4 Simple Goals - Update

Back in August I told y'all about my planned participation in Elsie's "4 Simple Goals" project.  Way back when I eagerly jotted down my little list with high hopes and good intentions of finishing each and every task.  Let's check in and see how I've been doing, shall we?

ONE - Blog more regularly.  Well, I think that I've been doing pretty well with this one, don't you?  I mean, even not counting the "One A Day" posts, I've still got a pretty respectable posting habit started.  I also think you should know that some of my posts get written over more than one day - for instance, "Small Town Friday Night" was actually started yesterday, but I finished it up this morning.  I think that sometimes when that happens it looks like I just sit down at the computer and spew random musings all over the keyboard (which is of course the case!) for hours on end (which is not generally the case).
TWO - Crochet a granny-square blanket.  This remains a work in progress.  I've actually got two going right now, as previously mentioned probably more than once.
THREE - Get my motorcycle license.  Done and done baby!
FOUR - Try new recipes.  I had fleshed this out a little to be "try at least one new recipe per week for two months" which may be my eventual downfall.  I've tried some new things - the Mexican lasagna was a HUGE hit and I roasted my first pork roast (I even used the drippings for gravy) - but I've not yet met my more specific goal.  Luckily these were goals to accomplish before 2011, so I can technically re-engage this goal for November and December and still be good.

I hope everyone is having a fantabulous weekend!

Small Town Friday Night

We won!

Friday night football games are the social highlight of the weekend.  We moved back to the town that I went to high school in, so the games are at the same field next to the same school that I went to 20 or so years ago.  What's really weird for me is that the football players are the kids of people that I went to high school with way back when, so even if I don't know a kid's name I can almost always come up with one or both of the parent's names. 

A lot is the same - the band still sits in the same section of bleachers, the same familiar voice announces the games over the loudspeakers and the parking lot is still the same confusing mess to get out of after the game - but a lot has changed, too.  The team now enters the field through an inflatable tunnel to a mix of heavy metal music that generally has the fans (many of whom are parents and grandparents) covering their ears and cheering when the music stops.  It definitely seems like Shad and I are the only ones in the stands who actually appreciate Slipknot as it blares over the tinny loudspeakers.  Maybe that's it!  It's the sound system!  If we only had a decent system everyone else would be rocking out to "Before I Forget" just like we do! 

Forgive me readers, for I have mislead you just now.  I didn't honestly mean even one of those last three exclamation marks.

We have another playoff game next weekend against the team that we have developed a not-so-friendly rivalry with.  It started when some of "our" people went and trashed their football field (why, I simply can't fathom) so of course some of "their" people came over and trashed our field just before Friday night's game (which is much easier for me to fathom).  "Their" town is only about 10 miles away from "our" town and the last time we played them in regular season the field was packed.  I can only imagine the chaos that awaits us next Friday.

Thanks for going down memory lane with me!



The Most Fabu Little Owl

Yesterday my VBF gifted me with the most cutest little owl ever.

I'm still trying to come up with a clever name for him.....

He's now hanging out on the quilt shelf with a few of my other favorite things where he seems quite at home. 

Wanna know a secret?  I know where she found the pattern - not so much because I'm super smart or anything but more because my VBF has shared all of her favorite blogs with me - including A Beautiful Mess (you can check it out by clicking on the button to the right) where Elsie recently did a "Tricks and Treats" series.  A few days ago, guest blogger Viviana showed off her version of fabu little owl (still not as cute as Steph's if I do say so myself!) here.  

What can I say?  I have the most awesome VBF ever!

One A Day - October 30

Shad and his 'smore'gasborg

One A Day - October 29

Old Glory at the high school football field

My New Mission In Life

I mustmustmustmustMUST go to this next year!

Someone New To Love

I found the most spectacular new blog today.

Meet Erin at eef-ink!  I have absolutely fallen in love with her just-a-little-more-than-a-stick-person illustrations and her wacky self-portraits and blogging style.  You know that I'm pretty smitten if I'm gushing this much about her, right?  I'm especially digging this little sketch as it is particularly applicable to my life at this time:

I'm just sayin'....

Seriously, go check her out RIGHT NOW!  Check out the blog, the flickr account, the etsy store, EVERYTHING! 

(Does this come across as creepy?  I kinda feel like it's coming across creepy.  I don't mean it to be creepy at all, but maybe I just don't "do" enthusiastic well.  Please, for the love of god, read this as excited/enthusiastic rather than creepy/gonna-stalk-this-chick-ish.  I am not a stalker.  But I may be creepy.  Depending.)

One A Day - October 28

Big Bad Clyde and Bruce the Recluse hanging out in the bedroom

I Wanted to Share

Back when we lived in the same town as my niece, I had the opportunity to take lots of pictures of her.  Consequently, I have about 300 pictures of Jordan from her birth to about 18 months old, some of which are very, very adorable if I do say so myself. 

