for E's eighth birthday. Take a look at it and let me know what you think.<br /><br /><p align="center"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw3Ow_uqQgqqDjpRHI4GgfqGwKYx889ts5ajCV6kejJqmFErjgrIdGTR-UVUkgQYvJCNOa2SvqKvdE' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />(<a href="http://www.vimeo.com/23380429">This</a> one is bigger)</p>sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-40124904377684552402011-04-21T16:26:00.004-04:002011-04-21T16:45:17.961-04:00Skin careSaw an ad that consisted of the following text:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Skincare Miracle<br /><img title="" alt="" src="http://i.blogads.com/263545427/img.jpg?guid=a6da5217a24671549dd6ae06712e88d8" longdesc="" width="150" height="200" /></div><blockquote>Age specific skincare is a revolutionary breakthrough in beauty. Click on the link below to learn more about skincare solutions made just for you:<br /><br />I'm in my 20s<br /><br />I'm in my 30s<br /><br />I'm in my 40s<br /><br />I'm 50 or older</blockquote>This is kinda bugging me. Every 10 years (according to this ad) you should change your skin regime. Am I wrong that I interpret this ad thusly?<br /><br /><blockquote>I'm in my 20s - my skin is young and firm and you all envy me...admit it.<br /><br />I'm in my 30s - I'm still fabulous and young and perky (wait...was that a gray hair?)<br /><br />I'm in my 40s - I'm a little grayer with a few character lines (no, not wrinkles)<br /><br />I'm 50 or older - I'm nearly dead...who the fuck cares?</blockquote><br />Can you tell I have entered the 'over-50 no-man's land'?sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-57205120590468756512011-04-08T09:56:00.000-04:002011-04-08T09:57:08.091-04:00I love my hometown but...WTF, <a href="http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=459668">Seattle</a>???sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-86186304987185755912011-01-22T07:54:00.001-05:002011-01-22T07:54:00.193-05:00Happy BirthdayHappy birthday to me. Today is my birthday. How old am I? I had my first child at age 47. He just turned 8. Do the math.<br /><br />Yes, I am old. My crow's feet have crow's feet. Mostly I am okay with it. I like myself. I like my family.sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-47617443029042219592011-01-07T07:45:00.007-05:002011-01-07T07:45:00.173-05:00Friday Favorites - Roads to MoscowI. Love. This. Song.<br /><br />This is probably one of the best songs ever written. Al Stewart is a poet and a storyteller as well as a fine musician. This song has some of the most intricate acoustic guitar you will find outside of the classical guitar style. I think the<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R6JxQFSRiw&feature=related"> studio version </a>is more haunting but I also love this live version (the only studio version I could find on Youtube adds some funky sound effects esp. at the beginning that don't add anything and, in fact, detract from the music).<br /><br />I first heard this song in 1973 or 1974. My first thought was I needed to figure who this musician is. Then I heard another song "<em>Nostradamus</em>"... another great song. Whose song is it? <a href="http://www.alstewart.com/">Al Stewart</a>. I became a fan immediately. I have seen him in concert about 3 times back when I lived in Seattle. The first time was a mostly acoustic concert. The next had much more orchestral backing and the last time was in a very intimate setting (he is going to be in Edmonds the end of January...wish I still lived in Seattle).<br /><br />Here is "<em>Roads to Moscow</em>." It is the story of a Russian soldier in WWII. The words are haunting and the guitar evokes images of smoke and snow and desolate landscapes.<br /><br /><object style="WIDTH: 640px; HEIGHT: 390px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/i6OrxYOAVhM?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/i6OrxYOAVhM?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object><br /><br />The following is one of his more recent songs, "<em>Hanno the Navigator</em>". Older, grayer, but he is still sounds great, is still writing songs that have real words that mean something and that tell a story. I still love him.<br /><br /><object style="WIDTH: 640px; HEIGHT: 390px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jCX9Nn_PNr0?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jCX9Nn_PNr0?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object>sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-39352957265562223172010-12-31T12:41:00.000-05:002010-12-31T12:41:00.918-05:002010 in One WordSince some bloggers are trying to sum up the year 2010 using one word, I thought I would try this as well. It is hard to think of a single word though so I am going with a hyphenated 'not-horrible.'