Happy new year!! Our word for January...

Here's to a new year to look forward to! And what word could be more appropriate than DREAM. Our word for January to think about and focus on is DREAM.
"A dream is a wish your heart makes." ~ Cinderella
Do you have big dreams? Small dreams? What are you wishing for in the new year ahead?
I would say besides winning the lottery (everyone's big dream LOL), one of my big dreams would be to go to Europe. A more manageable big dream would be to make it the UK. If I had to squeeze to an even more do-able big dream, well, I couldn't narrow it down just yet to which part. But what I could do right now to bring that dream closer would be to start squirreling away a few dollars here and there. It might take a long time, but it's in the realm of possibility. Another one would be a train ride across Canada. That would be cool! You can thank the O Canada movie at the Canada pavilion in EPCOT for that one. LOL I'd also love to go back to PEI and also check out Novia Scotia and Newfoundland.
Now, closer to home.... I dream of keeping a clean house. LOL Not having a dishwasher makes the kitchen the hardest. I dream of getting closer to catching up in the scrapping. That's been my 'dream' the last couple of years. And speaking of home, I dream of a nice farmhouse on a good sized piece of land to call my own. Now between that dream and Europe, I think I have a better chance of going to Europe. But I can still dream.

In my dream, the angel shrugged & said, If we fail this time, it will be a failure of imagination & then she placed the world gently in the palm of my hand.
~ Brian Andreas

Starting a new year....

It's almost here. 2012. Another year just flown by! Here's a little quote I've come across as we contemplate the new year and all that it holds. Something to think about as we embark on a new journey....

Tomorrow is the most important thing in life... it puts itself in our hands and hopes we've learnt something from yesterday.
John Wayne

One little word.... words to live by

So there is this thing in the scrapbooking community people are talking about and/or participating in called One Little Word. I guess the idea is you pick a word for the year that you focus on. It can be used as a goal to incorporate whatever your chosen word is into your life. There's even classes you can sign up for ($) that gives you prompts and stuff and you can scrapbook about it.
Working off this idea of 'one little word' I thought I'd do something similar. But on my blog - I probably won't scrapbook it (but you never know, we'll see) - and the word (or 2 word phrase) will change each month. I'm actually using a calendar from this past year for my words. At the beginning of each month I'll post the word(s) for the month to focus and reflect on. I hope you'll join me with the monthly word. I'd love to read your own thoughts and reflections. Let's take the journey together. Will you join me??

**Just to clarify. I will put up the word(s) that WE will focus on each month. You don't need to come up with your own. We will each share our own thoughts on the same word(s).

Being agnostic....

doesn't mean you are anti-religion or anything else of the like. It simply means that you don't know what to believe. You are not for or against either side. It's a lot of devil's advocate (har har) because you can argue with an atheist and argue with religious followers. Religious people argue with EACH OTHER of the same religion for crying out loud. Do you know how that makes it even harder? I think it's great that some people have such faith. I'm not against that. But don't get pissy at me because I point out the problem with things you are saying. It is perfectly okay with me if you celebrate Christmas as a birthday. I have a problem with saying that IS what it is, as if it is fact and everything else is false. That's bullshit. Just like I think it's bull when some Christians want to say Mormons, Jehovah's, Christian Scientists, and probably others are not Christian. Just because you think so, doesn't make it so and I will stick up for them when someone says otherwise.
If you're going to bring up religion, then don't expect everyone to agree with you. Or to keep quiet.

