Art Journal Pages

SWAP SPOILER***********

I have done a few 4x6 art journal pages the past couple of days. I am signed up for a series of swaps for these. I enjoy using this size to create things, much more than an ATC, inchie, or a larger size. It works for me. I made 6 pages, but am only posting 3.

This first one is for a swap. The challenge was to do a magazine collage. I had so much fun doing this. It was therapeutic. The images came from Flea Market Style, Cottage Style, Romantic Homes, and Better Homes & Gardens DIY.

magazine collage for art journal page

I made another one, that I am adding to my book of days. I went in a different direction for this one, using the images to create pictures, rather than just layering items.

magazine collage for art journal page

And I had to play with the acrylic paints, of course. I like the way this turned out. The picture looks like there are white splotches, but really, it is silver sheen. I am sending this one as a RAK to the host of the art journal page swaps.

art journal page~ hearts

Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie

Random updates

No luck on job hunt. I have sent a total of 24 resumes or online apps this week. Two interviews, neither of which I felt good about afterwards. Richard is having no luck either. He is leaving for an interview in Franklin in a bit and I have mixed feelings about it. He needs a job, but I am not sure our POS car is up to that commute.

I am extremely worried about rent and bills for February. I applied for unemployment, it was denied because my doctor did not fill out the paperwork properly. The appeals process can take another month, by which time I will be homeless. Again. Richard has not heard yet on his unemployment benefits.

Having Richard here all the time is making me crazy. I tried to get him to go camping while the weather was nice and he wouldn't go. I swear, I look at him and get irritated. Since he follows me room to room, I am in a constant bad mood.

With all that, I am still trying to be positive.

I finished a final block for the Imbolc Quilt Block Swap. I just was not completely happy with the one I was going to send. I actually wove a St. Brigid's cross, then appliqued it onto a blue background. Still not perfect, but I am out of appropriate fabric for this theme, so it has to be it.

Imbolc quilt block for Wheel of the Year Quilt swap

I hope she likes it!

I also made some tea wallets and pocket tissue holders as practice for some actual gifts. They are far from perfect, so I will offer them as a giveaway at some point. They turned out nicely, but the stitching is not even on one side and they are a few minor flaws. I promptly tucked one in my purse, however, and will be proud to use it in public. 

I worked in my Book of Days this week, but there was a lot of black paint used. The journaling part was pretty intense also, so not posting any pics of it this week. 

I was really looking forward to Our World, Our Art but not sure if I will be able to participate. It has been delayed, so still hoping. I have been looking forward to it for a year now. 

I have started working on my giveaway, I am going to trust in the universe to provide me with a job, allow me to keep my apartment, and take part in something that brings so much joy to me. 

Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie

Book of Days~ Week One

This year, I did not make any New Year's Resolutions. Instead, I am choosing a word to focus on. I have come across this idea before and found it interesting, but never really gave it much thought. Because 2011 was so rough (health, finances, jobs, marital strife, emotional issues) and resolutions went to hell in a handbasket, I wanted to do something for ME this year that would help me focus, and let all the details slide on by.

The word I chose is

ABUNDANCE

I had a list scribbled mass of words that resonated with me:

and thought about it for a week or so. I chose Abundance, simply because it covers what I need in my life. Abundance is not all about material wealth, although I am trying to improve that too! I would like to see more of quite a few things: love, peace, creativity, time, generosity, freedom.....well, the list goes on and on. And it ties into the book, Simple Abundance, which I will be reading daily this year. That might be a resolution, but it goes hand in hand with my Book of Days project, so just going with the flow.

Book of Days

I stumbled across this and it sparked so much creativity, I am on overload. This is a project by Effy Wild of Wild Precious Studio. It is a commitment to develop your art journal practice, which I sadly neglected last year. I missed it, but I got to the point that I would just sit and stare at the page and then get up and go do other things. Very sad, it was. But I just couldn't seem to generate any energy or enthusiasm.

I am hoping that I will have an ABUNDANCE of energy and enthusiasm for this the entire year.

I started gathering a few things last week, and started the book on Friday night. And yet again, I am kicking myself for giving away all my art supplies a few years ago. This definitely stretched my resources and creativity, because I really don't have anything. I will have to buy paint in a week or so, if I want to continue the book the way I started it. And not sure how that will work, as I still have no job.

And I am not focusing on that for this post. I am trusting the universe to provide me with a job, as I am doing my part in actively looking. 

Anyways. I sat and stared at my book for a long time. I couldn't decide between an altered book, a scrapbook, or a composition book. I was afraid I would just end up journaling, with no art aspect, if I chose the comp book, so I quickly put that away. I ultimately decided on an altered book, as I used to love that, and I am hoping it will spark some really great creativity.

I am altering a book called "Those Who Love," which is about John and Abigail Adams. It is old, and the pages are chewed and coming out. It is a nice big book, so should last at least 1/2 the year.

Here is the cover:

Book of Days Altered Book

This has about a gazillion layers, because I kept changing my mind. I decided on the blues and greens because they are my favorites, and added an image of the Wheel of the Year that I love. Hard to see in the picture, but the moon phases are going around the tree and the outer circle.






The butterflies are for transformation. And just because I like them!