<br /><br />It started out pretty well. My manager came through just after the first of the year and asked if I was still interested in getting on as a permanent employee. So that was good. Then I didn't hear for a long time and asked my manager why I hadn't heard anything. They were didn't want to pay me what I am worth. That was bad. Then I got a great job offer where I could work from home, got great pay with full benefits. That was great! Then the contract I was hired to work on was cancelled (after a single week). That was bad. Fortunately I hadn't quit my original company yet. That was good. Then that company changed the direction of their business model and let me go. That was very bad. Then I got my current job (great pay and full benefits). That was good.<br /><br />We got to finish out second grade for E in Pennsylvania. That was good. He started third grade with the same kids as last year. That was good too. During the year he played soccer, football and hockey. That was good. We had to leave PA before he got to finish his football season. That was bad. We got to go to our nice Florida house. That was good. We got to play in the pool and play in the park and ride bikes around the trails. That was good. E got to ride his bike to school. That was good. We had to leave after only a month. That was bad. I was employed. That was very good.<br /><br />So, we had to move 3 times last year. That was very bad. I was employed almost the whole year with just a bit over a month break between positions. That was very good.<br /><br />That is why the year 2010 gets rated 'not-horrible.'sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-67257067398172180422010-12-30T12:48:00.012-05:002010-12-30T15:35:00.735-05:002010 Wrap-Up<p>I am copying Linda over at <a href="http://www.sundrymourning.com/2010/12/29/yearly-recap-2010/">All & Sundry</a>. I took her list from last year and edited it a bit.<br /><br />So here is my 2010 wrap-up:</p><p><strong>1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?<br /></strong>There must be something but I guess it was so unremarkable that I can't remember it.<br /><br /><strong>2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?</strong><br />I'm not a big new year's resolution kind of person. This always seems to imply that if you want to fix something you need to wait for a special date to begin the process. That just seems dumb. If it needs fixing, then fix it!<br /><br />With that being said, I want to lose some weight and get my hip fixed.<br /><br /><strong>3. Did anyone close to you give birth?<br /></strong>Yes! My neice had her beautiful baby, Ava Danielle, in July.<br /><br /><strong>4. Did anyone close to you die?<br /></strong>No, thank god.<br /><br /><strong>5. What <s>countries</s> places did you visit?<br /></strong><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/TRzMczEfpyI/AAAAAAAAAjE/5WKPM4tPKus/s1600/IMG_1616.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556540835385812770" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/TRzMczEfpyI/AAAAAAAAAjE/5WKPM4tPKus/s200/IMG_1616.JPG" /></a>We met B's brother, SIL & their kids at Hershey Park and had a very pleasant day there. We went to Washington, DC and got to be all touristy-like. We moved back to Florida and then came to Indiana. Really exciting. I had a few interview trips (Houston, TX, Iowa, North Carolina) nothing special. </p><p><strong>6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?</strong><br />A bicycle; a hip replacement so I can say goodbye to constant pain. </p><p><strong>7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?</strong></p><ul><li>March 8th – horrible car accident </li><li>November 8th – started new job </li></ul><strong></strong><strong>8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? </strong><br />I got a new job with great pay and great benefits.<br /><p><strong>9. What was your biggest failure?<br /></strong>This really isn't my failure...but the work-at-home job didn't work out unfortunately (the contract I was going to work on didn't get won by the company). I also didn't get a permanent offer from the company I was working for (they didn't want to pay me what I was worth, twits!).<br /><br /><strong>10. Did you suffer <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/TRzLLawfHrI/AAAAAAAAAi0/IfIvtODoiRI/s1600/OurCar%2B007.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556539437290036914" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/TRzLLawfHrI/AAAAAAAAAi0/IfIvtODoiRI/s200/OurCar%2B007.jpg" /></a>illness or injury?