December 30, 2010

A note, in case my dates don't mesh with the date that blogger puts up: I count today as I'm writing this as yesterday's date still. Even though it's after midnight, I'm still awake, so I count it as yesterday still.

Just thought I'd clarify.

Anyway, so on one of the blogs that I read, there was a "Resolutions" entry.

I'm not a resolution-ing kind of person. I usually don't stick to my goals. Let's be serious who we're talking about here.

But I did like hers: Clean the craft space.

I can do that, I thought.

And I will chronicle the journey. Now she had this "start anew" thing, about cleaning it on the 1st of January. I hope to be nursing a hangover and sleeping in on January 1st after a Star Wars Movie Marathon.

Besides that, I have a feeling that it will take me a little bit longer to clean than one day. Even if I worked really, really fast.

Especially since I never actually had to organize craft stuff before. It was just papers, markers, glue, scissors: marker bin!

Here's what I've got as a mess now:

My kitchen, a "makeshift" sewing table... and kitchen table, and storage space...

One side of the craft room that I commandeered

and the other side of the craft room th at I store stuff on.

And that's not including my desk area. We won't get into that, even though I should be organizing it first since I work at it, like, every day or so during school.

But I got a new to me computer that runs well, and splurged on a wireless keyboard and mouse set...

Look, now I'm far away from my computer and ta da! Still typing to you!

So I shall be happy until it breaks again. And I also purchased some shoes, on sale for $11.00. Woohoo!

Until tomorrow (Tonight, to you people who are sleeping)...

And to all, Happy New Year Celebrations! Be safe and drink smart. Also, don't drink and drive. Seriously. I have to walk everywhere. If I were driving I wouldn't worry so much, but as a pedestrian... there is nothing separating me from your SUV's grill. Keep me in mind, if nothing else.

December 27/10

Christmas was pretty awesome. I got a new camera in replacement for the broken one (WOOh, Santa!) and so now there are randomly interspersed pictures throughout.

<--Panorama on my Camera!! Cool, eh? From Right to Left, it's my Dad, Uncle Bobo, and my mom's arm.

I did a few crafts with the sisters. A tonne of baking at the Grandma's.

I also got a Whirly-Pop (which is the coolest popcorn-popping thing since sliced bread... maybe even before) and a magic bullet...

Mmmmm.... Food. Tasty. Some of the stuff we do at Grama's for xmas.

And the nutcracker that I got was an M&M nutcracker. It's funny.

You eat the m&ms from his mouth that opens when you push the paddle at the back.

One day I'll figure out the boyfriend thing so that we can, you know, be TOGETHER around xmas. Yeah.

His mother's not "celebrating" Christmas anymore, but she still wants to have dinner and a family get-together, at Christmas. Makes Super-Duper sense, right?

Not really.

Sorry. Confusion is one of those things that I've learned I can't deal with. Illogical ideas are other things I can not wrap my mind around and therefore, they frustrate me.

I'll figure it out?

December 23/10

(In the corner (upper right corner), you can see the ribbon wreath my sisters and I made--these are most of my awesome little siblings. The oldest of the five siblings is upstairs, likely on his lappy.


I know! So long since I last updated. I've been busy. Not even crafting--fooding with my siblings and grandma for xmas goodies. Today we went for a walk to the store (a side-effect of not having an accessible car) and picked up stuff to make popcorn balls with.

The Smarties failed. We pretty much just ate them after we made the balls. One day I'll find a way to do it that works. It was good, though; my baby sister found that she helped a lot more.

(Pictures, I know! It seems my camera only works in the dark, but as soon as there's light the camera has wee lines all over the picture... hm..)

Anyway, I'm off back to PTBO tonight courtesy of my brother who drives (and has an accessible car at the moment).

Tomorrow's Christmas Eve.

Busy time for us now--'specially my 'rents who are working again tomorrow. Yeah. On Christmas Eve. Nice, right? They work just about every day. It sucks, but it's life, I suppose.

Gotta finish dinner. Parents will be home from work soon, and it's nice to eat at a reasonable hour.

December 16, 2010

Bwahahaha. I have finished and wrapped several, yes several gifts. I also have not really done much other than gifts in the last little while... but still.

Here's one I made (started out as a brown frame, and the one I accidentally blue-d up the bathroom floor with) for my friends Becka and Pat; they're getting married this year, and this is a silhouette of them dancing:

Yay! Now, soon, off to dinner with them.

Dec 15 2010... again

Well, I finished my brother's sweatshirt: (On the front it says danger like a danger sign):

I finished a few other things...

And I spray painted my floor accidentally after spraying it outside on a plastic bag (in the snow, I live in Canada, people...) and then bringing it in to my bathroom. I think I might be a little high from the fumes, but the window's open. And then I noticed the floor...

It was a BIG puddle of blue splotches from the dripping paint. Off of the plastic bag. *facepalm*.

So I vimmed the crap out of it:

And good as new!

Now, to take off my pants and switch to crappy old pjs so that my jeans don't get ruined from cleaning with bleach. And also, to moisturize and drink three glasses of water. For some reason, I'm as dry as the Sahara Desert!

On to more!

December 15, 2010

So, I didn't get around to a second post last night. I did get some work done though (I made three of them for three people that I like a lot)<-ETA: that parenthesis:

These are super cute, and I stole them from here:

http://iammommahearmeroar.blogspot.com/2010/11/cozy-button-wrap-with-disney-from.html

And they came from here: http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/

I think that in all good bloggy-ness, I should tell them that I linked to them, but I'm not going to tell them on their own blogs.

Good blog givers, I have linked up to you. And stole your ideas. Repeatedly. I love your ideas.

There.

--Hold on for my amazing leftover beef and barley stew break--

In case you didn't notice, it was so good that I ate it in under two minutes. I love beef and barley stew.

Anyway, I'm off to do more. I've stolen most of it from other places... But I have too much to do and only really tonight and tomorrow to do them...

:S

December 14, 2010

In four days, I go to my Grama's and then my Mum's house! (That means that in four days, I have to be done ALL my Christmas gifts...) It's a good thing I only have one exam and no classes this week!

I guess I'm excited but I feel kind of stressed about it.

It's a lot of work, you know? I feel like I should have started these crafts/sewing projects months ago. Oh, wait, I did. I just never finished them...

That's okay. I'll do it all. And I'll get my laundry done. The house just might not be clean.

I was going to get a Christmas tree this year, for the first year ever!

But, I don't know, it's the 14th and I'm leaving on the 18th, so I'm not sure now.