The first spread we did was letters to 2011 and 2012. I just did little notes, as I have my own private ritual for that. I kept this spread intentionally simple.

Book of Days Altered Book

The rainy picture sums up pretty much what I felt about 2011. I felt like I was hunched over and just trying to make it through the bad weather all year long. I used pockets in the middle to tuck in tags, which have my notes to the years on them.

Book of Days Altered Book

The 2012 page is the very first thing I painted in 2012, and represents a hope that I spend more time with nature this year. Camping, maybe. Definitely more star gazing.













The second spread is about the word I chose for the year. I was ridiculously pleased with the way it turned out:

Book of Days Altered Book

I wanted a sunny yellow, just to express hope, happiness, and light. I drew the picture on sketch paper, using koh-i-noor colored pencils. She is joyfully catching all the abundance being sent to her.











On the right is an old ATC I made to represent myself, which has the coffee cup overflowing. The white strips are affirmations that I am using to reinforce my word for the year. They are also being used on my visualization board.

Here are the affirmations:

Book of Days Altered Book-Affirmations

The last spread of the week was journaling. I am going to keep writing in my regular journal, plus I blog and update on Facebook, so not going to focus a lot on this aspect of the journal. I used snippets and highlights, just brief reminders of the week. I also added my daily walking mileage. I track this on MapMyWalk, but wanted a reminder here. I am not sure if it will go on every week, but we'll see.....

 I started the year with a migraine, which started on New Year's Eve. It seemed a fitting way to end the year, but I was not thrilled to start the new year that way.

Book of Days Altered Book

I am really excited to start this project and I am enjoying the community on Facebook as well. There is so much love and support, so definitely a positive thing to have in my life.

Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie

Quilt Blocks Part 2

SWAP SPOILER

I posted a quilt block in previous post that needed some modifications. I made a better block today, so it is ready to swap. I also made an alternate block. The embroidery part is intentionally ragged. The settings on my new sewing machine are taking some getting used to. After I did one line, I looked at it and decided I really liked the roughness of the stitches. It seems a little more like wheat? I dunno, I decided to leave it and keep going.

Imbolc Quilt Block 

Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie

Quilt Blocks

SWAP SPOILER

I am embarking on a year long project to make a Wheel of the Year quilt. I am making 2 blocks for each sabbat, one to keep, one to swap. The 9th block will be a personal magic block. When all is said and done, I should have 2 quilt tops, one made by me, one made by friends. :)

The first one is for Imbolc.

I have not done any piecework in ages. AGES!!! So, I have been reading, looking at pictures for inspiration, and graphing out what I wanted. Initially, I was going to do a 4-block square, and embroider symbols of Imbolc: candles, sheep, St Brigid's cross, and a besom.  I started it, but it just will not come together, so I put it to the side. Today, I drew a St Brigid's cross and started cutting strips. The challenge was that I cannot go out and buy fabric, so I had to use what is on hand. I managed to find some navy blue for the background and and an assortment of yellows for the wheat, and decided to put a red block in the center.

The end result is not perfect, but I am going to make 2 more blocks since I have worked out how it should be put together. They will be measured more evenly!

St Brigid's Cross Quilt Block

I realize it is not even in a couple of places, but considering how long since I attempted anything other than a basic 9-patch or a crazy quilt (which throws all the rules out!), I was ridiculously pleased. And as I said, I will make more and better blocks for the actual swap and quilt.

I think it is a decent representation for Imbolc, so looking forward to making the other two and focusing on making it perfect!








I had an automated/recorded interview with Sav-a-lot. I have no desire to work there, and the pay is most definitely a come down, but any job is better than nothing. I also have a resume in with Discovery HR (and a contact), but they are not hiring at the moment. I spent the bulk of Tuesday filing out apps and forwarding resumes. Disheartening.

I am trying very hard to remain positive.








Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie

Laundry Day and a Swap-bot angel

A few weeks ago, I made a batch of detergent. It had been awhile since I made any and wanted to try it again. I decided to make dry powder, but am going to try the liquid/gel form when this batch runs out. 

grated fels-naptha for DIYdetergent

I grated a bar of Fels-Naptha, which seemed like took forever. I started with a bar of Zote, but it was so soft, it just clogged the grater. I am wondering if putting it in the freezer for a bit would help that. I made another batch with Kirk's Castile and it grated like a dream, so I will most likely use that in the future, if I can't figure out the Zote. I like the pink, so I would prefer to use that!

1 cup each washing soda and borax for DIY detergent

I used:


I bar Fel's Naptha
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax



It just takes one tablespoon per load, so it is very economical. The powder (because of Fels-Naptha) is kinda strong, but the clothes do not have a strong scent when laundered. It is just fresh.

Mixed it all together with a wooden spoon

In the past I have added an ounce of essential oil: lavender, eucalyptus, or rose, but I decided to leave this as is.

1 tbsp per load!

I also used the same powder to make a multi-purpose cleanser by mixing:


2 tbsp of the detergent with
4 tbsp vinegar
15-20 drops tea tree oil
1 cup very hot water.