</strong><br />Other than the chronic hip pain, no. I broke my elbow just at the end of 2009 so that doesn't count. E broke his ankle in May. I got bad seatbelt contusions and B broke his finger in our horrible car accident in March (we soooo could have been killed then).<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>11. What was the best thing you bought?</strong><br />Hmmm...this is difficult. I am cheap and don't spend a lot of money...well, we bought a new car (see above for why we needed a new car).<br /><br /><strong>12. Where did most of your money go? </strong><br />Stupid mortgage on a house we can't live in.<br /><br /><strong>13. What did you get really, really, really excited about? </strong><br />The job that fell through. It would have been perfect...great pay, great benefits, work from our house...*sigh*<br /><br /><strong>14. What song will always remind you of 2010?</strong><br />Song?<br /><br /><strong>15. Compared to this time last year, are you: </strong></p><blockquote><strong>a) happier or sadder? </strong>Happier<strong><br />b) thinner or fatter? </strong>About the same...maybe a tiny bit thinner (maybe only in my mind).<br /><strong>c) richer or poorer?</strong> Just a bit richer</blockquote><strong>16. What do you wish you’d done more of?<br /></strong>Relaxing. Doing fun family things. <p><strong>17. What do you wish you’d done less of?<br /></strong>Quarrelling with B. </p><p><strong>18. How did you spend Christmas?</strong><br />Quiet Christmas at home. </p><p><strong>19. What was your favorite TV program?</strong><br />Eh...don't really watch TV... I've been watching <em>Lost</em> on Netflix</p><p><strong>20. What was the best book you read?<br /></strong>I have really read a lot this year but there is nothing really memorable. I just finished <em>Pretty in Plaid</em> by Jen Lancaster...I love her books. </p><p><strong>21. What was your favorite film of this year?</strong><br />That would presuppose that I went to see current films. </p><p><strong>22. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?<br /></strong>Nothing. I am 35...no, wait...I am 50-something. I am old. </p><p><strong>23. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?<br /></strong>To be able to actually live in one of the houses that we own or to sell the house in Idaho (I can almost physically feel this as a weight around my neck). </p><p><strong>24. Who did you miss?<br /></strong>I miss my family. We will be travelling back to Seattle in March for my nephew's wedding. I am looking forward to seeing everyone then. </p>sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-34419288418626628752010-09-22T22:52:00.000-04:002010-09-23T10:54:50.723-04:00Wordless Wednesday - Tall<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/TJtp60DpK_I/AAAAAAAAAio/bymVrPwwlcM/s1600/EvanSoccerTeam_edited-1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/TJtp60DpK_I/AAAAAAAAAio/bymVrPwwlcM/s320/EvanSoccerTeam_edited-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520122227399928818" border="0" /></a>...is what my boy is...<br /></div>sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-78973924365244756942010-09-15T17:44:00.002-04:002010-09-15T17:45:32.698-04:00Wordless Wednesday - the Start of Football Season<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/TJE-Z8dX8VI/AAAAAAAAAig/tTUgAHf8AM0/s1600/EvanAnnounce.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/TJE-Z8dX8VI/AAAAAAAAAig/tTUgAHf8AM0/s320/EvanAnnounce.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517259633952551250" border="0" /></a>sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-38353977138959327162010-09-02T05:32:00.001-04:002010-09-02T05:32:00.588-04:00Wordless Wednesday (on Thursday...)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/TH6qY3F0jYI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/1P4mVUXMXfU/s1600/FirstDayOfSchool2010.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/TH6qY3F0jYI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/1P4mVUXMXfU/s320/FirstDayOfSchool2010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512030338030013826" border="0" /></a>sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-38652964108151460162010-09-01T14:21:00.003-04:002010-09-01T14:29:06.951-04:00Exercise HurtsA conversation with my 7-year old son this morning:<br /><br />On waking him to go to school:<br /><br />E: "Mommy, my stomach hurts!"<br />Me: "E, it's just the second day of school!" Bending over (being somewhat paranoid of such things as appendicitis...), "where does it hurt?"<br />E: "All over..."<br />Me: Reaching down to press on his stomach, "Here? Here?"<br />E miserably: "Yes..."<br />Me thinking, "Ummmm...did you do a lot of leg lifts at football yesterday?"<br />E: "Yes."<br />Me straightening, "Well, honey, I think you've got good old muscle soreness. Nothing you can do about it. It will get better on its own."