One day old

Six months old

Seven months old

Somewhere during my amateur photography career I have found that it is not always the cutest or the most professional-looking pictures that turn out to by among my favorites; instead, the quirky, kinda dorky pictures are usually the ones that steal my heart.  Biggest case in point -

Okay seriously - if you didn't giggle when you first beheld this picture there is something seriously wrong with you.  It cracks me up every time!  I'm laughing out loud (lol'ing I guess) right now!

Know what that picture reminds me of?

Ed Grimley - Saturday Night Live - Circa 1985 - "I must say!"

If You're Gonna Be Dumb.....

Ya gotta be tough.  Luckily I had a full measure of both this morning, so it worked out okay.

This was the scene at our house this morning after Malorie came downstairs and looked out of the living room window:

Malorie:  What's wrong with the convertible?

Me:  I don't know Malorie, what's wrong with the convertible?

It isn't in the driveway.

*I looked outside.  Sure enough, the convertible was not in the driveway.  Neither was the truck.  Dang.*

I'm not sure where the car is.  I'm going to call your dad at work to see if he took it (never mind that that wouldn't explain the fact that not just one but two cars are missing from our driveway!)  You guys go ahead and go to school so you're not late.

The kids leave in the van and I call Shad at work.

Honey, what car did you take to work last night?

Shad:  The truck.  Why?

Well, we might have a little problem.  The car is gone.

(After a brief pause)  No it's not.  I picked you up from work yesterday and we didn't pick it up before we came home.

Oh.

Can everyone get to where they need to go?  I'll be leaving in about 20 minutes or so, or if you need me to I can come home now.

The kids already left for school.  I guess I'll ride the motorcycle to work.

You do realize that the high today is supposed to be like 45 degrees, right?

Yeah.  :( 

So I rode the motorcycle to work this morning.  It was a little chilly and a little windy but thankfully I was all geared up in my leathers and my helmet for the ride in.  I had to explain to everyone that it wasn't in my original plan to be tough (or dumb!) this morning but that it had been forced upon me.  I'm just glad that I made the call to Shad and not to the police, since they would have almost had to have driven right by my car to get to my house.  Now that would have been embarrassing!  Nevertheless, that song has been running through my mind all morning.......

If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough
When you get knocked down you gotta get back up,

I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer but I know enough, to know,

If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough

 

Well, I drenched my brain with Rot-Gut whiskey

'Till all my pain was chicken fried

And I had dudes with badges frisk me

Teach me how to swallow pride

I took advice no fool would take

I got some habits I can't shake

I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I know enough to know

If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough

If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough

When you get knocked down, you gotta get back up

That's the way it is in life and love

If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough

I've been up and down and down and out

I've been left and right and wrong

Yeah, I've walked the walk and I've run my mouth

I've been on the short end for too long

But if they gave medals for honky tonk wars

Hell, I'd put mine in my chest of drawers

With my I.R.S. bills and divorce papers and all that stuff

If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough

If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough

When you get knocked down, you gotta get back up

I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I know enough to know

If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough.

One A Day - October 27

Frankenshin!  Lost one mysterious lump, gained three stitches.

Hey! 101!

I thought I should throw in a non-project type blog since it's been a while.  Hmmmm.....what to discuss......

I find that people get really discombobulated if you admit when you make a mistake.  This afternoon I got a phone call at work and could tell immediately that the caller was highly P.O.'d.  As we got further into our conversation it became apparent that he had pretty decent reason to be P.O.'d and that I was, in fact, the proper target.  I screwed up, I knew I had screwed up and I admitted I had screwed up.  What else was I going to do?  There was a second or two of confused silence and the "I'm gonna kick someone's butt" tone went out of his voice, after which we had a somewhat lengthy discussion about what I could do to mitigate my error.  I'm not trying to hold myself up as a paragon of virtue or anything, but shouldn't this be the norm rather than the exception?  I'll do my part and you do yours and we'll at least make our little corner of the world a better place to be.

The living room is rearranged.  The chair that we obtained curbside has been dubbed "the throne" or "Ugly Chair" and has been paired rather successfully with the green recliner from mom and dad's basement to provide a new sitting area.  (The chair can be seen in today's One A Day post.)  The sectional has been whittled down to a four-cushion couch which takes up a whole wall of the room and has thus been named "the world's longest couch."  It still comfortably seats three dogs and one person...or four people...or two people and two dogs...or...yeah, essentially some variation of four.

I had a nice birthday.  Along with the Kindle, Shad and the kids got me a digital photo frame (now on my desk at work), a cool vintage quilt and a scarf/wrap that I can wear with my LBD.  Mom and dad came through with some chocolate and some dinero and then stopped by later with awesome auction finds, including a handmade quilt with shams, a lamp (which has also been incorporated into the living room) and a knitting basket with about a bajillion pairs of knitting needles and some vintage JCPenney yarn.  Guess who is going to be trolling youtube for knitting tutorials!  Shad and I had breakfast with my mom and dad and then he slept while I cleaned the living room carpet and the couch.  After he woke up we took a short motorcycle ride, got stuff for supper, and got to see a beautiful sunset on the ride home.  It sprinkled a little and I'm happy to report that I didn't die during my first ride in the rain. 