After the detergent was completely dissolved, I put it all in a spray bottle. I have to shake it up every time I use it, so I am going to play with the proportions some. It does clean, however, and the tea tree oil is a
disinfectant so I am not far off base, I think. It removed a rust stain on the counter and makes the bathroom sparkly clean, so I am enjoying using it.




I also crafted a little bit! I needed to do something positive.


I made lace covered mason jars!

Lace covered Jar and 2 homemade votives

I was reading the swap-bot forums (a guilty pleasure) and came across a thread that made me want to angel someone. The swap was to upcycle something. One of the participants received a "pincushion" that was not made well and packaged improperly so what she received was a smashed mushroom can with some plastic packaging stuck out of it.

The people reading the forum thread had to ask what it was. Let me just say.... the thread was started by the creator of the pincushion, to complain about something she received. Her recipient did not take this to the forums, but it all came out, as well it should. If you cannot take time and care on your own projects, then you cannot expect others to take time and care on yours.....

 I also wanted to say that I would have never sent a pincushion, as the recipient has bad eyes and states on her profile that she does not sew very much.

Anyways, the host was already angeling the swap, but I wanted to do something too, as a surprise. I have been wanting to make some of the lace covered mason jars I have seen on a few sites and here was my opportunity! The recipient likes pioneer related things, romance, and candles. She also mentions enjoying drinking coffee and reading on her porch, so I thought this would be nice. It can be used indoors or on the porch. :)

I think it is romantic and a nod to the pioneer women. The lace is from an old wedding gown that I have been taking apart and reconstructing as a summer dress for Nicki. I thought the buttons added a nice touch.


I really like the way the jar turned out. So did Richard...when he saw me packaging it, he got a little upset because he thought I was making it for myself. So I made me one too! I also enclosed a couple of plain votives that I made some time ago, wrapped to match the jar.


I hope she likes it. (Update 01/10--DC shows delivery 12/31 and she has been on the site several times, but no acknowledgment, so going to have to assume she does not like it. I have angled some postcards and handmade bookmarks also. I hope they are received better. )

obligatory lit candle shot

This picture did not turn out well. The lace pattern actually looks quite pretty IRL.

Still nothing

Resume after resume after resume. Nothing.

Richard was supposed to have started a new job last Wednesday, but when he showed up, was told to call after the first of the year. WTF.

Stress. MAJOR stress.

No idea where rent money (that was due today) is coming from. I swear, if I end up homeless one more fucking time.... it may be the end of the road for me.

What is the point of living like this?

The PEN Ready Project and Spreading Joy

Can you imagine walking down the street and a  stranger handing you a free camera? Wouldn't that be amazing? Can you imagine being the one to give someone else that joy? Wouldn't it be fun to see the surprise and joy on the face of the recipient? 


Olympus did just that by giving over 1000 people in 6 cities (and one JetBlue flight!) the PEN® E-PM1 camera as part of the Pen Ready Project  to show how easy it is for anyone from any walk of life or any skill level to take incredible pictures.  


To see what they shot, go to http://penready.com. There are some amazing pictures there and you can sense the joy everyone had as they tried out their new cameras.  It certainly makes me want to add this camera to my wishlist!  It was fun to look up pictures by camera number and I saw many pictures that were intriguing. 


I love taking pictures and love poring over others' pictures. Pictures are magic to me. They are a moment captured forever. 


I can only imagine how excited I would be if someone gave me such a great camera and told me it was mine.  And I bet it was a lot of fun for the Olympus people to take the pictures and videos showing the expressions on these peoples' faces as they realized what a gift they were being given! 







Isn't that a great video? So happy!

This post is sponsored by Olympus

Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie

In Panic Mode

So, on Wednesday, I lost my job. I was not really stressing it, because we lived on my income for awhile when Richard was between jobs and I knew we can live on one income again.

Today, Richard lost his job.

I don't know how to pull out of this one, to be honest. I am stressed now. I want to disappear more than ever, now. We have zero savings. Zero. Really, I just want to disappear. For good. I am too tired to deal with this.

I just needed to put this out there. I have no one to talk to.

Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie

A new challenge!

In the course of my blog hopping last night, I found a wonderfully wicked blog called Pagan Culture. I enjoyed browsing through the posts and the author's wit and the fact that the first post I read referenced Granny Weatherwax. Immediate connection there. I am a Nanny Ogg fan, but Granny is definitely worth quoting!

She has an interesting challenge on her blog. A READING challenge. Perfect! I am up for this. So, I will post here as I read the books and see how many it tallies up to between January 13 and December 13. I will keep this post up on my sidebar and add to it as I read. I will try to post snippet reviews also, but am not promising that part.