<br />E whining, "But it hurts!"<br />Me: "I know, sweetheart. Feel the burn."sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-70010664850406972412010-05-19T16:15:00.001-04:002010-05-19T16:16:43.363-04:00I love this poem<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Warning</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">by Jenny Joseph</span></div><p style="text-align: center;"> <b style="font-style: italic;">WHEN I AM AN OLD WOMAN I SHALL WEAR PURPLE</b><br />With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.<br />And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves<br />And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.<br />I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired<br />And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells<br />And run my stick along the public railings<br />And make up for the sobriety of my youth.<br />I shall go out in my slippers in the rain<br />And pick the flowers in other people's gardens<br />And learn to spit</p><p style="text-align: center;"> You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat<br />And eat three pounds of sausages at a go<br />Or only bread and pickle for a week<br />And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes</p><p style="text-align: center;"> But now we must have clothes that keep us dry<br />And pay our rent and not swear in the street<br />And set a good example for the children.<br />We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.</p><p style="text-align: center;"> But maybe I ought to practice a little now?<br />So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised<br />When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.</p>sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-29306459189489803042010-04-08T10:53:00.005-04:002010-04-08T10:53:00.304-04:00Craft UpdateYep. Still being crafty. First I will update on the Christmas stocking I am making for E. <a href="http://hopefullyhome.blogspot.com/2010/02/craftiness.html">This</a> is where I was last month. And this is where I am now. Good progress being made, I think. I have finished Santa and have started working on the bag of toys.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/S7tLPxf0CFI/AAAAAAAAAhg/QOBAB3pMfQs/s1600/stockingMar2010.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/S7tLPxf0CFI/AAAAAAAAAhg/QOBAB3pMfQs/s320/stockingMar2010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457038107846379602" border="0" /></a><br />And I finished the quilt I was making for E. Here it is:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/S7tLPra7BrI/AAAAAAAAAhY/xraBNjw2BeU/s1600/quilt.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/S7tLPra7BrI/AAAAAAAAAhY/xraBNjw2BeU/s320/quilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457038106215253682" border="0" /></a>It isn't perfect. I didn't square up the squares as well as I should have and the binding is only s0-s0 but this is really the first real quilt I have ever made. I call it a quilt but it was really designed to be a wall hanging. Doesn't matter. E likes it. Next time I might tackle a full-size quilt.<br /><br />I have also finished the top for a fleecy quilt/blanket for my niece's baby. I think it came out really nice. It is similar to a blanket/quilt I made before except this one I personalized with the baby's name. I just need to put the backing on it, quilt it and bind the edges.<br /><br />I am also crocheting a blanket and a little dress for the baby. The blanket will match the dress which matches some booties I have already made. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/S7zVS72P-XI/AAAAAAAAAho/FaSeltRAn-8/s1600/babyDress.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 158px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/S7zVS72P-XI/AAAAAAAAAho/FaSeltRAn-8/s200/babyDress.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457471369745791346" border="0" /></a>This is what the dress will look like except I am not using pink. I am using a really pretty variegated yarn. I haven't decided if I am going to make the hat & booties either (and that's not the blanket I am making either...just the dress...maybe the booties & hat). I have a pair of booties already made using the variegated yarn so if I make these I may just make them in pink & white. This pattern is a 6 month pattern so if I make it it should fit little Ava in December. Perfect, I think. Booties & baby hats don't take very long to make anyway. I can whip them out in an evening or two.