I'm still working on those afghans.  I'm getting close to finishing one of them and then I have to figure out how to assemble the other one, then it's on to other projects.  I'd really like to do some more photography before the weather gets crappy and I've got some jewelry designs in mind that I want to get to soon.

I'm adding to my flickr account as often as I can - old and new pictures - so check that if you're interested.

Thanks for being here for my 101st post!

One A Day - October 26

Charlie Boxer chilln' out in Ugly Chair

4 Stories - Childhood Games

Another day, another new project.  This one is going to be more of a "catch when I can" endeavor - I've added a new button to remind me and so you can take a look at Leigh Ann's site - FreckledNest.  The basic concept is simple: take the prompt, write four stories based on the prompt and post!

This week's prompt ----- Childhood Games

One - Come Sail Away

One of the most interesting games that I remember playing as a child involved pretending that the whole world was flooding and my bed was a raft.  Of course a raft needs provisions, so I would pile all of my toys and stuffed animals on the bed so that they would survive the flood.  Not some of my toys - ALL of my toys - because no one gets left behind!  It seems like it took a few minutes to get everyone aboard (time was of the essence, naturally) but it took for-ev-ver to get them safely stowed away after the danger had passed.  I'm happy to report that no toys or stuffed animals perished as the result of the flooding.

Two - Family

My VBF recently reminded me that my mom used to make up scavenger hunts with clues that lead us from place to place throughout the house.  I seem to remember that the broom closet was a popular clue location.  Both of my parents always seemed willing to judge our diving contests as they sat poolside; however, as I've gotten a little older and been involved in raising kids myself, I suspect that some of the scores may have been given on dives that had not been closely scrutinized.  I know that some of the dives that got a 5.4 were more like 5.9s - my feet were together the whole time and there was hardly a splash!  Even my grandparents were pretty good sports about paying their $.10 or $.25 to enter our "haunted room."  I'm sure that my sister's eerie "woooooooooooooo"s and me grabbing their ankles from under the bed was not the most terrifying experience, but they always played along.

Three - Grade School Gym Class

Looking back, I was pretty lucky to be able to attend my grade school.  Our town boasted of about 800 people back in the day and throughout my grade school career it seemed like everyone discussed when (not if) we would consolidate with a bigger school nearby.  The classes were small - 7 people in my 8th grade class - so two classes would usually be combined for P.E.  We played volleyball, basketball, kickball, basically all of the gym-class staples.  My favorite activities were scooter tag and badminton.  In fact, my VBF and I made it to the finals of the badminton tournament my 8th grade year.  I know what you're thinking, and I'll have you know that not only were there were more than two teams in the tournament but we also beat some more athletic teams to get into the finals.  Sadly, we lost to Scott and Russell.  They gloated. 

Four - Saturday Night Volleyball

Almost every Saturday night a group of teenagers and adults, including my parents, got together at the grade school gymnasium to play volleyball.  I know that we usually left to go up to the gym near the end of Hee-Haw (and after The Muppet Show), so I"m guessing it was around 7:00 p.m. or so.  As the "big people" played volleyball, we roamed the gymnasium and school grounds looking for ways to entertain ourselves.  It was a very good night if the gym teacher forgot to lock the ball cabinet on Friday or if one of the locker rooms was open, but we didn't require such luxuries for a good time.  If the weather was nice we could go out into the school yard where there were slides, merry-go-rounds, monkey bars, swings and parallel bars;  if foul, we could play on the stage or read *ahem* add to *ahem* the graffiti under the scorers' table.  Some nights stand out more than others, like the night that my VBF broke Jenni's arm "launching" her into the air with her feet and the night that I broke one of the school windows with a rock because I was trying to hit the school bell.  Now that I think of it, I think that Jenni is the one that told on me for that little fiasco.  Thanks, VBF, for having my back and showing her what happens to snitches!  :)

You can play, too, if you want to.  Check out Leigh Ann's blog and pick one of the 4 Stories prompts to get started!

One A Day - October 25

Close shot of one of the elf salt and pepper shakers that I bought at my grandma and grandpa's auction.  It can currently be found with its mate on the quilt shelf.

One A Day - October 24

Oscar doing his best gargoyle impression

One A Day - October 23

If you look very closely, you can see the reflection of my camera in the two big drops at the right of the picture.  I thought it was pretty cool!

New Project - One A Day

I have decided to start a little somethin' somethin' here.  The plan is to post at least one picture per day so that I get in the habit of using my camera a little more.  This project is more-than-loosely based on the 365 project (which I actually signed up for before I thought about it - I'm sure I won't be getting emails forever for that little misstep!) but, as we are all well aware by now, I'm not necessarily good at the "post each and every day" thing.  I figure that since it's my project I get to make the rules.  For right now, the rules are thus:

1. I shall take a picture every day.
2. Said picture shall be of whatever the heck I want it to be of, okay?
3. I shall post the picture in my blog as "One A Day - (date)" and on my flickr account.
4. I shall post the picture as soon as I can to the date that the picture was taken.
5. I shall provide a brief (or not so brief!) explanation of the picture.
6. I retain the ability, as producer of the project, to make/change rules as I go along.