Here is my list. I will update as I go.
Key:
Bold Titles mean I have read them between Jan. 13 and Dec. 13
Italics= reread-  I have already read them, but think they are worth reading again


1. Garden Spells                                                  
          Sarah Addison Allen
2. The Sugar Queen                                              
          Sarah Addison Allen
3. The Girl Who Chased the Moon                       
           Sarah Addison Allen
4. The Peach Keeper                                             
            Sarah Addison Allen
5. Drawing Down the Moon                               
             Margot Adler
6. Grandmother of Time  -reading a chapter each month                                
             Z. Budhapest
7. Chick With a Charm                                       
             Vicki Lewis Thompson
8. Blonde With a Wand                                         
              Vicki Lewis Thompson
9. Wild and Hexy                                                  
              Vicki Lewis Thompspn
10. Celtic Women's Spirituality                             
               Edain McCoy
11. Practical Magic                           
              Alice Hoffman
12. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
              Katherine Howe
13. Dancing the Goddess Incarnate
               Dorothy Morrison/Krisiten Madden
14. Crones Don't Whine
               Jean Bolen
15. The Bell Witch: An American Haunting
              Brent Monahan
16. The Goddess is in the Details, Wisdom for the Everyday Witch
             Deborah Blake
17. Magic's in the Bag
             Jude Bradley
18. Wyrd Sisters
              Terry Pratchett
19. Witches Abroad
               Terry Pratchett
20. Bell, Book, and Candle
               John Van Druten
21. The Way of the Hedgewitch
                Arin Murphy-Hiscock
22.








Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie

A Yule Blog Party

I haven't done one of these in awhile, but this one looks fun, so going to participate:

Yule Magic Blog Party

I am looking forward to posting something positive and finding new interesting blogs to read.  I just couldn't come up with anything. Too depressed about the loss of job.

I stumbled across this while just clicking random links on various blogs. It is hosted by Sally of The Village Witch blog. I am looking forward to reading more posts from her also.

I was feeling kinda blue tonight, as I have been a lot lately, so just went on a blog hop all on my own. I searched out some blogs that I haven't read in awhile and remembered that I haven't been over to Whimsical Bohemian in some time and also haven't gotten any recent updates about OWOA in 2012. I was reassured to find that it is still in planning stages and has been delayed until February or so. I am glad, as I want to create something special. I think this event will have so much more potential for meeting some like-minded people than OWOH, although I certainly enjoyed OWOH also.

This blog made me so happy.  I would be very happy to move into this home:

Richard and I have often discussed building a straw bale home or something similar. Neither one of us really needs a lot of fancy gadgets and technology. My only hard and fast limit is running hot water. I want it. I would be very content to have solar power and live a lot more simply. I certainly would prefer to live in a sweet little house with character with zero to few neighbors and not have a payment than live in Nashville's Little Mexico in a vastly overpriced apartment with a gazillion inconsiderate and nasty jerks.

I blogged about my goodies from my USA  NaNo swap partner here a few weeks ago. I enjoyed the swap very much. My UK partner told me she was sending her package but there has been no sign of it, so I am thinking I am just out that package. I angeled a package for another swapper, so I sent out 3 packages and received one. I realize it is a risk you take, but it is just sad. I was looking forward to getting a package from the UK.




I have cried every day for 2 weeks now. I am tired. I have missed 4 days of work in 2 weeks.I made an appointment with a therapist for Monday.

Under the heading of TMI

This post may make some people uncomfortable. I am not sure if anyone reads my blog anymore and really, it doesn't matter anyway. It is public, but I do this for me.

A few years ago, I had a bout with vaginal cancer. This is not cervical or ovarian cancer, it is the vaginal walls. I had a complete hysterectomy in my 20s because of a severe case of endometriosis. Afterward, for many reasons, (lack of health insurance being one) I didn't go back to a gynecologist for about 15-16 years. Stupid, right?

Of course, the very 1st pap smear in so long came back with abnormal cells. I expected it, so I did not worry about it too much. I had a colposcopy and several spots were biopsied. Here is a link for those that do not know the humiliating and painful things women undergo for their health. My diagnosis was a very early stage of vaginal cancer, which is rare. I am in the high risk group because I carry HPV. (For those that may be wigged out or woefully uninformed: The types of HPV that can cause genital warts are not the same as the types that can cause cancers. There is no way to know which people who get HPV will go on to develop cancer or other health problems.) Oddly enough, I still was okay and didn't really go through a lot of emotional trauma. I had radiation, then pap smears every month for 6 months, then every 6 months.

All of the pap smears after the radiation were okay, so I was given a clean bill of health after 2 years, then could go back to normal annual exams. Every year, my pap smear shows abnormal cells and every year, I have a colposcopy that comes back okay. So, I am never alarmed when I get the call telling me that the smear is abnormal. No sense in stressing over this, right?

So, last week, I was not upset when I got the call telling me that a colposcopy had been scheduled, other than a mild irritation that my day off would be taken up at the doctor's office, then I would be in pain the rest of the day. I went on Monday, had multiple biposies, then she stopped and told me there were too many spots and she was going to send the ones she had to the lab, give me estrogen cream (nasty side effects, by the way) and try again in 6 weeks. Her theory is that the HPV flared up because of my bout with the flu a couple of weeks ago and my blood work showed elevated white blood cell count. This is causing all the spots and teh cream will help clear them up. Okay, whatever.

Here's the thing. I am bothered now. I am on pins and needles waiting for the biopsy results. And even if they are okay, I have another one of these damn procedures looming over me. When I was initially diagnosed back in 2005, I read all I could find about this. The treatment for full blown vaginal cancer is horrifying. All cancer treatments are horrifying. You remove whatever part of the body the cancer is in. Think about this for a minute. A vaginectomey (with or without  a skin graft) is one of the treatment options.  Google it. Google images it. Then reach for the eyeball bleach.