Purge/declutter

Definitely needed.... so hard to part with. Doing a tiny bit now but really need to concentrate on getting some more bits out after Christmas. Did you see the messes I already posted before?
I'm going through my scrap/card magazines. Pulling out pages here and there then I'll drop them off on the recycle shelf at the library. I know someone will snap them up quick. I have some idea mags that I'll keep as a whole for myself but I think I need to purge a bunch out.
I think I'll give a bit of my yarn to one of my speical olympic athletes who crochets. The colors I'm less likely to use on something. Some of them I got for free anyway that hubby picked up through freecycle or craigslist.
However, there's probably not much else I'm likely to get rid of. I do need to find some better ways to store and organize it so it's out of the way though. Some day I might actually get my own room and then it won't be as much of a problem. The other thing is I just need to start MAKING stuff with it. The fabrics I have bought over the years for clothing (though some was actually for my daughter and that's pretty much come to an end. ) Skirts I plan to make but keep putting off. I have some heavy twill that I'm either going to have to figure out something with or see if I can get money for it on craigslist. At least what I shelled out - which was $2 a yard from Walmart but it's a good fabric. Spring colors. There's the side of me that doesn't want to part with it and make clothes (but then I'd have to find a pattern for shorts or pants that are more tailored, not just an elastic waist) and the other side that says be practical and see if you can sell it first. If I had my own room, I could put it out in see-through bins on a shelf and admire it. LOL
I'll probably go through my clothes (not that I have an absolute ton like a lot of people) but I think I'd like to replace some of the sweaters I have. And get rid of some old pj's. In part because I don't wear the bottoms much I might as well just have short nightgowns since I just wear the tops to bed. (I like long nightgowns but they're hard to sleep in, getting all bunchy and twisted.) I'd like some new bras but shopping for those is a nightmare when you don't have much to fill them out. Basically, I find clothes and shoe shopping depressing. I've had times when I've pretty much cried. Ok, enough of those depressing thoughts....
I'd like to get rid of most of the sheets and get new ones. Separately, not sets - at least not for my bed. I don't think they make the top sheets big enough. They don't go over the sides much and then put 2 people under them. Most of them aren't long enough for a good tuck in at the foot either, but not much I can do about that part. Other than sew the ends of the flat and fitted sheets together. The way I see it, you really only need 2 sets of sheets per bed. Unless you also have winter sheets (flannel or fleece) then you would need 1 or 2 sets of those as well. The kids need new flannels for theirs. And for years I've been using the full size sheets for our bed on my son's, too, just tucking in all the extra. He should just have new sheets that fit his bed. A down comfortor for my bed would be nice. Ahh..... We have (IMO - hubby doesn't see it that way) too many blankets. There's not enough storage space in the house for one and I don't like the idea of putting them in the shed either. But then I have this grand idea of also saving them for quilts. They become the filling and maybe also the back side. I'd still have to open them up though because you always end up with that bunching of batting in the corners and sometimes along the sides of comforters.
I should probably put that little green machine, the Bissell carpet cleaner, out in the shed that's at the bottom of the small linen closet. It rarely gets pulled out, I might as well just run to the shed for that when I need it. That would free up just a tiny bit more room for something. Maybe those extra blankets! If I could do things my way (and with extremely little cost), I'd take out my bathroom sink/vanity and just put a small one in my bathroom. It's actually built separately like a little galley from by bedroom into the bathroom. Sink vanity on one side, my closet door and wall on the other. Then the space where the vanity is now could be turned into closet space.
Well, we'll see how I do in the upcoming weeks on my mission to declutter/organize at least a little bit. As long as I don't get too lazy, unmotivated, and overwhelmed.

An afternoon in the kitchen....

I like NEVER make more than one kind of cookie in a day. But I had this bright idea I would make a bunch of cookies/candy today. Like other people do. So I set out with this list:
coconut macaroons
sugar cookies
chocolate covered peppermint marshmallows
chocolate peppermint chip cookies
oatmeal cookies
peppermint patties

I haven't made the oatmeal cookies yet. Or the sugar cookies - but the dough is made and in the fridge. I may put the sugar cookies off until tomorrow. Actually, I'm fairly sure I will. My lower back hurts. But I did make the other stuff. I even took count. 19 macaroons, 27 peppermint patties, 44 chocolate peppermint chip, and 21 chocolate covered marshallow poops. Yep, poops, because that is what the little lumps look like.


I will also take this opportunity to say I hate white 'chocolate'. For one, it's not chocolate and I don't like the taste. My son and husband do. And two, it's not chocolate so it doesn't melt as well. It sucks. I tried to make white poops with it and it was not cooperating. Well, it still looks like white poop. LOL But I didn't get it to melt right and the marshmallows wouldn't cover right. I think I'll have to do the stove method instead of the microwave when I make hubby's covered pretzels.

Christmas surprises....

Yesterday I received a wonderful Christmas surprise in the mail from my (online) friend, Rosey. Actually, the surprise part was when she told me she was sending me something - it was too good a deal to pass up. I let her keep it a secret what it was but based on what she said about she'd tell me if I wanted to know and I could cross it off my Christmas list, I had a feeling they were Maeve Binchy books. We talked about them before. She sent me 3 of them - to add to the 2 I've gotten in the last couple of months. Wasn't that so sweet of her? I can't wait until she gets her Christmas card because just a day or two after she told me about the surprise I was in the store and found something I got for myself. And then I thought.... oh, Rosey will like these, too! It's just a very little something but I think (and I hope) it will give her a big smile.