Just so you know, Rule 7 should probably be "Susan gets to start the project whenever she wants" and, since I took a really cool picture yesterday that I didn't post, I'm going to start with "October 23."

(Anyone else notice that I'm already working on my "40 Things" list?)

It's good to be queen!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Any guesses as to how old I'm turning this year?

I'm technically posting this just a tad early, but I have the time and the inclination to do this now so I'll go ahead and claim the extra year now, two hours early.

I decided that I wanted to make a "40 Things To Do Before I Turn 40" list and then take a picture and do a little blog each time I accomplish one of my goals.  I figure three years will give me enough time to save for some of the big ticket items (See #1) and time to plan some of the more time-consuming tasks.  Some of these things are small, some silly, some practical, but all are things that I haven't done yet (or want to do again!) and want to do before I get too old.  :)

Without further delay........

40 THINGS TO DO BEFORE I TURN 40

1.  Take Shad to Italy

2.  Host a dinner party

3.  Get/Make/Acquire a headboard for our bed

4.  Go to a Postsecret event or send in a secret (or two!)

5.  Get another tattoo - if I find one that I like

6.  Do a photo shoot with/from the motorcycle

7.  Participate in a play at our local theater

8.  Volunteer at a Habitat House

9.  Have my VBF take a family portrait of us

10. Make and wear an item of clothing

11. Renew my wedding vows with Shad

12. Get a perm

13. Gather emergency supplies for tornado/zombie attack

14. Wear my Little Black Dress

15. Perfect a go-to recipie

16. Make sushi

17. Drive a squad car (with lights and sirens!)

18. Have a taco salad at Parkside restaurant in Sycamore, Illinois

19. Start (and regularly use) a Flickr account

20. Take family portraits for my sister-in-law and her family

21. Go to a Rob Zombie concert

22. Crochet an afghan (or two!)

23. Learn motorcycle maintenance from my dad

24. Skydive or bungee jump

25. Transfer our old home movies to DVD

26. Get mom's carrot cake recipe

27. Have an over-the-top Halloween party

28. Do a girls-only roadtrip

29. Make banana bread from scratch

30. Participate in a charity 5K run/walk

31. Bake a cake (or cupcakes) from scratch - including icing

32. Go to a Renegade Art Fair event

33. Participate in the St. Jude motorcycle ride to Memphis

34. Decorate a Christmas tree using only handmade decorations

35. Go to a drive-in movie with Shad

36. Pay off all unsecured debt
37. Trace my family tree back at least five generations

38. Redo or install hardwood floors in our front rooms

39. Take a dip in the ocean

40. Go to Detroit for a hockey game

Sometime in the next 1096 days I intend to do each and every one of these things, so stay tuned!

Guess What!

CHICKEN CUP!!!!!

Today is my favorite sort of day - a lazy, rainy Saturday.  No plans, no obligations, no time table.  Life, my friends, is good.

You May Have Noticed Some Changes.......

I've been making some changes to the blog - mostly because I'm finally figuring out how to add "buttons" (links to other blogs and websites) to the sidebar.  See the button right under the picture just to the right of my posts?  That's new!  As I was flitting about from blog to blog this morning I found this button on Maize in Montana's blog (which is pretty awesome by the way!) and, intrigued, I followed it to em jay & me's blog where I found this fantastic pledge.  It's not like I'm apt to get into any blog wars anyway, but it's nice to have the reminder.  Here's what it means to be a "Kind Hearted Blogger":

                                       AS A KIND-HEARTED BLOGGER I PLEDGE TO:


     * create, inspire, and admire rather than compete with fellow bloggers


     * be understanding of each other-- in the blogging community, as well as in the world


     * stay away from internet/blogging bullying


     * speak my opinion freely, while still being mindful of other's feelings-- be tactful


     * make an effort--no matter how big or small the gesture, to spread kindness or joy to others


     * acknowledge that I will make mistakes, (I am only human) but remember to learn from them


     * know that at times I will post about the negative stuff in life, and maybe even some complaining (I am only human) but I will always follow up with something happy/positive too


     * believe that this world is a good place, filled with good people

Seem like good life, as well as blog, rules, don't they?

30 Days of Me - Day 30!

Whew!  There were times that I didn't think we would ever make it to this point, but here we are.  Day 30.  Gosh darn it if I don't feel a little sense of accomplishment and actually following through and finishing this little exercise.  Way to go me!  I rock!

Today's prompt is "your favorite song."