<br /><br />I hope to finish all the baby things by the end of this month so I can get them mailed to her by May sometime. Baby is due in June.sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-89888251507916336682010-04-07T12:56:00.000-04:002010-04-07T12:57:57.043-04:00A few minutes in my life...So today it felt like I had…something…in my eye. So I take out my mirror and start poking my fingers in my eye trying to pry the elusive hair off of my cornea. Then I notice a great big scratch on my eye. AGHGHGHGHG!!! A giant scratch on my eye! Wait a minute…why doesn’t it hurt more?<br /><br />Then I notice the exact. Same. Scratch. On my other eye. AHGHGHGH!! Wait. Oh yeah. Reflection of the lights.<br /><br />Am an idiot.<br /><br />But at least the hair is gone.sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-21823254343467732172010-04-06T10:44:00.005-04:002010-04-06T10:51:35.230-04:00You Can't Make This Stuff UpOkay. Now I think <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36190832/ns/travel-news/?GT1=43001">this </a>is funny. Please tell me that I am not the only one. I don't think I would mind having him in the seat next to me. Here are my reasons:<br /><br /><ul><li>He wouldn't hog the armrest</li><li>I could steal his airline meal (if they still served these)</li><li>I could steal his peanuts</li><li>I could order extra drinks for him (and then drink them myself)<br /></li><li>...and charge his credit card</li><li>He wouldn't talk to me when I wanted to read/sleep/space out</li></ul><br />...seems like the perfect seatmate to me.sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-62981309265726910312010-02-24T18:56:00.001-05:002010-02-24T18:58:27.527-05:00Wordless Wednesday: I got nothin...A picture of a cute kid is always appropriate...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/S4W84t8H8vI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/mw8P2QbJPSA/s1600-h/EvanAndFrecklesCropped.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 307px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/S4W84t8H8vI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/mw8P2QbJPSA/s320/EvanAndFrecklesCropped.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441963407337583346" border="0" /></a>sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-69778684320232021942010-02-22T17:50:00.004-05:002010-02-22T18:02:53.091-05:00So CoolWell, folks, it looks like very soon I am going to be very, very wealthy. Yes I have been invited to go into the oil business with a company doing business in venezuela. I will be a 'patner' with Ms. Briggs and look forward to dumping buckets of money into my bank account.<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">My name is Mel Diana Briggs, an engineer/geologist. I own Rocket OilServices, a support company to Shell Petroleum Dev Company. My company doesoil prospecting, oil site reading and shallow exploration for shell. I amcurrently in Venezuela where i have had the opportunity to do oil deals with<br />a few sister company explorers, and a few indigenous oil rig engineers.<br />Together, we engage in oil deals which involve bunkerring and quick syphoning of crude oil through specially rented barges to Mexico and Chile.<br />Proceeds from the oil sales are paid for in Dollars and eventually wired through the Venezuellan banks to banks in England. Payments are made this<br />way due to the hard-line policies of Hugo Chavez(venezuelan president) whohas launched an animosity against america and some of their allies. By way of rigorous transfer of funds, i lose so much of my share of the proceeds from sales because this is a secret deal which Shell is not aware of.<br />Already, proceeds made from sales amount to $80million. And due to local restrictions in Venezuela, i cannot invest these monies here because of my<br />imigration status. As such, i need a patner whom i can work with for the movement and investment of these monies. I need someone i can trust as a<br />patner, who will assist me in moving this money, and whose company name we are going to use in investing the money into more lucrative businesses.<br />For your participation: you shall get 20% of the $80million before the investment proper. And if you wish to be part of the lucrative investments<br />mentioned above, we shall talk better terms. Please do let me know your position on this proposal so that we can proceed.