Another Meme

I found this on The Fiberfairy's Haven.






1. austin Cemetery Angel, 2. french fries, 3. Mirror, 4. Purple Euphoria, 5. The Man, 6. Pepsi One, 7. Last day in Paris, 8. coffee and chocolate mousse cake, 9. US Supreme Court, 10. The Old Library, 11. UP, 12. my bohemian gala




a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:

1. What is your first name? not really my first name, but the one I go by
2. What is your favorite food? potatoes!!
3. What high school did you go to? Valley Point High School
4. What is your favorite color? purple
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Dennis Haysbert
6. Favorite drink? Pepsi One
7. Dream vacation? Paris, France
8. Favorite dessert? coffee and chocolat mousse cake
9. What you want to be when you grow up? legal nurse consultant.
10. What do you love most in life? reading/books are among the top ten
11. One word to describe you. UP!
12. Your flickr name. gypsie121- I found nothing using gypsie-so I used gypsy.


I got my notary public certificate in the mail today. One more thing I can cross off my to do list! LOL

May passed by so quickly

It seems like just yesterday it was January first. These past couple of weeks were difficult. We had state surveyors in the nursing home doing our annual survey. This survey was the best one the facility has had in eight years. There was a new supervisor running every department and of course a new administrator. We only had nine minor deficiencies. That is extremely good for a facility of this size.

I didn't even post on May's Take It Forward for last month. I haven't had a chance to even read about the challenge or see the color scheme for June yet. I hope I can get to that this weekend.

I've posted my new Summer Reading List here. I've already finished two of the books. I start my classes to get my RN degee next week, so I wanted to get started. I still need to finish the old list too.

It seems as though I can never get anything accomplished, no matter how much I try. At least I'm not working 11-12 hours a day now.

My New Toy

Last Friday I got off work at 4pm and went to A & A Crossroads Sewing Center. I was reading the sign that said the store was open from 9am until 4pm, when Walt pointed toward the neon "open" sign. It was still on. I tried the door and, sure enough, it was open! The lady said a customer had called earlier and asked if she could stay open later this afternoon, so she could bring her machine in for repairs. I ordered my machine and Walt picked it up today, so it was waiting for me when I got home this afternoon. I played with it for a few minutes. Threading it and testing it on a small piece of knit fabric that was tucked under the presser foot. I can hardly wait for the weekend so I can really play!!

Another weekend

has come and almost gone. I didn't get much accomplished.

I finally got an IV pole to hang the water bottle on for my new iron. I used it to iron the strips for the quilt block for the Take it Forward Challenge for March. I still have to do the memorial heart for April, and the colors and concept have been given for May. I'm so far behind!

I just can't seem to get focused and get anything done. After work and on the weekends I just hang out and do a little reading and checking email and check a few of my favorite blogs. There is quite a bit of stress from work lately. I believe that has a lot to do with getting focused.

As per my usual, I have some things planned. My problem is, I just can't seem to get past the planning stage. On the ever growing, never ending list.....

I got the Emmeline apron, by Meg McElwee at Montessori By Hand. Fabric for an Amy Butler Kimberly bag. I'm going to make it in the same lime green fabric as shown on her website. Not very creative of me, I know. But....the lovely colors were what drew me to the bag! I'm just waiting for the pattern.

I've checked out the new patterns. meh....nothing calls out to me. I'll wait and see what the fashionistas make and see if I change my mind.

Dancing With the stars

Who is the Perfect Professional Partner for You?

More on Dancing with the Stars. Created by BuddyTV

What's Been Happening?

I finally finished reading The DiVinci Code by Dan Brown. It was an interesting book, and I enjoyed it very much. I still have five books from my summer of '06 reading list to read. It became my '07 reading list and will become my '08 reading list if I don't get them read in time. I've read numerous books, just not the ones on this particular list. Most of them have been legal studies books, and soon will be nursing books.

I still need to become a notary public and now I want to get MDS (Minimum Data Set--a form reguired by the government on every nursing home resident.) certified. Neither of these will take very long. I just need to have time to take care of it.