My favorite song is "Santa Monica" by Everclear (.  It came out in 1995 and got up to like #26 on the Top 100 in 1996.  (Don't think that I had that musical information right at my fingertips - I used Wikipedia!)  My clearest memory of the song is that I went to a Matchbox 20 concert with Ang within a week of getting married to Shad and Everclear was one of the opening acts.  We were at the top of the arena and I remember him doing this song as I sat with my head leaning back on the concrete wall behind my seat.  I have no idea why that particular memory is ingrained so deeply into my mind, but it is, and "Santa Monica" has been one of my favorite songs ever since.  Don't ask me what it's about because I don't necessarily know, but here it is if you're interested.

Accessorized - Today I Wore Purple

I promise that the flowers were a deep, royal purple and not the blue that this picture makes them look!

For those of you who know me well you know that purple is my least favorite color.  Ever.  I don't know when my aversion to purple started (but I can tell you that Barney didn't help it any!) but it runs deep.  Nevertheless, last night I spent some time crocheting some purple flowers to affix to my sweater today to show my support for this cause:

One of my facebook friends invited me to this "event" in which people wear purple today to show support for all of the gay and lesbian people who have been bullied as a result of their sexual orientation.  Specifically, the event is in memory of six young men who committed suicide after being threatened, harassed and targeted for being gay.

I just don't get it.  Why would you persecute someone based on who they are attracted to?  From what I've seen gay and lesbian relationships are very similar to heterosexual ones - some good, some bad, some lasting, some fleeting.  People are people.  If we all try to live the best life that we can, doing more good than harm, helping where we can, putting a little more love into the world, why would who we lay down with at night make any difference?

30 Days of Me - Day 29

"in this past month, what have you learned"

I'm going to assume that "this past month" actually means the last 29 days of this challenge rather than the actual last calendar month, since it's taken me almost two months to complete the 30 days of posts.  So what have I learned in the course of these "30 Days of Me"?

I've learned that bad grammar and awkward phrasing really grates on my last nerve.

I've learned (more like "re-emphasized") that I don't do well with a set schedule of posts.

I've learned to share my blog with more people (hi mom and dad!)

I've learned that I don't need prompts to come up with stuff to blog about.

Everything is a learning experience so no experience is truly wasted.  :)

When It's Time For Change....

...you've got to rearrange....

Great.  That song popped into my head and now I'm pretty sure it will be there for the rest of the night.  Anyone else remember this little ditty from the Brady Bunch?  It's the episode where the kids are recording an album and Peter's voice is changing so his voice is all cracking and stuff.  Come on people!

Anyway, we are getting to rearrange some stuff.  Obviously it's not spring cleaning so it must be fall purging.  I've got the trunk of the car loaded with clothes and other items to donate to the GW Boutique and still more boxes to be packed with treasures to give away.  The house just feels full and I'm pretty sure if I try to spend winter in a fulled-up house I'll go stir crazy.

Step one is going to be to take several sections out of our sectional and make it more like a traditional three-cushion couch and move in the fabu chair that we saved from the curbside.  We're still on the hunt for another thrifted easy chair/recliner to fill out the room.  It will also be an excellent time to get the windows caulked (there's an awful draft when the wind is a blowin' and the wind is always blowin') and cleaned and to hit the couch and the carpet with the steam cleaner.  Who knows, maybe I'll even wash down the woodwork while I'm at it.......

Step two - well, I'm not 100% sure what Step two will be.  Let's get through Step one first, okay?

I'm still working on my afghans and trying to get the craft room in shape.  The kids have threatened to turn me into the Hoarders shows if I don't get the supplies under control.  It's not hoarding if I know where everything is, is it?

I'm pleased to announce that I've figured out how to add buttons for other people's blogs so you can see some of my favorite ones.  I just feel so accomplished every time I figure out how to do something new on here.  Am I a blog rockstar?  Well, not yet, but I'm at least playing medium-sized venues now....

30 Days of Me - Day 28

"a picture of you from last year and now, how have you changed since then"

October 24, 2009

So that's me about this time last year.  In order to have a "now" picture I'd have to take one right this very moment and believe me, I'm in no state to be photographed.  I mean, I'd make a perfect "before" picture for just about anything, but since I don't have a super-fabulous "after" picture to post along side of it there shall be no "now" picture.

In the last year I lost forty pounds between January and April and then gained twelve of it back between May and October.  I'm back on the bandwagon now and hoping to drop a few more pounds before March, when Shad and I will be headed to Vegas for our 10th Anniversary.

In the last year I've moved into a larger office that is much more out of the general traffic flow at work.  I've hung paintings that I like (and one belonging to my boss, too, because I kinda had to) and enjoyed the quiet.  I've also become periodically more disenchanted with my job, mostly because it feels like I do the bulk of the work sometimes, but I'm hanging in there.

In the last year I've become the evil stepmother to two teenagers - not that I wasn't a stepmother before, but Andrew turned thirteen this year and Malorie turned sixteen.  I've found that I did inherit some of my father's calm demeanor when it comes to instructing a new driver, which was a relief to both Malorie and me.