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

With that being said, I am bothered... but trying to not speculate. If there are cells present, I am going to hope for the best and a radiation treatment only.

I have said this many times, but I really would like to just disappear for awhile.



Thanks for spending time with me today.
 Love to you and yours, Angie

This made my chest hurt

Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie

Customer Service or Customer Lackey?

Warning! Some Most will find it offensive. 

Open letters to some of the people I have talked to since Thanksgiving Day:

To the man who was angry at me and used foul language because his credit card was declined:

You know what? I am not the one who is responsible for YOUR spending habits. Your card was declined because either you are overdrawn or you haven't made a payment. I don't know why, nor do I care. All I know is that I cannot send you a $1200 TV with no payment at all, nor can I hold it until you get paid in two weeks, nor can I promise the price will be the same in two weeks. You say it isn't fair, but honestly, how is the company at fault because you can't budget properly? And you aren't owed a damn TV because you couldn't buy it on the day it is on sale. And don't tell me you need a damn TV. It is not a need. Get over it and go volunteer at a homeless shelter, you sorry piece of shit.

To the woman who was angry I could not understand what she was saying:

 I was doing my best. I am sorry I couldn't understand your mush-mouth muttering. I did hear you call me a stupid bitch. That was clear, so I know that you do know how to enunciate but are too lazy to do so when conducting a business conversation. If you need someone's assistance, then speak clearly and politely. I don't make enough money to pander to your stupidity for very long. I am not the stupid bitch, YOU are.

Note: I am not referring to people with genuine speech impediments. I have talked to many and although it was a struggle to understand, with patience and understanding on both sides, managed to take care of business. And it is my experience that those with an actual impediment tell you up front so you know what you are dealing with. It's give and take and I genuinely enjoy assisting those that really do need my help and are polite to me in return. 

To the man who screamed at me because UPS delivered a box in the rain:

CALL UPS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't give a damn. I am not the UPS driver, so why are you screaming at me? 

To the woman who took an hour to tell me about her sister's suicide, asked about 10 items, and did not buy anything or need assistance with an issue:

Call a hotline, please. I am not a therapist, nor am I your friend. I am sorry for your loss, I am sorry you are alone on a holiday, but I am trying to do a job here and in the end, I just don't care a whole lot. I don't know you. Your call caused my average handling time to go through the roof, which is directly impacting my end of year quality review and raise, and it was pointless. PLEASE call a hotline and get some help. 

To the woman who conducted a 20 question game about an expensive computer you never had any intention of purchasing while also conducting an interrogation with her son:

Really? Either talk to me or hang up and talk to your son. Wait. No. Hang up and talk to your son! It is extremely rude to conduct a business discussion while carrying on a personal talk with your child. Based on what you were saying, I am guessing the computer means more to you than your child, which is sad. And it is very irritating that you were on the website looking at items and expecting someone to verify what you were reading. Good grief. The information is there for a reason. That is where I also get my information. I don't have some magic crystal ball that tells me more than what is out there for the world to see. And don't waste people's time for 45 minutes, just to say that you can't afford to buy anything. If you can't afford it then why are you looking at it and wasting my time asking me to read the damn info to you, instead of paying attention to your son?

To the prank callers:

Grow up. No one thinks it's cute or funny, nor does it terrorize me. You just prove my conviction that you are an idiot. 

To all the women who call asking about skin care:

I am not going to recommend anything, nor am I going to advise on application. I am not a dermatologist or a cosmetologist. I don't use any of the products we sell, so all I can do is tell you what I see selling the most. I also don't know the difference in the products, nor do I care. I also do not want you to lecture me forever and ever about how you apply your makeup. I do not listen. I don't care. I cannot afford the products we sell, as I am not paid enough to afford a luxury purchase. When I offer you the number to the company who makes the skincare, who have experts waiting to answer your specific questions, please take the number, say thank you, and let me go. PLEASE. 

To all the people angry because you ordered something a year ago and you can't return it now:

There is no lifetime guarantee. If you want that, shop at LLBean. I can recommend them. And explain to me how the company is at fault that you did not open the box for 6 months (because you belong on the Hoarders show) and just don't like the way something looks.  You have 30 days to examine an item in your home. That is plenty of time to make a decision and return it. While you're at it, explain to me why you should not have to pay return shipping just because you decided you didn't want something.

To the man who wants to meet for dinner:
alt.com, adultfriendfinder.com, bondage.com, fetlife.com..... match.com. eharmony.com, and so on. I was not impressed. Or interested. I was polite because I need this job, sad as it is. 

To the woman who begged to be allowed to order something when your account was closed:

Get help. Your account was closed months ago and you were informed why. When I explained that I could not reopen your account, that no one could place an order for you and reminded you of your discussion with our LP department, that should have been the end of it. Actually, the call should have never been placed. According to the notes on the account, you call nearly everyday. The answer is NO, dammit. The begging and pleading did nothing except to disgust me. If you desperately need a $350 purse (because you are handicapped???) that you can only get with us, then you need to join Mr. Declined Credit Card at the homeless shelter.  