Here are the colors for April from the Take It Forward Challenge, and the challenge topic this month is how do you see change? Even though they are pretty, they aren't "my" colors,. They are my Mom's colors. She loved greens, oranges, browns, yellows, the warmer colors. I'm going to use these colors and use silk ribbon embroidery and make a crazy quilt stitched heart as a tiny memorial to her.

Last month I got the fat quarters to make a quilt block (which will be part of a wall hanging). Got the pattern, called Celtic Sunrise. It even has some of March's colors in it! I traced the pattern, cut the strips and went to press the strips....my iron died. It was just a cheapie from Wal-Mart, but I expected it to last for more than a couple of months.

I was going to get a nice new iron last year, but due to not working, and budgeting, it wasn't a high priority. Hence....the cheapie from Wal-Mart. Last week I ordered this baby and this ironing "board".
The iron came on Wednesday and the "board" on Friday, except my ex was sleeping and didn't hear the UPS guy, so I have to wait until tomorrow to get it, and next weekend to set it up, due to working long hours this week. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

I also ordered, and received (yesterday) Collage Unleashed by Traci Bautista. I haven't had a chance to look through it yet. Maybe I will find time this afternoon. I still have a lot to do this weekend.

Weekends

Today is the seven year anniversary of my son's death. I miss him terribly. Not a day goes by that I do not think of him, wish I could hear his voice, hold him and tell him I love him and how proud I am of him. He was only 28. I watched a Dr. Phil episode I had recorded last week. It reminded me of something I always try to do. That is, honor his life, and not dwell on the day of his death. He didn't want people crying that he was gone, but smiling and laughing that he had shared time with us, short as it was. He was truly a remarkable young man.






Currently, I'm working in a position I used to work at over a year ago. My, my, my, have things changed at this nursing home, even in the past month. I had worked there for 3 weeks (in a different position), left, and now I'm back. Anyway....I have every weekend off! woohoo!!!!

Per my usual Saturday morning schedule, I went to my Weight Watchers meeting at 10:00. Then I proceeded to Joann’s to use my coupon and get patterns (if they are on sale). I did a few errands, I took my ipod to Best Buy for repair. I went to Wally World and then Sweet Bay. Last stop was Panchero’s for lunch. I ALWAYS have the burrito bowl with a tortilla on the side. I usually blow my weekly points there, but it’s worth it! mmmmm mmmmm! LOL

The Take it Further challenge for March color scheme is:

and the challenge concept is “to pay attention to the tiny details. Sometimes the small things become emblematic for something larger.” We don’t have to match the colors exactly, but as close as we can. So, I got these fat quarters at Joann’s.

I’m planning to make a quilt block if I can find one that I really like enough to do it in a much smaller size.





Friday’s picture is one of my favorite things: Pepsi One. I never liked diet sodas. But. a few years ago, I needed to cut back on calories and didn’t want to give up soda. I tried Pepsi One and liked it immediately. It doesn’t leave a nasty aftertaste like some of the other diet sodas do. When I went off the diet, I continued to drink Pepsi One.




Saturday’s picture is Bear, my ex’s black lab. She is about 13 years old. We got her from the SPCA in 2000, I think. She was to be a companion dog to Pongo our Dalmatian. Here’s a question for ya. We all know that the male dog’s name in 101 Dalmatians was Pongo. What was the female dog’s name? I dunno. I had to go look it up! Her name is Perdita or Perdy for short… Back to Bear. I swear sometimes that this dog tried to kill me. She had a habit of sneaking up behind me, lying on the floor, and when I turned around I usually tripped over her. More often than not it happened late at night when there were no lights on. When we first got her Walt took a week off from work to help her get accustomed to Pongo and our house. She's a sweet dog now but old and decrepit, all white faced and pawed. She won't be with us much longer. She has cataracts and arthritis, but doesn't seem to be in pain.


Today’s picture is of a new (to me) product I found a couple of weeks ago. It’s a body wash made by Olay. It leaves my skin soft and silky. I sound like a commercial! LOL. But seriously, it’s fa-bu-lous stuff. and it’s pretty too!