In the last year I've purchased and re-acquainted myself with a motorcycle.  I also discovered the dangers of owning a motorcycle - mostly the danger of not wanting to do anything else and the occasional overwhelming desire to ride off into the sunset. 

I'm sure that I've changed a lot of other ways in the last year (don't we all?) and I hope that it's mostly for the better.  How about you?

Thrifty Goodness

It was an awesome weekend for finding things on the cheap!  Shad and I hit a few yard sales and did a little curbside shopping (a/k/a dumpster diving without the dumpster) on Sunday and came away with some pretty awesome things.

We happened upon the last day of a church-sponsored yard sale having an incredible special - fill one kitchen-sized garbage bag for $1.  I'm sure that I can't name everything that we came away with, but I know that we ended up with:
           * A new ceiling light fixture for my craft room
           * Three blazers (for material)
           * Flip-flops for Shad
           * Two shirts for me
           * a 1970s macrame belt
           * Kyle from South Park
           * Corduroy shirt and pants (for material)

I think we ended up at something like $.07 per item.  I've already put up the light fixture, which is a vast improvement from what was originally there, so it's already been $1 well spent.

Speaking of spending dollars, look what else I got for $1 each!

I would put money on the fact that the Pronto! is still in working condition - the OneStep perhaps not so much - but how cute are they for display for only one bone apiece?!?!?  They've already become part of a new camera-related display that I'm putting together.  I'll post pictures when I get it finished so you can further observe (and perhaps be jealous of?) my good fortune.

   
We also picked up this pair of salt and pepper shakers, originally marked $2 for the pair.  When we took them up to pay for them the owner said that she would sell them for a dollar because of some damage.  Have you seen such cuteness for $.50 each?  I had not and suspect that I shall not again for some time.

I'll post later about our curbside find - it's pretty cool too!

30 Days of Me - Day 27

"why are you doing this 30 day challenge"

When I initially glanced over the challenge I thought it woulld give me some different ideas for posts and I was perhaps a little apprehensive that I would run out of things to say.  Obviously now that I've been doing this blogging thing for a while I've found that I can babble about darn near anything!

30 Days of Me - Day 26

"what do you think about your friends"

Really?!?!?!?  Of course I think they are all stellar people with exemplary taste in friends!  How about this - I'll pick three friends and give you some of the first words that come to mind when I think of them.

SHAD

Forever, Funny, Principled, Reliable, Hot(!)

STEPH

Goofy, Crafty, Enduring, Bestest, Resilient

ANG (a/k/a "G')

Intelligent, Sarcastic, Caring (secretly!), Hilarious

Thus ends Day 26.

A Perfect Day - Part Deux

After walking around downtown a bit, we headed to the House of Blues.  As I said before, the concert was being held in the "back porch" area of the HOB which, prior to 10:00 p.m., serves as the restaurant.  We got there at about 7:30 for a leisurely supper and were happy to see this:

It's true - the show was only $12.00!

We did a little more shopping and then went into the restaurant for supper.  We told the hostess that we were going to be staying for the show and asked if she could seat us somewhere near where the stage would be.  She led us to a table for two on a small raised area about 15 feet from the stage and said that we could just turn our chairs a bit when the music started.  It was perfect!  This was the view from our table - 

Look how handsome my hubby is!  I'm a lucky girl.

I was trying to be covert about taking pictures since it said right on our ticket that cameras were not allowed.  They even had signs posted:

Pretty bad to take a picture of the sign that says "No Photography Allowed," right?

We ordered dinner and in the spirit of "heck, when's the next time we'll get back here, let's really splurge" I got the fillet Mignon (medium rare) while Shad tried the fish (I don't eat fish so I can't even remember what he had) that our waitress recommended.  It took a while to get our food, but oh, when we got it!  *Delighted shiver*

It was seriously the best steak I've ever had.  A hint of red wine, onions and mushrooms graced my fillet which was accompanied by garlic mashed potatoes and steamed fresh green beans and carrots.  To this day all I have to do is think about the steak and a blissful calm descends upon me.  It took somewhere between 45-60 minutes for me to finish supper because after each bite I would put my fork down, close my eyes and luxuriate in the taste sensations flooding over my palate.  The first bite was absolutely as good as the last and it was the perfect amount of food, leaving me full but not stuffed.  As I looked across the table I saw similar signs of culinary pleasure on Shad's face as well.  The $10.00 off coupons that came on each of our tickets even made it a reasonably-priced dining experience and I can say for sure that I've paid more for much, much, much less.

I love how Shad always holds my hand when we go out to eat.  He's romantical that way.

The opening band got set up and started playing a little after 10:00.  The band's name is In Tall Buildings and. although I wasn't a big fan of their opening song, they definitely grew on me as their set went on.  We even ended up buying their CD.