To the woman who did not know what the charges were on her credit card bill:

You should really keep up with your own purchases. It is not my responsibility to reconcile your statement. You stated you have an account online. Why could you not go there and look at your recent orders as I suggested? WHY did I have to spend an hour going over each item?  And why are you shouting at me because there are so many? I am not the one who spent 3 entire days shopping. As miserable as my life is, I can think a gazillion better ways to spend my day than shopping via the TV. Go take a walk or something. Or take up knitting. Anything.

And finally.

To the bitch who made a death threat to me because you couldn't place an order:

Is the world going to end because you cannot order mascara? Really. You threatened to hunt me down and kill me because the mascara was selling out while I researched your address.... the address was flagged because of suspicious activity/fraud back in 2003. Mascara? Death threats? Good grief. I hope you do not have children because the gene pool needs to die with you. You are obviously a real nutcase. And a hateful bitch. And just so you know...when you start the conversation by telling me to hurry, it just makes me move more slowly. See... I am a hateful bitch that way. I have no reason to hurry. When you were transferred to me, I knew I was not going to be able to place the order, so there was no reason to worry about the status of the stupid mascara. If you hadn't hung up on me, I could have given you a phone number to call to investigate the address and find out if you could open an account. I am trying very hard to not wish your eyelashes would fall out. As far as killing me.... well... you don't know where I am. I do know where you are. 

Birthday Pics with no people in them!

Too funny. None of the people photos came out.....

We started the day with both of us in a foul mood because we had to go buy a flippen car. As we exited the parking lot, Richard realized the "check engine light," which has been on for the past year, was not on. Nathan came out last week and did some tweaking, but it must have taken all this time to clear the codes. We rushed the car to MARTA, it passed emissions, so we can wait a little while longer to buy another POS. If I can just get another 1000 saved, it would give us a lot more bargaining power.

So to the universe, I say thank you for the miracle. I cannot even express my gratitude coherently. Richard and I were giddy for the rest of the afternoon.

After that, we ran some errands, had lunch at Tacos Mariscos, then came home, tidied the apartment, and then I cooked. Nathan, Sam2, and Nicki came to dinner, which meant a lot to me. I missed John and Sam1 terribly, but I am grateful the others were there. We had a lovely time, lots of love and laughter.

The menu:

Meat Lasagna (chicken for Nicki, who does not eat pasta)

Garden Salad

Garlic Bread

Quadruple Decadent Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

hot cider, coffee, iced tea

Hot Cider- a tradition

Lasagna and Garlic Toast 

Quadruple Decadent Chocolate Cake:
Chocolate cake with chocolate chips and chocolate syrup,
glazed with hot fudge sauce. SO delicious. 

Pressies! Richard printed a cool sign and treated me to a hammock I have been wanting!
The round thing in center is a brush and mirror, perfect for camping!

Nathan and Sam2 got me a hilarious coffee mug. Sadly, this is a true
assessment of how I am in the mornings.

Nicki made these ADORABLE mushroom ornaments. I will have to step up
my search for some garden gnome ornaments now.  She also
brought me Queen Anne cherries, a birthday tradition for me.I was really touched she
remembered. 

Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie

I am just too tired

I did it!

54,448 words. Most of it drivel. And I entered an excerpt to the I WriteLike site and got a very puzzling result. Not that I am complaining. My previous result was Dan Brown, which made me cringe.

I write like
Chuck Palahniuk

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie

Happy Thanksgiving

Richard is working in the morning, then I am working 2:30-11:30, so Thanksgiving will be completely missed this year. I feel at a loss that I am not in the kitchen right now, trying to get as much prepped as possible so I can watch the Macy's parade. It is an odd feeling and one I am trying to NOT allow to turn into too much sadness. Nathan and Nicki will be here on Monday to have a birthday supper with me, so trying to focus on that. Also focusing on being thankful that Nathan is heading to Georgia to spend the day with John, so he is not alone on a family holiday.

I worked on the kids' Christmas gifts between calls tonight. I am making them each a cookbook, incorporating  recipes from all the families. I have been married three times, children have 2 different fathers and Richard has no children at all and his mother is passed away. I thought it would be lovely to have one cookbook, focused on the memories of all 3 and their own family ties. I am including some recipes by Richard's mother as well, although we never met her. I know it will mean a lot to him, as well as the kids.

I am also planning on what I am going to put into the traditional homemade goodies baskets for everyone. I left out the hot cocoa last year, and heard multiple complaints, plus Nathan mentioned it tonight, so I definitely will make up a batch of that, plus will put it into the cookbook. This is my mother's recipe. It has now been 5 years since I have spoken to her, but I never said she wasn't a marvelous and creative cook, so I will be including some of the recipes I gleaned from her:

Nanny's Hot Cocoa Mix

1 lg box dry milk powder

1 1/2 jars (16 ounce size) powdered coffee creamer 

1 large can chocolate drink mix 

1 cup Dutch process cocoa

1 bag  powdered sugar

In very large bowl mix all ingredients thoroughly. Store in airtight container.  To use, fill a mug 1/2 way with mix, then fill with hot water. Top with marshmallows or whipped cream, if desired. 

If you put this in quart jars and add a small bag of homemade marshmallows, it makes a lovely gift. 

Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie

My NaNo Care Package Came!

Word Count = 36,627. I am just a few hundred short, but feel like I can make that up tomorrow.