We should have no regrets. The past is finished. There is nothing to be gained by going over it. Whatever it gave us in the experiences it brought us was something we had to know. Rebecca Beard

This week so far

In a challenge I'm participating in I'm supposed to take a picture a day. I thought I would post the pics here two or three times a week and tell something about them.



This is a statue of elephants that my ex gave me for Christmas 2006. They are hand carved. I can't remember what type of stone this is. I also can't remember where I put the info card that came with it. Obviously some place where it would be safe. LOL I used to collect elephants. I have quite a few, but after a while no longer wanted to increase my collection. I only collected ones that really called to me.





These are a few of my Threads magazines. I have every issue that has been published. I LOVE going back to the older magazines and re-reading the articles.





I really like to exercise ie...lifting weights. I like my muscles getting hard and tight. And oddly enough I like the delayed soreness after I work out. This is a pic of my favorite style and brand of workout gloves. This particular brand is Bollinger. I've had other brands, but this is, in my opinion the best.




I enjoy having sushi two or three times a week. My favorite is California rolls with brown rice. I always have it with a little soy sauce and ginger. I think I like the ginger as much as the sushi.







This is Hannah Jane, my sewing goose. She was supposed to be my lawn goose, but I decided to not put her outside. She is so cute! She sits on my sewing table and advises me on my sewing. LOL On my list is to make her clothes as cute as she is. She is named after Laura Prepon's character in October Road. I enjoyed watching Laura in That 70's Show. I didn't think I would ever be able to see her as any other character but Donna. She is a really talented actress and I'm glad she got another series so quickly.




Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up.
Jesse Jackson (1941-, American Clergyman, Civil Rights Leader)

Last Saturday night

They call me “Tater Salad.” Last Saturday night I went to see Ron White. I love me some Ron White. He’s cute, smart and has the sarcastic type of humor I love. AND, he has that cute, smurky grin I find extremely sexy. ok....TMI...LOL But he is funny!






One word frees us of all the weight and pain in life. That word is love.
Sophocles (BC 495-406, Greek Tragic Poet)

2-14-2008

I spent last evening making copies of the line drawings in my Burda magazines. I then pulled the patterns from each magazine and put them into manilla envelopes. My Burdas now take up much less space on the book shelf. I out the copies of the line drawings into a binder. Now I can pull it off the shelf and flip through it to see which pattern I want to use. Then I will go to my filing cabinet and pull the envelop corresponding to the monthly issue.
I had already taken my other patterns and put them into envelopes and put the pattern envelopes into clear page covers and put them into binders.

Since I have no plans for this evening, I'm going to trace off the top "all the popular girls" (LOL) are making. It's the wrap top from the January issue of Burda.




The future is simply infinite possibility waiting to happen. What it waits on is human imagination to crystallize its possibility.

Leland Kaiser

February's challenge

Our Take it Further Challenge for February, as set up and posed to us by Sharon Boggin, is about memory...what are we old enough to remember? My early memories come in bits and pieces, more like snapshots than flowing like a movie. Fuzzy stills frozen in time.

My earliest memory is of a Christmas. I must have been two or three. I remember waking up and hearing my parents talking in the kitchen. Too excited to stay in bed any longer I slipped out of the toasty warm bed and felt the icy cold wooden floor beneath my feet. I quickly found my pink house slippers and robe and put them on. I couldn’t wait to see what Santa had brought me!

My Mother took me straight to the living room and held me up so I could see out the window. There our front yard was covered in a layer of pristine white snow! It was a Christmas scene out of the movies.

That is where my memory stops. I think I got a child’s kitchen set and iron and ironing board. I have a memory of playing with them that is close to the same time as the Christmas memory.

I have good memories and bad memories just as everyone does. All those memories are a part of what makes me me. My personal history. No one else has lived it.

As for the color challenge, here are the colors. I’ve thought about doing a small quilted piece, maybe in the form of crazy quilting or perhaps a mandala. Still not sure yet.


Butterick has new spring patterns out. Out of the big four, Butterick is my favorite. I’ll be buying these during the next sale at Joann’s. Butterick


5173, (This is a Maggie London pattern. I LOVE most of her designs.)