Oh, so yesterday we (or I should say I - hubby was just getting them out of the closet) were wrapping presents. He hands me a box and tells me it's for our daughter (and he also tells me to be careful with it). I just figured it was a bunch of paperback books we got for her (manga). So I wrap it up and give it to him to put a tag on it. Then my daughter comes in and he has her put a tag on it she wrote on. I thought that was weird, having her write her own tag?? So I look - and it's actually for me. Yep, he had me wrap my own present! Then it all came together and I'm pretty sure I know what it is, too, since he told me to be careful. It's a set of pyrex mixing bowls I wanted (from the early 80's). If he hadn't done that I wouldn't have known whether or not he actually got them! There are some other presents I know about because I got them myself. (This usually doesn't happen.) One is a cricut cake machine because it was a really good deal. I'll be using it to cut paper actually - the cricut I have is smaller and doesn't have all the features either. The other is a stamp set because I was telling hubby about it and he said to just go ahead and get it. I'm almost sure there was somthing else that I picked up but for the life of me I can't remember, so if there is, that will be a surprise. And then I'll laugh at myself. LOL

sharing a bed

I don't like it. I don't like sharing a bed. They had it right on t.v. in the old days - twin beds. LOL

Hubby is/gets cold and wants to pile more blankets on. I say put some clothes on! Last night I kept getting the blankets pulled off me. My bed stays neater and easier to make when I'm the only one who's been sleeping in it.

Now, of course I might miss it if I had lost my spouse or something. But right now, I love when I can get the bed to myself because hubby is on a trip. I sleep right in the middle of the bed. And I sleep better, too.

It's here! My new cricut!

I got a cricut cake machine during a special sale. It came with 2 cartridges (one is a bonus) and free shipping. I have just the small original cricut - which will be 5 years old this Christmas, and this is a bigger machine. I'm using it for paper, not food. The cake blade works just fine on paper. Now I can cut stuff bigger than the max of 5 1/2 x 11 1/2 plus the other features it has the little machine doesn't. Woot! Now, part of justifying my buying it was to sell the cartridges it comes with. I have plenty of other cartridges to work with (and 3rd party software) so I don't need them. Selling them will help pay for the machine (or buy other goodies instead! gee, I like my thinking. ROFL) However, it is going under the tree (minus the cartridges). I only have to wait two weeks though - and I did make a test cut to make sure all was well.
If my few readers know anyone who might be interested here's a pic (one doesn't come sealed because it's bundled with the machine but never used - I used one of my own cartridges to make a test cut.) You can find images of the cartridge contents here:
cake seasonal cartridge
cake basics sample sheet
cake basics handbook pdf

People are like sandpaper...

I saw this on facebook the other day and I knew Pam would especially like it. LOL

Overwhelming...

Remember my mess I posted a few posts ago? Well, last night hubby and I were going through the Christmas presents to 'see where we're at'. They were stashed in the closet. So I tried to move some stuff so they'd fit better and I was thinking where/how I was going to put my stuff. Not just what I have in the closet, but out in the room, too. And it's a bit overwhelming... WHERE can I put it? My house is small, with a small, shared closet (as you could see). I seriously need my own room. *sigh* I don't want to get rid of my stuff. It's good stuff! Some of it is fabric and stuffing. And yarn. And yes, I already have stuff under my bed. I have an old (80's) suitcase and one underbed storage box with fabric in them. Part of my problem is I bought the fabric years ago at Walmart when I'd find good fabric for $2 a yard with intentions of making clothes for my daughter - and then didn't always do it. I could horrify my husband and start making my own pants. In spring colors. ROFL I have a few fabrics that are a twill. Actually, I'd love to have some tailored pants. It's hard to find stuff that fits right.
I'm really going to have to figure out what to do with stuff after Christmas. I really don't like having all this stuff everywhere. And I need to get to work on more projects with this stuff.

Well, that is aggravating...

I was dyeing some corduroys black. I did it previously in a washing machine but they didn't turn out black. More purply grey. So this time I did it in a pot on the stove. Spent a half hour stirring that darn pot.

Then it turns out there some spots and areas the dye missed. Guess it was a bit scrunched there. grrrrrrr! I guess I can buy the liquid dye and blot it onto those areas. My once 'free' pants are now costing me near $10. *sigh*

Extending your liquid eyeliner...

This past year I have discovered the joy of liquid eyeliner. No need to stretch, tug, pull or anything else your eyelid.

Well, it now seems to be running out of pigment or something because I'm getting mostly liquid and not much color coming out (mine is a sort of marker type). Now, normally I use a brown eyeliner and dab a dark brown eyeshadow on top so I don't have to wait for it to dry and it kind of 'fixes' the eyeliner. Well, now that I'm getting mostly liquid I'm finding this little trick also works to extend my use of the liquid eyeliner AND you can change the color of the liner by using some other shade of eye shadow.

BTW - some people line 'only' their bottom eyelids. I'm here to tell you it does NOT look good. Make your face look more depressed or something.
Some people can pull off lining the whole eye. I just do my top lid and the outside corner of the bottom.

Ahhh....

What is it that Pa and Ma Ingalls often said? There isn't a loss without some gain.
Well, I'm not that crazy about the arrangment I made here. A bit of a disappointment after spending $5 (that's after a 50% off coupon) on a eucalyptus bunch since I couldn't find plain pine Christmas picks. The upside is the eucalyptus covers the weird smell my house has. LOL