I received my NaNo care package swap from my US partner a few days ago, but saved it to open today while I am off! I was glad, as I am not feeling well (imagine that) and it was a huge day brightener.

The care package from Chautona was awesome! I could not locate my camera, so can't post a pic, but here is the rundown.

My partner lives in the Mojave Desert and sent a lot of things to represent her region. I do not think I have ever received any desert flavored items in a swap before, so was very interested to see what she would choose:

• Postcards! Fascinating photos. 
• Sees candies-a box assortment and some lovely lollipops, including a cafe au lait one! Yum!
• High Desert Pinon Cocoa, which I can't wait to try
• A huge assortment of handcrafted cards
• An adorable mug from the Maturango Museum, depicting stylized Gambel's quails. I love/collect coffee mugs and will enjoy using this one very much 
• A spiral bound journal -turquoise blue with gold Native American stylized figures (Richard tried to steal it....)
• A CD from Alex Tsubota, of whom I had never heard. Here is a link to "Harbinger," one of the songs. Lovely.
• A sweet little gourd ornament painted dark red and etched into a quail. I absolutely adore it! It will go in the living room with all the other dark red things we have, and will be a beautiful reminder of NaNo and the special people that participate every year. 
• A pocket notepad that has a really cute coffee house design. It is going on the kitchen counter for notes between Richard and me.

I enjoyed opening all this loveliness so much! It was obvious that my partner spent time and care in choosing everything. 

I heard from my UK partner and she has received what I sent. Evidently, she has been struck down with the flu and will send my package soon. I can't wait to see what she came up with!

Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie

NaNo Updates and Life in General Part 2

Word Count = 29,022 so I am just slightly behind. I think I can make it up tonight after work. I'll definitely make it up by Tuesday night. We'll see.  So far, my story has diverged into 4 unique stories. This is what happened before, so I am thinking that I need to embrace this and give up trying to make one main character. After all, my favorite authors use several different POVs to tell their stories, so it is probably no mystery that I write this way. I have been jonesing for a day of sewing, but I want to keep plugging away at Nano.

Richard is making me insane. I am not going to rant about that particular topic today, but I needed to get that statement out.

Work is also making me insane, mainly because I cannot find a lot of common ground with people that spend their entire days shopping. This was supposed to be a fun job, but it really isn't. I think I am too jaded and too cynical because nine times out of ten, when people call to complain they didn't get something or something was defective/damaged, I just don't believe them and think they are scamming. Especially when I see from their account that it happens all the time. And honestly, why do people call to complain about what a show host is wearing? Good grief, get a life! And do you really think that CSRs give a rat's ass about how you apply your skincare?  I really have nothing to say.... let's just take care of business and move on. Please! I do love working at home and in my pjs, but my ideal job would involve a lot less human contact. Over 20 years in customer service and I am just tired of it. I wish I could get on the email/chat team for .com, but you have to live in Florida for those positions, which makes NO sense to me.

The weather has turned cold here, but after a couple of drizzly wet days, the sun is shining and it is a beautiful day. I had a lovely long walk with YoYo this morning, which went a long way toward clearing the cobwebs out of my brain.

This amused me terribly:

I am not sure why landlocked Tennessee is at risk for Cthulu, but it is funny. Wyoming cracked me up.

I was fascinated by South Carolina's Boo Hag and had to look it up. Terrifying!

From sciway2.net:

The legend of the Boo Hags originally comes from South Carolina's rich Gullah culture. According to the myth, Boo Hags are similar to vampires, except they steal your breath by "ridin" you. They are also supposedly much more frightening in appearance. An expression sometimes used in South Carolina is "don't let de hag ride ya." This expression obviously comes from the Boo Hag legend.

If you were ever to meet a Boo Hag, you would recognize them because they have no skin at all and are blood red in color. The Boo Hags are flaxen, which makes them appear raw and also makes them hard to hold on to, and their skin is also very warm. Due to their appearance, they tend to disguise themselves in others' skins. As they wear the skin as we might a costume, they freely go about their business to find people to "ride."

For Hags to go ridin', they must take off the skin and hide it so they can use it later. After a victim has been chosen, the Hag will fly to that person's house and gain access by sneaking in a crack. When the Hag starts to ride the victim (while they sleep), that person is rendered helpless. When the Hag is done ridin' it flies off to retrieve its skin. The victim awakes only feeling tired. The Boo Hag doesn't kill the victim because he or she could be a continuous source of energy for them to ride. But if someone started struggling, the Hag would consider them not worth riding again and would take their skin.

Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie

NaNo Updates and Life in General

I planned on bring my word count up today, but I have a feeling that Richard is going to harass me about randomly riding around and hitting car lots. I am really not in the mood, as yesterday was so rough on me that I truly feel beaten up. So, in order to be proactive, I have put in calls and emails to actual dealers, not buy here pay here lots, to see if we can go that route. We'll see. The end of the month is looming and tags will expire and we will have no car and Richard will have no job.

I can hardly walk today. My right foot has a tangerine sized knot on the arch. And my neck and shoulder are painful too. Pbbbttttt.