Anyway, gotta go out and pick some stuff up (like tape. Yes. I ran out of tape while halfway through wrapping presents the other night and haven't had time to buy more since I worked all weekend).

So, to go out! (Nothing like a bright and early lunch-time start to your day--I slept in for a long time :D)

Depending on what I get done today, I might double post this evening when I need a break from hand sewing.

Dec 12/10

Well, I'm klutzy. I broke my glasses last night. I've been wandering around all day, half-blind since I worked and it's Sunday. That also means that the stores aren't really open today. Tomorrow they are, but I work 10-5 so the likelihood of me getting out and buying glasses is nil. Those are pretty much the hours of any store where I live. Except for my store, which is generally open 9-9 (even on Saturdays, but not Sunday), and also Wal-Mart (Which I love for it's 24 hour Christmas shopping season. If only it were open 24 hours year-round).

I did however decide that if I'm gonna be klutzy, I'm gonna look good. So I slapped on some makeup and left my hair down.

And then it snowed. Like crazy. For hours.

And now it's freezing. I just figure my only chance of survival is to stay indoors. So much for that spray painting I wanted to do to that frame... I can't do that outside now! Maybe Tuesday...

December 11/2010

As dumb as this sounds, I have started going to see a counselor (which for some reason I always initially spell "counsellor") at my school for depression.

I've been pretty bummed, on and off, for several years. I haven't really had any reason for it that I can think of. Last year it got really bad; I pretty much got kicked out of school and had to give a heck of a tonne of reasons that I should stay because I just couldn't seem to get up or develop any motivation to do anything. It wasn't a pretty sight, and I'm kind of ashamed for wasting a year. What I honestly recall isn't pretty, and what I don't recall, I'm told, is worse. For some reason, I seem to have HUGE forgotten chunks of time.

Anyway, one of the people I had to talk to at school to get back in suggested a counselor. I finally gave in when I realized that even when I'm happy, I'm generally not really happy.

Stupid, right? I'm not really happy, even though I'm happy.

And I don't know why I'm not happy. There's no real reason for it other than I just don't think correctly.

So anyway, my counselor suggested I start paying attention to negative things that I think since I am an angry person who also struggles with self-deprecation, minor anxiety and negative self-speak. (And several other things which I shan't get into).

Which leads me to this: I was reading some blogs on a link party (because that's what I do with my free time, read blogs) and I came across a few that were like "WILL FOLLOW BACK"...and I was like: "I'm not sure I'd want someone to follow my blog."

Isn't that silly? I don't want someone to read what I'm writing because... and here's the kicker... it's not good enough.

Yeah. Negative self-speak, right there.

I know, my blog's not pretty. It doesn't follow an idea trail. It's all over the place. It's messy. It's truthful...

But you know what? That's okay. I'm okay with that. I don't want it to be pretty. I don't want it to be solidly dependable. That's not what I'm about.

I'm about being messy and unpredictable. I love myself for that; it's a part of me being an aquarius. I'm confusing, I'm out there, I'm aloof, and I don't think that I should feel bad about myself because of that. And damned if I'm not the one who'll tell you that that shade of lipstick does NOTHING for you.

Except I'm already going to be damned for everything else I do that goes against me going to Heaven (You know like blasphemy and greed and sins and stuff)... I think I prefer to believe in reincarnation, or something equally as unimportant.

Also: Does anyone know what the purpose of a panda bear's canines are? I was wondering since I was under the impression that canines were for tearing flesh, incisors were for ripping vegetation and molars are for chewing and mushing up foods? (Eg: a cow is a vegetarian: they have incisors for ripping up grass, and molars for chewing it. Repeatedly.) Do pandas eat meat? Why do they have canines?

Even the bio majors that I know didn't know the answer to it. The answer I repeatedly got was: They use them to eat bamboo? (That was a question; they aren't really sure).

...No, I did a quick Wiki search: (from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_panda)

Despite its taxonomic classification as a carnivoran, the Giant Panda has a diet that is primarily herbivorous, which consists almost exclusively of bamboo.^[21] However, the Giant Panda still has the digestive system of a carnivore, as well as carnivore-specific genes,^[27] and thus derives little energy and little protein from consumption of bamboo. Its ability to digest cellulose is ascribed to the microbes in its gut.^[28] The average Giant Panda eats as much as 9 to 14 kg (20 to 30 pounds) of bamboo shoots a day. Because the Giant Panda consumes a diet low in nutrition, it is important for it to keep its digestive tract full.^[21] The limited energy input imposed on it by its diet has affected the panda's behavior. The Giant Panda tends to limit its social interactions and avoids steeply sloping terrain in order to limit its energy expenditures.^[29]

Basically: We're looking at a normal bear that traveled to the wrong part of the world and got stuck. Oops.

Interestingly, the article goes on to describe how the bear must find at least two different kind of bamboo to survive since bamboo has a synchronous cycle.

Hm.

I figured that since it had canines, it would likely have eaten meat. I wonder if it will eventually evolve to not have canines?

I wonder if it's been there in China for a short (And by short I mean only a few thousand years) time?

I wonder if it can still eat meat like a black bear would?

I wonder if there were food for it to eat, if it would eat other food, or if it prefers bamboo? It would probably prefer bamboo, just from having eaten it for so long and not having known anything else. Although, just because a kid never eats ice cream doesn't mean he won't when he's finally offered it...

8/12/2010

You know, I wonder why after years and years of understanding that "divided we fall..." how it is that everyone is so divided...
I'm not saying that everyone needs to be the same, I am saying that everyone who is trying to be different for the sake of difference needs to realize one thing: We are all people. You can be anything, but those people you're denouncing are also people. They may not have "morals" because they offended you, but they're still just like you.

Just my thought of the day.

Chili-December 5/10

Firstly, I'd like to point out that I did use a title today. The reason that I never really use titles is that sometimes, I really just can't think of a title (you know what they say[mostly my mom]: If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all). But other times I do think up titles that kind of just seem like the right thing to say. All I can think about right now is how awesome Chili is.

So that's the title.

I love chili. I'd like to point out that while I was sick and feeling gross, I made chili. A friend of mine who is picky with food sincerely enjoyed it. I'd say that's good :D

I made mine out of my head.