</blockquote>I am preparing to quit my job and have put money down on a new Porche. See you all in the Swiss Alps.sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-21255879322376796312010-02-19T10:14:00.005-05:002010-02-19T11:50:48.678-05:00CraftinessIt seems I am always working on some crafty thing or other. For instance this past Christmas when I should have been working on this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/S3RlWkXEqaI/AAAAAAAAAf4/xO3j1EuRzQk/s1600-h/Stocking1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/S3RlWkXEqaI/AAAAAAAAAf4/xO3j1EuRzQk/s320/Stocking1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437082088535009698" border="0" /></a>...and I was working on this instead:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/S367tlSSXcI/AAAAAAAAAhI/Em6pHmeUzDM/s1600-h/BirthAnn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/S367tlSSXcI/AAAAAAAAAhI/Em6pHmeUzDM/s320/BirthAnn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439991791687458242" border="0" /></a>I haven't quite decided what to do with that little birth announcement thingy. I initially started it for E (since he is now <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">seven years old</span> I thought it might be time to finish one of these for him), but I found another one in my stash that I might make for him. I might put this up on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a> (yes, I have <a href="http://www.etsy.com/people/hershop">a shop</a> there tho' I haven't put anything up for sale there or anything...) but I am sure I can't get out of it the effort I put in to it (I'll bet there are a couple of hundred of hours of work in that). Even if I charged a hundred dollars for it (would someone pay a<span style="font-style: italic;"> hundred dollars</span> for that??), I am making way less than a buck an hour. Not exactly a get rich quick scheme.<br /><br />After I finished the birth thingy I went back to the Christmas stocking (obviously didn't finish it in time for Christmas but I will for this year). Anyway...then I found out that my niece was going to have a baby, so I made this:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/S3RlWJaWBoI/AAAAAAAAAfw/KTrQiydq-6M/s1600-h/BabyJacket.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pfYDAXGs2HM/S3RlWJaWBoI/AAAAAAAAAfw/KTrQiydq-6M/s320/BabyJacket.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437082081300973186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">(yes, I ran out of blue ONE ROW before finishing; I think it looks good this way too...</span>)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I made a little pair of booties too (I can finish a pair of those in an evening) and am trying to decide what I want to make next for her.<br /><br />Oh, yeah...E decided he wanted me to make a quilt for him. I have the top almost all done (no pic yet...maybe next week). It is a pattern called 'radiating squares' and looks pretty cool.<br /><br />Well, that is some of what I do in my spare time.<br /></div></div>sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9225481.post-5242517409841706142010-02-18T15:58:00.000-05:002010-02-18T18:24:47.591-05:00PG-rated swear wordsWas thinking the other day about swear words (obviously I have too much time on my hands). I have a child now and although I was never a real big cusser (it still makes me uncomfortable to actually <span style="font-style: italic;">say </span>the 'f' word...although I can write it: fuck - see?), I think that I have to stop saying at least the Big Ones: shit, damn and hell. And the 'f' word, of course, fuck (heh...that probably upped my hit count...).<br /><br />I should probably also cut out fart and bitch. I use them way too much. Someone once said that adding a yummy food group after a derogatory makes it less dirty. Terms such as:<br /><ul><li>twatwaffle</li><li>cuntpickle</li><li>skankmuffin</li><li>whorecracker</li></ul>are funnier than they are dirty.<br /><br />The word 'douche', while itself not really a dirty word becomes funny/demeaning/dirty when different beginnings or endings are added:<br /><ul><li>douchewizzle</li><li>douchebag</li><li>douche canoe</li><li>douchefish</li><li>flaming douchebag</li><li>douche-a-rooney</li></ul>Adding 'knocker' after words makes them funny/dirty:<br /><ul><li>fartknocker</li><li>bitchknocker</li><li>doucheknocker</li></ul>The word 'crap' (<span style="font-style: italic;">which I would not consider particularly dirty seems to have made some list at my 7-year old's school as he chastised me for using it the other day</span>) lends itself to adding an interesting ending as in:<br /><ul><li>craptastic</li><li>crapalicious</li><li>crappity crap crap<br /></li></ul>I have always loved "smarmy bastard." It just seems to roll off the tongue (e.g. "<span style="font-style: italic;">...he was such a smarmy bastard I simply wanted to hurl...</span>"). Lately "batshit crazy" has been a favorite of mine as well.<br /><br />These are not really swear words, but they are funny:<br /><ul><li>dillweed</li><li>dorkfish</li></ul>Okay, now I have shared some of my favorites, I wanna hear some more...anyone?sheilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16563260896994885340noreply@blogger.com2