Yesterday, I volunteered at the zoo for Military Appreciation Day. I was slated to help with the children at the inflatable bouncy thingies. It was too windy to inflate them so I sat there for 4 1/2 hours doing exactly nothing, which I found terribly frustrating. This is a whole separate rant, but I will save it.

After leaving, I caught the bus. I was hungry, thirsty, tired from the hiking/camping trip, and just ready to be home. I rode the bus down town, transferred to the bus to get home, which was PACKED. The woman who sat next to me was very large and her thigh overlapped mine, which bothered me quite a bit. Worse, I was crammed against the window, with my left arm crossed over to my right shoulder, and her arm was over mine and she kept elbowing me. Fifteen minutes after starting, the bus came to a stop because the road was blocked off for a 5k.

THIRTY MINUTES LATER, my shoulder was screaming in protest at being stretched across me, and my ribs felt bruised. The bus driver stated that it could be an hour, hour and half before moving. I almost burst into tears. I decided I would walk, although my feet were already in agony. This is a 7 mile walk. My theory was that I could always catch the bus again, if it caught up to me.  Well, the bus caught up to me about  2 miles from home. I was so angry with the mayor, the city planner, MTA, you name it. Those buses should have been rerouted. Anyway, I was terribly glad to arrive at the apartment.

I have been biting my nails over two care packages I sent to NaNoWriMo swap partners. One was to the UK, so probably not there yet, but the other one is in US and I have been wondering if she received it. Last night, I was cheered to see a message from the US partner, saying that she loved the package. It was a very lovely thank you note, by the way. She said mine should be mailed soon, so that is something to look forward to!

I almost want to thank her for  her thank you note, by the way. Thank you notes are a dying art. Hers was beautiful. 

This is what I sent:

NaNoSwap for Chautona in CA 

Included were a really cute plaid mug with lid (I went back and bought one for me and more to give as little gifts) stuffed with tea bags and coffee, hot chocolate, lovely postcards for inspiration, decorative kleenex packets because 'tis the season, Nivea hand cream, cute post-it notes, 2 purple Foray pens (I LOVE Foray pens for journaling), a cute little journal that shows a woman writing (so apropos), assorted chocolate goodies, and to represent a little bit of Tennessee, I put in a couple of moon pies and a black bear figurine.

It was a lot of fun to put it together and can't wait to see what she has chosen to send. She lives in the Mojave Desert and said she was looking for things to represent it, so it will be something different!

Ok, going to see if I can work on my novel!

UPDATE :
I wrote, wrote, wrote some more. I think it is garbage, but I wrote, dammit. I made it to 26,361! Over halfway!








Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie

Camp Quinby 11/11/2011

Friday afternoon, Richard and I hiked the 5.5 mile Volunteer Trail at Long Hunter State Park to primitive camp sites and stayed overnight.

The trail follows the lake shore and is relatively easy and mainly flat.

Let me stop right here and express my dismay at the amount of trash along the trail. It wasn't all along the trail, but at a few places, it was just shocking. Some of it is obviously left from the May 2010 flood that (still) has not been cleared, but most of it is just plain old lack of care and respect by partying groups. There are two large camping areas at the end of the trail and these were fairly trashed also. I cleaned both camping areas in the 2nd camping area, and packed out as much as I could. The one we actually stayed in received some TLC and looked a lot better when we left. 

My foot did better than I expected, but after walking in with a 30 lb pack, then spending over an hour gathering firewood, it was agony. After I sat for a bit and Richard got the fire going and supper started, it was hard to walk. I

The weather was absolutely wonderful-down to 40 overnight, but in the upper 50s to low 60s for hiking in and out.

We had the place to ourselves and had a lovely time. No serious heart to hearts, but in a way, it was a relief. I was too tired to want to have an emotional discussion, so I kept it light and just enjoyed. We got to watch the sun set over the lake, the moon was just a sliver off from being full, we had a lovely fire, and it was nice to just sit and be quiet.

The whisper-lite has sprung a hole in the hose, which meant it was a little hard to get hot water, a necessity for two coffee-a-holics, like us. We ended up putting the kettle over the fire, which was less than ideal, but did work.

Supper was freeze dried chili mac (o....k....) and breakfast was freeze dried scrambled eggs and ham (YUCK!) For snacking, we carried tangerines, apples, almonds, and dried cherries. And a bar of Godiva dark chocolate, which we never opened.  We were both starved by the time we hiked out, so we stopped for steaks to grill, and salad fixings.

Nicki stayed at the house and took care of the animals. She made me a light box so I can take better pictures for Etsy, which is exciting. She stayed for supper and hung out with us for a bit, which was nice.

Along the trail

At the beginning of trail. Good grief, I already look haggard.

Richard, on the other hand, looks okay. Other than a red nose....

Along the trail

View from the trail

Yay! Made it!

Richard really likes his new pack.

This is me thinking that I wish the camera would go away and a fire would materialize.

Sunset over the lake

Fire!

Richard trying to work on the stove

As I was warming up by the fire, I saw this on the tree just outside the camp circle!

Almost at the end of the trail, going home.

As we were hiking out, we met two troops of boy scouts going in for an overnight hike, so we were VERY glad we only planned for one night.





Thanks for spending time with me today. It's always a pleasure to have you as a guest! Love to you and yours, Angie