Chili:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1 can kidney beans

1 can diced tomatoes

Some water (I think I used about three cups, maybe a little more-I think I added another cup later on since it was getting too thick for what I wanted)

1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, dried (to taste. I think I used a little more, but I didn't really measure)

1 packet reduced salt taco seasoning (Because I didn't have cumin or any of the other spices you're supposed to have)

pepper to taste

Brown ground beef in the soup pot if possible. If not, make sure to move over the ground beef runoff to the soup pot. Add diced tomatoes and kidney beans. I didn't drain either, feel free to do so; mine was quite watery after the fact and I think that this is why. Add some water so while it's cooking it doesn't stick to the bottom or boil down too much. Cook on med-high heat for about 20 minutes, hopefully it will start to bubble a little. Turn down heat to about a medium, maybe medium low; add spices. Cook for a while longer-about 40 minutes. Hang out.

Serve in one of the many ways that chili serves best.

The really awesome reason that I love chili is that it can be used in so many ways.

On Friday, I used it as chili. On the chili I put a dallop of sour cream and grated some cheese and some green onion on top of it, stuck two nachos (the cheap kind) on top, and served it as a chili. Makes sense, right?

Last night, I used leftovers as a chip-dip. Instead of a big bowl of chili, I put some chili in the bottom, mixed in sour cream, shredded some cheese and onion on top. (You could add a layer of lettuce if you'd like, too). Then I used some more nachos to dip into it. (You could use a flatbread, or any more healthy version of a crispy chip-like substance--I'm cheap, so compliments nachos it is).

Tonight, I'm eating a bowl of pasta, topped with chili.

A. MAZ.ING.

So tasty, my grama showed me that one. I wonder what I'll do with the awesome chili tomorrow?!?

Anyway, that was what was on my mind. I think it's time that I start the beginning of my Christmas crafts for the night. (This might post as the 6th, but it's actually the 5th. I worked all day, and then shopped for my brothers' and sisters' and parents' Christmas gifts.

Awesome.

December 2, 2010

Eughhh. I am so sick. It is gross. My eyes are watering and they hurt to keep open because my upper sinuses are swollen, my face and teeth hurt because my sinuses are backed up. I can't properly blow my nose; it's so stuffed that no matter how many times I blow it, it doesn't get un-stuffed, and all I blow out is clear (or bright green, depending on which nostril it is) goop. Lots of it. I went through ten tissues in an hour and a half today while I was in class--that means I was using them until they were folded into little, tiny balls so that they last longer.

I have raw nostrils now. Owwie. I'm hot, and then I'm cold, and then I'm hot. I try to stay hopped up on pills, but they don't work well enough to really do anything. I feel yucky. I'm dizzy and my balance is off. Damn sinuses.

And to top it all off, if I sit still for longer than ten minutes, I fall asleep. I took three naps today while I was doing homework that should have taken thirty minutes. It took me two hours to get it all done- and it's not like, *yawn* I'm tired. It's like, I'm totally awake... *facepalm* *snore* I had to sit in an uncomfortable position where I couldn't possibly nap on my desk/floor/couch/coffee table (yes, I tried to do homework everywhere without falling asleep). I just have too much to do to stay sleeping. And then I slept again right after dinner, because I sat still to eat (a box of stale, on-sale chewy chips ahoy). I think I'll have some chicken soup and clean the rats' cage and do some laundry and then do some of the infinite crafts I have to do before Xmas-

I'm going home on the 18th! I get to stay with my family for ten days! Wooh! I'll miss the BF, though.

Man I'm thirsty. And tired. Time to drink some water and take some more sinus cold and flu pills.

It's not a flu though. It's mostly in my head and throat.

I hope I didn't give it to anyone while I was working or at school, because you know that all the days I'm totally sick like this are days that I have classes that I ABSOLUTELY can't miss and I work on Wednesday that just passed--I don't always work Wednesdays.

Ugh.

Okay, now I'm done ranting and complaining, have a look at these guys: http://www.paulandstorm.com/lyrics/me-make-fire/

I've known about them for ages. I went to see a Jonathan Coulton show and they opened--but I knew about them before that.

It just never occurred to me to put it up here. If you don't find that particular song absolutely hilarious, try: http://www.paulandstorm.com/lyrics/frogger-the-frogger-musical/

or: http://www.paulandstorm.com/lyrics/grandmas-christmas-dinner/ *Beware. They talk about Grandma cooking a dog*.

If that's not your bag of shoes, then I suggest floating around their website. It can't hurt, right? And it's free. I mean, they're awesome. Their music is ... music to my ears? It cheers me up when I'm grossly sick and am snotting all over.

That's why it's on this blog post. It's a pick-me-up. It's hilarious.

One last one, definitely listen to this one, if you do nothing else. It's hilarious and I find myself singing it as much as the me make fire one: http://www.paulandstorm.com/lyrics/ten-finger-johnny/

And if none of these amuses you, I really think that you're a little too serious. Congratulations, you downer.

November 26/10

Firstly, it's my brother's bday, wooh! Have a good 20th? ( I hope it's the 20th, I think he's 22 months my junior, and I'm pretty sure I'm 21... Not terribly sure though).

Secondly, do you know what angers me? (Other than mostly everything)? I hate when, after having stood at a bus stop for 20 minutes in the frigid cold, when someone who just walked outside of a building to catch the bus, stands in front of you. And always in groups. Then, you end up at the back of the line anyway, even though you've been there numerically longer than everyone else, you've got no seat to sit in (because those days are the days when you get fuller than full buses), and you stand for the ENTIRE freakin' trip.

Yeah. That is what has been gnawing at me for, like, five years of taking the bus.

So I grew some balls today, and three snobs walked by me, to stand directly in front of my imaginary line of waiting, to be the first ones on the bus that arrived shortly thereafter. And as soon as the bus stopped in front of them, and myself, I pushed past them, said excuse me ladies, and stepped on.

They were just like "what ever" and "I can't believe that", but you know what? I was there first. And I froze my ass off. And you idiots were inside. You so do not deserve to get on before the rest of us icicles.

Now there were people who were at the bus stop before me who probably should have gotten on before me, but they didn't seem to want to grow any balls. It doesn't even anger me only when it's me getting screwed. If it's some timid little person standing there that gets pushed out of the way, I get angry too.

C'mon people, respect other people. Or I am damn well not showing you respect. Ladies.

So my counsellor says I'm an angry person. And this angry making thing seems sometimes like it's a little childish, but give them an inch and they'll take a mile. If they stand in front of me here, they'll knock me out of the way while I'm waiting for food, or like that extrememly rude couple who comes into my work, they'll walk out in front of you regardless of what heavy, hundred pound object you're carrying out for a customer and they won't even hold the door.