5185,















and 5188.















Today is the first day in a long time that I've actually had time and motivation to sew something. I've had a pair of UFO boxers for Walt lying in my sewing basket for three or four months. I just need to hem them and put in the elastic. Today, I basted the hems. Wasn't much, but it felt good to accomplish something.

Band Meme

I found this on Trés Bon Babble.

Anyone seen the BAND MEME going around? Basically, you go to three sites to randomly select your band name, album title, and cover art.

1. Go here for the band name: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
No matter what the title of the article is, that's the name of your band.

2. Go here for the album title: www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words from the very last quote on the page makes up the title of your band's album.

3. Go here for the cover art: www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
Whatever the third picture is, that's the cover to your band's album.

My results:

Name of my Band:
Apidya

Title of my first Album:
"Never Daring to Risk"

Cover Art

woo hoo!!!

I got the results of the paralegal certification exams on Tuesday. I passed!!! I am, now, officially, a certified paralegal! I was soooo excited. I opened the envelop and took out the blue folder. I slowly opened it and in the left hand flap was a letter. The first word I saw was "Congratulations." I closed the folder and re-opened it. Then I read the first paragraph. I was so happy I was almost in tears!

January 21st

Happy.
Birthday.
To.
Me.

Yay.

Today is my birthday. How old am I? We most definitely won't go there. LOL
This his how I looked when I was two. Wasn't I cute and stylish with my boots? LOL I LOVED wearing boots. I think I wore boots regularly til I was nine or ten. And it looks like my hair style hasn't changed much. LOL. It's a lot straighter now though.

We never know where life will take us. I'm not where I thought I would be. But, I'm not complaining. I didn't make the choices that would take me there. Some of my choices haven't been the best, but we all make poor choices sometimes.

Today will be very quiet. I've got to get to sleep since I have to work the 11-7 shift tonight. LOL It would have been quiet even if I didn't have to work tonight. But I would have enjoyed a nice dinner and afterwards a glass of red wine and watched a good movie. Oh well, there's always next year! LOL

Today is also the day we are celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's birthday. In one of his most famous speeches, delivered in Washington in 1963, Dr. King spoke of his dream that one day the U.S. would live up to its creed that all men are created equal. I wonder just how close are we to realizing his dream?


Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
(1929-1968, American Black Leader, Nobel Prize Winner, 1964)

Looking back

I had planned on posting New Year’s eve, but I was sick with a flu bug. I woke up long enough to see the ball fall in Times Square, and then back to sleep!

Looking back over 2007, I accomplished many things that I had listed as goals. (I don’t make “resolutions” as they just beg to be broken and forgotten.) I graduated from the paralegal class with a 3.97. In January I left a job that I despised. (due to unforeseen circumstances I went back to work there this past Wednesday night, but that’s a whole ‘nother post. At least it’s a different position.) I was also able to cross several things off my 101 Things list.

My major goals for this year is to get my RN license, or at least be very close to sitting for state boards by December 31st. (that license will open a lot of different doors) I need to get my notary license and get certified in Microsoft office. I also want to get the advanced paralegal certification. Minor goals include finishing my 101 Things. I will be working on needlepoint and painting projects, along with making doll clothes and teddy bears. I also plan to reach my goal weight so I can start fitting and making clothes for myself again.


I’ll also be participating in the Take It Further Challenge, details can be found here. Details for January’s challenge can be found here. We have three options for the challenge. First, we can take the monthly challenge concept develop it into an idea and design and work it in whatever media we choose. Second, if we don't like the concept we can take the monthly challenge color scheme and work a design from it. Third, we can use both the concept and work the design in the color scheme.

I am slowly working on the concept involving the color scheme in ATCs. The concept this month is a feeling of admiration for another. Since my BD is falling on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's day this year, and since I did and still do admire him, I will use him.

This is a smocking sampler I did many years ago. Another goal is to make a smocked dress for AG Molly and my size two walker doll.

You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations of your own mind.
Darwin P. Kingsley