In Tall Buildings

Since they are originally from Chicago they seemed to have quite a following present at the HOB.  Two of their cutest and most zealous fans were undoubtedly the lead singer's parents who we spotted roaming around the "back porch" taking pictures with a camera (complete with flash) and their cell phones.  I must say that I felt a certain kinship with them as a fellow excessive picture-taker.  It was also pretty obvious that they were really proud of their son and in some way I felt lucky to witness their love and pride for him.  I do, by the way, realize I'm a sentimental dork.

**Funny side story - Shad went to the bathroom which was sectioned off into two areas, one for the facilities and one for the mirrors, sinks, etc. when he heard someone come into the other section and start doing vocal exercises.  That someone turned out to be the lead singer, Erik Hall, warming up.  I guess if no shower is available the bathroom is the next-best thing, right?**

After about six songs In Tall Buildings cleared the stage and Zee's road crew (which seemed to consist of about two guys) finalized her set-up.  One guy, who was about 5'8 and 300 pounds or so, bent over to adjust some cords and exposed about six inches of butt crack.  Shad, of course, didn't see it but I looked over and noticed that Erik Hall's parents had apparently observed the crack-shot as well.  I have to think that maybe they were kindred spirits......

One thing you notice about Zee right off - she's a tiny little thing.  She's originally from Malaysia and currently lives in New York.  Shad discovered her music one day while perusing the Brushfire Records website, where you can find information and recordings by artists like Jack Johnson (as you know, one of my faves!), Matt Costa and, of course, Zee Avi.  Her music is hard to describe - it's like her voice belongs in the 1920s or 1930s but her lyrics are definitely about current topics.  It's an odd juxtaposition to hear lyrics about death, cheating boyfriends and drug addiction sung by a voice that seems to have come straight out of the Jazz Age.  Some of her songs are in Manglish,  a blend of Malaysian and English, which gives her a very unique sound.  Take a listen for yourself at her website.  Here are a few of the pictures that I took during her performance:

Zee and the boys - since a lot of her stuff is acoustic one of the main criteria for playing with her is the ability to look cool while sitting/standing around doing nothing 

 See how big that guitar looks?

Pretty cool, no?

The ukulele appears to be of a much more Zee-friendly size

Zee is a big dork (in a teeny-tiny body) just like me (not in aforementioned teeny-tiny form) - she kept making "jokes" throughout her set that fell pretty flat and then insisted that, in her head, she was really funny.  Believe it or not I myself have felt this way at times!  She also that she liked it "inside her head" because the people there knew her.  I used that line to someone's great amusement just last week....

The concert finished up at about 12:15 a.m. and we hung around waiting for them to set up the merchandise table, which we assumed would be just outside of the "back porch" doors.  I wandered about taking pictures, even though it was prohibidabido, mostly because there really wasn't anyone to keep me in check and - skip this part mom and dad - everyone else was doing it.  Apparently my finely-tuned rule following is much more flexible when it comes to photographic opportunities.  Who knew?  Anyway, these are some of my favorites:

The "back porch" entrance of HOB

I whole-heartedly agree!

After about twenty minutes or so Shad went back to ask one of the staff where the merchandise table was being set up, only to find that it had been inside instead of just outside the doors like we thought it would be.  We got down just in time to purchase a tote bag for Malorie and do a little meet-and-greet with Zee.  She was super friendly, very gracious and I swear to whichever deity you adhere to that she was flirting with Shad!  As she was autographing Malorie's bag she asked some questions about her and, after Shad said she was sixteen, Zee kept repeating "There is no way you have a sixteen year old daughter" with strong emphasis on the "you" as she looked right up at my handsome hubby.  I 'bout had to open my can of Whoop-Ass, if you know what I'm sayin', but instead I found myself sitting down across the table from her and telling her the story of our first trip to Chicago to see her.  (See what I mean about personable?)  She seemed pretty impressed that we had driven three hours each way for the purpose of catching her show not once, but twice.  As we got ready to leave she hugged each of us (which definitely emphasized her stature).  I don't think that she grabbed Shad's butt during their hug......

Fueled by coffee I was able to survive the three-hour drive home, although at times the roadway looked just a little like this:

Yep, I sure did take this while I was driving at 1:53 a.m.  See the risks that I'm willing to take for my art?

All in all it was one of those days that I look back on and think "If I can have one of these every few months it will be worth all of the crap I have to get through to get to it."  I hope you all have your personal version of a perfect day real soon - just remember to acknowledge, enjoy and experience it to the fullest!

A Perfect Day

Well we finally made it to the Zee Avi show at the Chicago House of Blues on September (versus August) 26th.  Remember back when I posted about our errant trip and I said that I was actually looking forward to going up again because it meant spending more time with my honey?  I was absolutely right!

We started out by sleeping in until about 9:00 a.m. or so which, for me, is pretty late.  Isn't it nice to start out well-rested?  We left at about 11:00 a.m. after having a leisurely breakfast and bumming around a little.  We're only three hours from Chicago and the show started at 10:00 p.m. so we had obviously built some "wander" time into the schedule.