People, this is why civilization will fall. Because you idiots abuse the respect for others that some of us still have. But hey--I don't really feel bad disrespecting you after I feel 'dissed'. I'm so in for an 'eye for an eye' in this.

I think that the next time I sit through a class where the persons behind me are speaking through lecture, I'll spend the last ten, important information minutes singing along to some really pointless song.

November 24/10

I know, I know. I'm a bad, bad blogger. I just have been so busy lately...

Do you think I'm kidding? I thought maybe it was just because I was really bad with time management. I mean, I know I am bad at time management. I have somehow lost three hours just looking at crafts on blogs all over. Some are amazing. Some are so cool. Some are for X-mas presents that I plan to have made by the 18th of December (after the three papers that I have due in the first week of December*cough, cough*).

So, I decided to get some help with my time issues. I went to my academic skills department at school, and made an appointment. I went to my appointment. They opened late by four minutes, so my appointment started late.

Then I talked to the lady. Do you know what her final word was?

"Well, I think that your problem is that you just don't seem to have any time", she said.

She then advised me to write a 24-hour schedule detailing every little thing that I will be doing. I've yet to be able to follow the schedule. I just seem to forget little things, and don't super schedule other things; that or I lose track of time. As I've done today.

I've got a lot to do today...

So I'm sitting here writing a blog. I think I'm going to save up for a camera so that these aren't so boring anymore. They are quite boring now, aren't they?

November 5, 2010

I know, I'm a bad blogger. I don't keep up with any kind of posts. Life was a bit hectic for a while. And by a bit hectic, I mean, I got pink eye the week leading up to Halloween, I made a princess peach costume and also a princess daisy costume, complete with star piece and banana.
I had a bit of school work to do, and I worked when I wasn't calling in sick because over my reading break I HAD PINKEYE.
Did I mention I had pinkeye?
I also helped my friend who is getting married in July coming with her "Save the date Cards", which included designing and printing the writing, the picture, the magnets (yes, we made fridge magnets) and also adding the little colour matching ribbons at the bottom. Her fiance actually helped out by cutting things, which was nice, because I really hate cutting things by hand. Especially forty things.I actually think we ended up making 48 give or take a few. They were cute. I wish I had one still.
We are planning on doing centrepieces this weekend. Invitations aren't till January though. I wish I wasn't afraid of wasting money on a dress, but I am. I would love to be able to buy one now, as I am the Maid of Honour, but a)her sisters (the other maids) haven't picked anything, and b) July is so far away that I don't know how much weight I'll gain by then. I've heard horror stories of people getting pregnant after buying a three hundred dollar dress six months early... Hahaha.
I'd be so mad.
Unfortunately when I went home for Thanksgiving I thought I would lend my camera to my little sisters. When it came back to me ten minutes later, there was something wrong with it and it now takes shoddy pictures. I've dropped the hint to the bf several times when he mentions xmas presents, but I don't actually expect him to buy me a camera.
It would be nice, but I don't expect it.

So, now I'm back to all the projects I have plans for. I still need a few things for some people's stuff, some things I don't need anything and have it all here. Some people I still don't have plans for. I think maybe if I have some little bit of extra money lying around, I might get my mom and dad date night tickets/gift certificates to dress up and go out all pretty and stuff. Just 'cause they need it. Badly.
They're cutting back hours at work again, and I have a limited time space where I can work, but I got a good review and a "raise", so it's okay.
Other than that, life's peachy. I have no contacts, I used a glue gun to macguyver my glasses back together so I could wear them (although I am going to get an appointment soon to get them updated) and school's going fairly well. I hope.
I'll try to keep it up, and in the meantime: it's November, so NANOWRIMO is in full swing! Go write a novel!
If you'll excuse me, I'm off to do laundry, clean the kitchen, make fish and chips for dinner and also clean the sewing stuff I've been using all month.

October 14 2010

I think my camera is shot! I let my little sister at it over Thanksgiving and now :( It seems to have lines through every picture I take. Mostly.
When it's focused and coloured correctly.
Anyway, I have told you of my costumes.
This one I made sure I could make the make up look right tonight before I tried it when I work on Saturday:

It's a crow, so it's supposed to be feathers. I'll have the beak and such after tomorrow evening.
I did it with black Halloween face makeup from work, and a dollar store paint brush:


Except for my broken camera, good enough for me! I'll do an all together pic on Saturday, maybe with the bf's camera.

September 21, 2010

Yeah, okay. I know. I haven't been posting.

Sorry.
But I've been busy with school full time, and work nearly (if not) full time, and I'm a Maid of Honour so I'm out doing that, and now I don't have a car so transportation takes remarkably longer, and also I suddenly made a few friends, so my time at home/on the computer is very limited. I also have a few papers due tomorrow (yes, a week after school started), so this will be short, sweet, and easy.

Also, I've got a sweet few costume projects that I may or may not be noting as time moves towards halloween, Peach being the favourite costume of mine this halloween, but there will be more. And also, I'm still working towards xmas gifts.

I bought a used bag of stuffing to finish one of them, though, and I ended up finding Larder beetles in the stuffing. Needless to say, I didn't use the stuffing.

Also, did you know that not all of the big ol' flies you see in your house are houseflies? Some of them are cluster flies, and the differences that you can tell them by are that the wings are an overlapping instead of triangular shape. So, if the wings overlap, they're a cluster fly. If they don't, they are likely a housefly.

I went to Clair's today and bought these nailpolishes because they were mood nailpolishes, which is hilarious.

And they're pretty neat!

With flash(above), Without flash(below)

And:

On my fingers(above).

That's right. On my fingers is the purple, which goes pink because I'm "wild". haha. It's a heat thing, and I'm warm. If I play in cold water they go purple.

Cute, though!

07/09/10

That's right. September. 7th. 2010.

So, my school timetable is out. I bought a seven dollar sociology text today, because I honestly thought I had signed up for one. Psyche! It wasn't sociology. It was socio-anthropology.

Also, literally, psyche. First year psyche. I'm also taking a few anthropology classes and putting off the crappy ones that no one likes to take, so I can have one whole crappy year in the long run.

You know what though? I'm kind of excited. Everyone says "oh, it sucks, summer's over;" but I don't know. Summer is really boring. People go home, I work constantly, OSAP isn't paying for school so I'm just reading crappy fantasy books (although, if you ever get a chance to, read a book called "Mistress of the Art of Death" by Ariana Franklin.

Very, very, very good book. After the first few chapters, it gets to the point of "I can't put this down".

The bf wasn't a happy panda when I ignored him for an entire evening.

Then I had to read the second one in the series, too. Also good, very different. Still awesome writing.

While searching for these piccies, I learned that there are two more. I haven't read them. I'll have to put that on a to do list for this semester.

Anyway, aside, I have a sweet semester lined up, and two open days to work, but enough time around my classes to still have awesome free time. (ahem, study time).

I like school. And for the first time in a while, I think I might go. I'll probably laugh at people in the classes I have, because I mean, it's a bunch of psyche and philosophy classes and socio classes... (which I seem to remember hating in my first year anthropology class, but somehow found it extremely interesting. Read: the Wari tribe: Cannibals).

So, that's awesome. I'm not sad or disappointed. I'm excited. I might even go to a rugby game, and I might even not cheer for the visiting team.

I should probably finish my book from last year. I have it, I just don't have it all typed up. And then I should re-write it, because it SO doesn't follow a real sensicality. It jumps as I felt different emotions for different things as I went along and wrote it. That's okay. Still a good story. If you all only knew the ending.

http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2521223/1/Dragonsbreath

Do It.

*ETA: "gh" to bought.

September the Oneth, 2010

School starts soon ish, on the thirteenth. I'm happy to go back.

I'm working my butt off and therefore have no really awesome stories, since my work just fired someone and someone else walked out. A.K.A. sweet shifts for me!!

And also, I have nothing to talk about, but there is rice awaiting me so I will make this short: This is what my front room looks like now:

This is the coffee table. Note the numerous ex-gameboys and games, as well as current games and controllers and remotes. See how many you can spot!

We have one and a half game shelves. Yes, only the bottom chunk on the right are DVDs, VHSs in the very right hand corner. That orange bin? Controllers. Nintendo has it's own drawer and a half. The little bins off to the side of the orange bin? It holds controllers that are overflow (gamecube) and that are too big to fit into the orange bin (wiimote extras and the shooter gun for the NES.

Just two of the eight or so remotes that we have for items in the living room. IN THE LIVING ROOM. There's one in my bedroom too.

The TV setup. Behind the overloaded table, we have numerous game platforms.

I hope no one was planning on robbing my house after this, by the by.

A few of the other controllers, and games, and stuff... I can count 12 game-related things on or around that table, currently.

Do you think we have too many electronics, maybe? Sometimes I do, too.

But then I just play the xbox for a few hours and I forget.

August 29, 2010

We're going to try something here today: Instead of me complaining about how stupid consumers are (which I planned yesterday; eventually I'll get bored and write out detailed instructions on "How To Make Your Cheerful Cashier Your Worst Enemy"), I am going to detail a dinner that I made. Out of my head.

Be forewarned, I have an odd sense of taste and liking.

I originally planned to use a Sloppy Joe Mix, until such time that the recipe that I was going to use had mustard in it. (Mustard??? Weird). Then I was all like, yeah, I think I remember the taste of a sloppy joe from when I lived in dorm, I think I'll base it on my memory of my taste.

Then I added stuff that I thought would steer the simple ground beef towards being seasoned to taste in that particularly odd flavour of Sloppy Joes that we all love and savour. This one's kind of a sweet/spicy combination. That's what I remember them being. Sweet, so much so that you wonder what the heck that sweet flavour came out of in your pasta sauce and beef mixture, and spicy because my family (and the boyfriend) like's Frank's Red Hot Sauce.

In everything.

Always. Yuck. (On a meat pizza? On a steak sub? On meatloaf? In pasta sauce? Really? Is it necessary? They seem to think so.)

So here goes, and I do not take any kind of blame if your stomach explodes when you eat it. I'm sorry that your system isn't quite as used to this kind of abuse as mine is; I blame the boyfriend's bacon habit on my intestines of steel.

Also, feel free to use buns, but after I started cooking the mix, I couldn't find the ones that I swore were in the freezer when I started. So I used a tasty and cheap, cut-it-yourself-to-your-own-specifications-loaf-of-bread. And I broiler-toasted it, to avoid getting it stuck in the toaster.

And then also: the measurements are really very guessed. If you think it smells wrong, chances are it won't taste good.

(After it was consumed and sat through dinner)

Awesome Sloppy Joe Stuff that I Made

Served 2 plus some leftover but we eat huge servings; took about 30 minutes to make, not including the defrosting of the meat.

Toasted thick-cut bread

1/2 cup ketchup (or more, but I only had this much)

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (change depending on how sweet you want it to be, also if it's missing something at the end and you aren't sure what it is, add some more Worcestershire, it's usually the missing ingredient)

1 tbsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce (again, if you like spicy, +1/2, if not, -1/2, but SOME should be there)

1 can blandest tomato pasta sauce that you never used and shoved to the back of the pantry because of how bland it was the first time you tried it on pasta

3, slices of a large cooking onion, chopped... like, 1/3-1/2 cup??

1/2 tsp brown sugar (more if it's not sweet enough or doesn't smell right yet, less if you spilled the Worcestershire in the mix)

1/4 tsp cinnamon (unless your Grama gave you a container like she did me that I had sitting around, including a mix of the two that I think was originally for a sweet marie-type baking project a bit less than a year ago, in which case, substitute that instead of the br. sugar and cinnamon)

Sprinkle over of powdered garlic

Ground pepper to taste (Feel free to use fresh, I am just really cheap and the dollar store grinder I have is too much of a pain to use)(also, a tablespoon was pretty hot for me. That's about how much I ended up with, accidentally. I guess I didn't think about it.)

Few pinches of Sage (optional, I found it kind of threw off the taste but I think it's because it started to remind me of Italian and pasta sauce, which I didn't want)

**Also, next time, I will think about adding some honey in place of the brown sugar, until it smelled right. I didn't do it this time though. If you did, let me know how it turned out so I can (or know not to) try making it.

1. Brown the beef in a medium sized saucepan over semi-high heat. Once browned or nearly so, add onions and continue to sizzle together until it smells good.

2. Add all liquid sauces and mix into beef. Turn down the heat to about medium and stir quite often, but not constantly. Smack back of glass ketchup bottle until you are satisfied that the ketchup is all out that is coming out today. Repeat this step until the whole 1/2 cup is in the sauce, and you are frustrated.

3. Add br. sugar and cinnamon and mix in. Add all other dry ingredients including sage if desired. Also add anything else that you have on hand that I didn't that you think would make it taste better.

4. Stir occasionally until sauce thickens, doesn't take too long so don't go read a book or anything. Scoop over toasted bread (don't be skimpy with the scoops unless you made this recipe exactly for a big family) or bun or english muffin... maybe put into a bowl and dip those awesome thick pocketbreads that you've heated up in the oven into it. Or cornbread. Mmmm... that would be nice, too.