It was cloudy on the way to Chicago but only sprinkled on us a time or two - nothing too bad.  We stopped at Pete's for lunch (by the way, mom and dad, they seem to have raised their prices quite a bit) where Shad and I both had burgers.  I chose the blue cheese burger with fries started off by a cup of their creamy chicken and rice soup.  The soup was definitely the best part of the meal and I had the opportunity to find out that hamburger with blue cheese crumbles isn't as flavorful as it might sound.  It looked kinda pretty, though.

I don't know why the single fry was pointing at me from the safety of the bun, but I thought it was kinda rude.....don't worry, though, because I got my revenge.  I ate it.  With ketchup.

After lunch we got back on good ol' I-55 for a bit until we hit Joliet, which is home to one of my most favorite thrift stores.

 Why hello random Unique Thrift Store shopper.  How are you today?

The most unique thing about this thrift store for me is the fact that they don't have dressing rooms.  You wanna try on some jeans or something?  You find a big skirt, put that on, pull your best Houdini moves to de-pants without flashing the other patrons and then try on pants to your heart's content.  I found a bag of vintage ribbons along with some elastic and a 14" zipper for like $3.99.  Shad bought a seat for the canoe and a Halloween hat.  Bonus!

It had been almost two hours since lunch and, since we didn't stuff ourselves, we decided to hunt down a little snack.  Barnes and Noble seemed an excellent choice - not only do they usually have a Starbucks (complete with sweet, caffeined, icy goodness) but they have my other favorite splurge - lots o' books.  Our GPS, after initially sending us on a wild goose chase onto a college campus, led us to our destination.  Shad was saddened to learn that there was not an extensive music selection; however, I was more than pleased to see that they did have a little of this.....

 MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM........

That, my friends, is the Godiva double-chocolate cheesecake accompanied by some sort of icy coffee drink with bits of chocolate and whipped cream.  It was absolutely as good as it looks.  I honestly thought that this would be the highlight of my day.

We resumed our trip just as the sugar/caffeine high kicked in.  I don't drink a lot, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs, but I have to think that the overload of chocolate and coffee in my system was something like a first speed/meth hit.  Whooo-eee.  Luckily Shad was as hopped up as I was because I have the feeling that we were talking so fast and changing topics so rapidly that our conversation would sound like the drone of a mosquito to a normal person.

So that's where we were as we came into the city at about 6:00 p.m.  After driving around for awhile we found a place to park that didn't cost $16 for the first hour and took off on foot.  We wandered a few blocks in each direction, passing some fairly photo-friendly locations.

*Ribbit*

View from the super-swanky (for a) McDonald's downtown - yes, that is a glass table and I was sitting in a leather chair when I took this.

I love the mural on the side of this club.

Ah one, ah two, ah...."Take - me out to the ball - game..."

I feel like this is getting too long already and I've got more pictures from HOB, so I think I'm going to wrap this up right now and come back tomorrow to finish up the day.  See, now you have something to look forward to!  (That, of course, assumes that you read this post almost immediately after I post it and then have to wait - no doubt on pins and needles - for tomorrow's installment.  If this post and tomorrow's follow-up post are both up when you read this one, feel free to walk away from your computer for a while to heighten the sense of anticipation........) 



30 Days of Me - Day 25

"What I would find in your bag"

Oh wow.  I wish I would have seen this one coming - I would have cleaned out my purse to avoid the embarrassment that is sure to follow.  No use putting it off, I guess.....

Now let me explain......(don't you find that the best stories always start out that way?)

I just changed purses two days ago and I hadn't completely cleaned the one I'm using now out from the last time that I used it, resulting in some - but definitely not all! - of the chaos that you see before you.  I did purge quite a few things before I re-packed my purse if that makes you feel any better.

Some notes on the contents:

*I LOVE my card holder-thingy with the camera on front.  I bought it during my first trip with my VBF to Elsie Flanagan's Red Velvet Art Store in Springfield, MO.  It's from The Dainty Squid and I think it's super cool.

*The cause bracelet supports organ donation.  I support organ donation.  After all, once you're dead, what use do you have for your organs, eyes, skin, etc.  Let someone else have a turn with them!

*I'm still in love with my Kindle.  If the web navigation was just a smidge easier I would say that it was perfect!

*I got the coin purse at the GW Boutique - $.99. 

*I am, perhaps, the world's biggest fan of milk.  It doesn't matter if the cupboards are bare, so long as there is milk in the fridge I'm a happy girl.  Free milk is even better!

*Seven writing utensils are excessive.  One of them I (inadvertently, I swear!) stole from work.  I pared it down to four when I re-packed.

*I will never use the 15% off coupon because I can't remember which Chinese place it came from.

*I know that the girl on the front of my Inspiration Journal is taking a picture with her back to the Eiffel Tower.  Maybe whatever she's taking a picture of is even more incredible that the Eiffel Tower, okay?  Could be, because Paris is a beautiful city with many picture-worthy sights.  It also could be that I didn't plan my stamping out very well....

We're almost done with the 30 days!