If you tried it, let me know what you think, and thanks for trusting in my questionable cuisine skills. Again, I have a weird sense of flavourizing things. I don't think I'm all that normal.

Because who puts mustard, plain old yellow mustard, in their sloppy joes?

August 25th, 2010

Treat your mother right, kids:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3007417704059163679#

I pity the fool.

He must have been promised a tonne of money.

August 24, 2010

School time is coming soon.

So much to think about, so much to get ready for.

In university, I am swamped with confusion. For my whole life, I wanted to be a doctor of medicine, somewhere between a general practitioner and a surgeon. Then I turned eighteen and reality hit me like some big, heavy, red bricks.

I suck, to put it bluntly, at chemistry. I suck twice as much at math.

So then I went to university for Ancient History and Classics, emphasis on the Latin.

And I suck at Greek. So then it was anthropology with a joint major of business, so at least some of the anth classes I took would be useful, and I enjoyed accounting.

But not Economics or most of the silly little "management" classes (where if you've taken one, you've taken them all).

Now, I really don't know where to go or what to do. I'm not really good at any one thing, I'm good at most subjects. I don't really like just one thing or have a passion for anything in particular. (Doesn't my blog attest to that? It's all over the place--like me).

So I'm taking psychology courses and continuing with my anthropology major, which gets me...

No where, really.

Has anyone out there done Anthropology and psych and have a job that doesn't pay less than oh, say, 60,000 a year? I saw a speech therapist as a possibility, but that's about it. And to be honest, while it would be awesome to re-learn sign language that I at least sort of knew in elementary school, I also think that I'm going to be at a loss for a real, keen interest in that area. Audiology just doesn't interest me.

And to be a teacher, which is the only other way I can think of doing this, would be ridiculous since they're SHUTTING schools DOWN left right and center, although there does seem to be some sort of obsession with pregnancy right now... maybe in 5 years there will be jobs for me...

Hmmm...

August 12, 2010

Well, what a bright new month this is turning out to be.

I have decided (as a very very last resort) that I will be giving up my insurance, and thereby my car's usefulness, as of August 29. This is because I can't seem to afford to go to school and rent an apartment and pay all my bills and do all these other things, especially since OSAP takes all my money away because my parents are my parents, and can't afford to put me through school but are still expected to, and also because I'm working like a good little rabbit all year through. You see, I'd get quite a lot more if I went on Welfare, but then I'd be on welfare.

It saddens me to lose the use of my car, and will likely re-inter me in several modes of depression because honestly, I'll be trapped in Peterborough, and that's just not worth it.

So, then, the other day an olive jar fell off my fridge and broke. The bf said "I'll clean that later", to which I said "forget it, I'll do it now".

So as I'm crawling around the floor of the kitchen, I put my knee down on a paper thin shard of glass that was nigh on impossible to see, even while it was sticking in my knee. I'm pretty sure there's some still in my knee.

Then, I went to work the next day, and when we get donations, we put them on big carts that are seven feet tall, nine feet wide, and 235lbs on average. We have to pull those into the back when they are full. So my boss smashed his hand between one of the store's support posts and the full 40-cart (which weighs usually between 900 and 1300 lbs if it is stacked correctly and is full, this one in particular was about 1100+235lbs), and I took over while he wrote up the accident reports and tried to decide if his hand was broken. Whilst driving the empty cart back to the donation room, it hit the swinging door edge and stopped abruptly.

I did not.

So I bruised a knee and my forehead and had a nice red line on my face for the remainder of that night.

Then, yesterday I was baking in the oven, and while avoiding burning my knees on the stove door and pulling my "casserole" out, I burned, rather nicely, my forearm. It even went gray to prove it was burned pretty well.

And today, I picked up a rotary cutter at the dollar store. When I touched it with my thumb it seemed really dull right out of the package. I even pushed on it. Then, in my infinite wisdom ( I actually do not know what possessed me to do this) I tried it on my thigh.

ON MY THIGH!

Why did I do it? I don't know, it didn't seem sharp.

Well it was.

*sigh*. I need a bubble, and to not be given sharp objects. I swear.

Least. Intelligent. Person. Ever.

On the other side, I've started some crafts and come up with some other crafts for Xmas presents. Also decided to clean today and have only scalded my hands once. I'm doing well.

Also, I seem to be addicted to those little marshmallow bananas.

They're awesome.

And I saw some recipes in a friend's cookbook that I liked, and he let me borrow it. I'll be trying them soon, I think. I might just do that while my leg stops bleeding because it's a remarkably deep cut. It already bled through one bandaid.

Jeeze whiz. I think I might just go make my bed or something with only soft items. Even doing laundry seems like a bad idea. I might get my head stuck in the dryer or something. Really.

It seems like the next best stupid idea.

Can you tell I feel really stupid for cutting my own leg? Or equally as stupid for walking into the stopped 40-cart at work? Really?

July 22, 2010

So a quick blog before I head out to work (this week I'm working reduced hours since someone else did the scheduling and cut back the people at the front of the store because we really don't need all of the cashiers. Yeah, right. Make my life a living heck and then tell me I'm working too hard. Gee I wonder if it has to do with the thirty people at three cash registers. Because that's all we have.

Also, I've noted that I don't have too many different fabrics that I don't have specific, unfinished plans for. So, a slight fissure has been created in my plans for xmas gifties, as a result of this.

(Sorry about the -ies, I've been playing Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Ring of Fates lately, and one of the characters drives me nuts by repeatedly ending every other noun in -ies.)

But I did come up with my own idea to make flowers for bags for my sisters which will be (eventually) made and freezer paper-printed with names and then have buttons, since I lost all my sweet, sweet blog bookmarks that I wasn't following but was throwing up at the top of my firefox till my computer crashed with a minor virus and I *sob* lost them.

So, now, in lieu of my need to recoup lost awesome blogs (And I, by the way, learned my lesson about following on blogger instead of just bookmarking, which actually I like better than blogger's version but whatever) I invented my own way to do flowers and it makes sense to me 'cause that's how I draw them when I'm just doodling.

They start with what the bf calls "peanuts".

Then I layer them.

Then I sew them together with a star stitching shape on the back, that you can't see, and then I sew a button on the front:

And ta-da!

Now I need some girlier prints, some less decorated printed fabric, and some solid pink or purple or... solid. Just solid :P Then it's not as busy as this one is. But it's still cute.

July 17 2010

Well, so much for trying to blog more, hahaha.
I've been working, today was the sixth day in a row, and tomorrow will be the seventh. It's awesome. Well, my paycheque will be, eventually. Plus I get a bonus coming up since it's retail and we did the awesome 100% goal that was set. wooh.
That's at least something we get for working our butts off all the time.

Anyway, I have a plan, a new journal plan, (because I accidentally went to Michaels which I always vow not to go to, but did anyway looking for 1/4" grommets in a larger numeration that 12 sets-- didn't happen. I don't know where else to go!)
And so I accidentally walked by the clearance, and there was an A for my name and that was that- a journal that I really didn't need.
So now it's a crafting journal. And I've decided that I'm going to work on making as many of my own xmas presents as I can, because I'm cool like that. Also because I can't seem to find stuff ever for people, or when I do it costs me a billion dollars. So I'm going to do a bunch of stuff that I created specifically for them. As a result of that, I've started some things already, some of which I can't post since I know some people read my blog sometimes, but it'll be awesome.
I have this frog thing for my brother, and the little guys are made up just for him. I know it's just paper mache, but I mean, they're so cute. Originally it started out with a little pencil holder, and then last xmas it was a bedside table with a couple of frogs on it, and I'm thinking a lamp to put ON the table with a frog under it, fishing, this year.
Yeah, I'm a kid at heart, so kids are honestly the easiest.
You know who's hard though? My dad and grampa. Honestly.
My grampa just doesn't want anything and gets mad at you when you get him something (which feels bad when you've gone and even made sure it was cheap but made sense to some sentimental memories of your childhood and then he just yells at you-yeah, I'm harbouring some sad xmas memories.)
And my dad? Honestly? He likes motorcycles, tools and math.
...
I'm in University, dude! Motorcycles (and parts and accessories) are so out of my price range. So I don't know. Maybe I'll find something good or think something up in the six months I have. *cough, cough*
Ps: they both hate ties.

July 5, 2010

So, I actually ended up going to Ottawa for July 1st.
I missed my brother's parade for the queen because it takes as long to get to Hamilton as it does (If not longer) to Ottawa from where I am.
Then, I get there and have to fight for a parking space although some nice lady gave me a parking pass once I finally did park in a lot close to downtown.
After which I learned that my family was outside of Ottawa, in a place called "South Gloucester".
I would imagine it's an amalgamated part of Ottawa.
So, then I drove away anyhow.

It was dirty, it was smelly, there were one heck of a lot of drunk people, and hundreds of people just... standing in my way regardless of which direction I was supposed to be going. I'm also surprised that I didn't get pulled over for having a contact high while driving, there were so many people abusing illegal substances there.


There was only one area in all the madness that had bathrooms that weren't "out of order".

It was awful with three kids six and under who had drank enough water to form their own camel humps.
Let alone myself, with my coffee and my iced coffee and my iced cap from Timmie's on the way out there. It was like, if I only had some manparts, I'd be one happy camper, peeing on the parliament buildings. That would show them, to plan to spend five million on a G20 security scene and not even a hundred renting damn port-o-potties.
You can kind of see the port-o-potties here, sort of, past only about an EIGHTH of the line that was standing there, waiting.
Then, whilst looking for my army brother in the melee and drunken orgy, I also missed the fireworks.
But I did hear a good twenty seconds of the Barenaked Ladies over the brawling and whining of the vapid eighteen year old girls complaining about their cheating boyfriends.
It was like going to a bar beside a college on St.Patrick's day, only the colours were white and red instead of green.
It also fairly saddened me that after the fireworks, there were a large number of fallen Canadian flags being trampled as people made their way back to the downtown bars. I missed the worst on my camera which was an actual canadian flag, dirty and ripped on the pavement.

Isn't that what people going up against Canada do in other countries? Stomp on the trodden and ripped Canadian flag, then follow up with a good ol' burning?
Being Canadian must be some sort of passing fancy to these people. I like being Canadian sometimes, but man, even I get those days when I wish my family had been illegal immigrants to (Insert random country here).
But stepping on a flag? It's just too superstitious. Like passing a cemetery and breathing, or walking under a ladder.
Disrespectful drunken teenagers and young adults. Back in my day, you respected the country who supported your OSAP and therefore your drinking habit.

On a lighter note, I've been finding it nice to paint 1/10 nails with a summery design to remind me not to chew again; I've done a bumble bee, a ladybug, and just recently a watermelon slice that was originally differently planned but ended up looking slightly more like a strawberry. Either way, it's summery. On a not so light note, I ruined a pair of awesome pink capris the G-ma handed down with black nailpolish. (as noted below, in fact.)

jeeze I'm a clutz.


I used the Sally Hansen "Hot Pink" nail art pen first, but didn't like how pink it was (but should have stuck to it), then went over it with Avon's Speed Dry in "Mambo Melon" to make the eaten part, and then Sally Hansen "Black Out" for the seeds. The rind (crust, peel, handle, depending on who you talk to) was made with Wet 'n' Wild "416A" and Sally Hanson "Green With Envy".
I think it's cute either way. Maybe less seeds and less red fruity part would be better. Over it all and as a basecoat as well, I also used Sally Hansen "Miracle Cure", because it makes then really, really strong. And so I can go buy another bottle of different hardener next time, since this one strips paint, I swear. And because it works only marginally and chips although it does chip slower than JUST nailpolish does.
Also, for those of you wondering about the Sally Hansen nail art pen, I'm quite amused by it. It's not very opaque, though, so sometimes I have to go about and cover the same thing three or four times. Also it takes some time to dry. But it is neat that it's a marker-like tip. I think I might see if I can't pick them up cheaply sometime in a few colours that I would use often: black and white, maybe a silver or something.

I'm also going to start a new few bonnets, one for me and one for the bf's mum, but after I do hammocks for the little ratties who destroyed their older one.

June 30, 2010

So, apparently the Queen is coming to Ottawa tomorrow. I hope she's good. My brother gets to go with his reserves and march around in a pretty red outfit. It makes him look Canadian.

Also, just so you all know, I did NOT take this piccy. I stole it from his facebook. That is correct.
Anyway, so my mum's going to see him. It's like an eight hour drive from her house, and three and a half to four from mine. Maybe a bit less than that, but probably not on a day where the Queen shows.
And then my grama and grampa said they might come up to my house.
So now I'm not going to Ottawa. Not that I really mind, the Queen is the Queen and it's not like I get to meet her or anything. I'd just be standing outside with the rest of the world, watching her from miles away as she walks into parliament.
Yes, I would so not like to be there. But I'd have gotten to see my sisters and brothers and mum and dad if I had gone. But now I won't, unless grama and grampa choose a different day to come up.
Unfortunately, I worked Monday-today, then tomorrow's a holiday, and then I work Fri-Sat.
That's correct. I am working five out of seven days. A full. work. week.
It's not the only one this summer, but it makes up for last week, when I only got 28 hours.
And in case anyone is wondering, I ONLY WORK PART TIME.
As a result of working my butt off,

this is the only cleaning I've done all week (Plus the rattie's cage, but they need to have a few hammocks made for they chewed through the other one, in less than a month, and it collapsed while I was at work. The BF said no one was hurt, though.), and since the BF's brother is up, he's not exactly in the cleaning mood

but he has promised to clean the living room and take the garbage out.
(which is also good, because before I left for work on Monday, the living room was clean and then I got back to find three friends of his + a brother playing videaa gamez and eating. And leaving garbage and dirty plates and stuff ALL OVER THE PLACE.
So that's what I'll be doing on my day off tomorrow, on my holiday. I might also get out to take some pictures this week before and/or after I work, I'm not sure.
However, I need to go shower before work.
Yay.

June 21, 2010

I finally made that second bonnet, in three hours, the night before I went to my grama's house for my grampa's bday, so that I could give it to my cousin. ( I have this thing with bringing gifts; it never seems to get to the one whose bday it is... but grampa never wants anything anyway. Well, I'm sure he wants stuff, but he would never tell us what he wanted.)
Anyway, it worked beautifully. I had no idea what gathering stitches were, but my grama showed me later, when I got there. Now I know for next time.
Still, I learned that it's all about sizing. Alllllll about sizzzziiiiinnnnngggg....
Gotcha. If the sizes are uber wrong to start, they'll be uber wrong at the end. So my mum and I had a good laugh about that while the family was sitting down for dinner.
And one day I'll get the cousin to send me a piccy of her wearing it. I also said I'm gonna make a million more so that I become perfect at it. Then I told my grama I'd send them to her house because I wouldn't need them. She didn't know what she could do with hundreds of little bonnets. Hahaha.
So, anyway, my Friday was awesome, and then I worked full shifts all weekend. Which will look okay on a paycheque, but I mean, it sucks while you're doing it.
Today I have off, and I might be having a friend over. I haven't done that in ages.

June 15, 2010

I finally finished my bedroom curtains. And I had SOOOO much trouble with them. I'm never sewing with sheer fabric again.
Although my grama said to do it with tissue paper behind, after I finished (because eventually I just folded the fabric up like five times and then the thread stopped doing this repeatedly:

That's right. There are FOUR threads there, three of which erupted mysteriously from the bobbin thread spot on the plate and jam the machine. They have to be cut, pulled out and broken , and when that happens there end up being three threads: one attached to the needle, one from the bobbin case, and one extra that's just randomly there.
Turns out it's a tension error when the tension on the upper thread is too loose. Just in case no one knew.

So now, I have curtains finished in my room and I can move on to my second bonnet tonight (and maybe start a third if I can get the second to work quickly and some nicer fabric before I work tonight. I bought LOTS of fusible interfacing just for this little bonnet thing.

My newly finished curtains (finished being hemmed at the bottom. That's it. That's all that I had to do. Sad, eh?):

June 11, 2010

.


So, I got right down for it and made a post-it board for notes and pictures, with fabric and elastic and everything... I'm quite interested in seeing how the intended recipient takes it. Her birthday was a few months ago (like, March), and I've been meaning to get around to finishing my little gift, but I finally sucked it up and did it. Surprisingly, the bf was very helpful in this endeavor, finding the awesome-est fabric ever.
It wasn't as cheap as I'd have liked it to be as I'm... cheap. And broke. And a student.
But it was cute, so I did it anyway.

Then I realized just how much "two metres" actually is.
For someone who lived in Canada their entire life, you'd think I'd have a better estimation of a metre. NOOOOOOooooooo, I think in different terms when it comes to measurements. I know a centimetre. I know an inch. One inch is more or less 2.5 cm. But two metres... is a lot of fabric.


I also have to admit that yes, I cheated. I cheated big time. I think. Or maybe I just endeavored to make it a little easier than it would have been with staples. And after my stint as a framer of artwork, I just don't fancy desk staples an impressive finishing substance any longer.
But I could get away with a hot glue gun.

It made a few things look messy, so much so that I would advise doing the elastics at the same time as the ribbon on the outside so as not to get the little bumps at the midpoints of the ribbon, or I don't know, come up with something else.


So, I started by making lines of hot glue inward toward the board's frame. Then I stuck the fabric down. I started at the bottom and worked my way up evenly on both sides of the frame, in sections.

It was quite easy, just make sure that the fabric is flat or you'll have to pull it up.


Then I folded the corners at the back first with a fabric corner pulled in to the board,


then the two flappies on either side of it being pulled in towards and gluing each down in order.

Then came the elastic. I glued the elastic down first, then added the ribbon to hide the bumpy globules of hot glue. Again, you might want to have pinned down the elastic in advance to this, leaving the edges of the elastic slack so that when you glue the ribbon down around the edges, because as I said, it does look sort of messy around the edges where there are TWO globs of glue-one for the elastic and one for the ribbon.

Then I pinned clear pins over the criscrosses because the elastic sort of pops up and pictures don't fit as well under when they aren't pinned at the cross points.
And then voila!


So, hopefully she'll like it, and then I photoshopped some interesting "vacations" that we took "together". :P

Oh, also, did I mention that I foolishly made a bonnet? Hahahaha, baaaaaad mistake. I thought it might turn out. I must have misread or mis interpreted a few things wrong (and I substituted a piece of cotton fabric folded double and cut because I didn't have interfacing as a noob and it was very, very late and I'd wasted so much time that I was going to finish...), and so now I have massive ties and it kind of looks wrong at the top. Also my sizing was probably three inches off, but I was guessing big time because the recipe from the buns and baskets blog was assuming adult sizes and I picked the absolute biggest ( I have a big head I guess?) (and I'm not blaming the recipe, by the way, so try it for yourself. I just can't sew)!
Maybe I'll try it again, now that it's been updated to a real picture and not just hand drawings, so I can be led by hand slowly and gently and easily like a picture book to a new reader. And if it turns out, this bonnet's going to my cousin. If not I'll start doing something else that I haven't figured yet. But I do work at a donation-taking thrift store...