Archive for the ‘Life’ Category

What is Going On?

Sunday, April 22nd, 2012

Don’t I love you anymore? Yes, of course I do, even my own children have been wondering that at times though, it has been a rough several weeks. Funny, one of those was a vacation, but road tripping to San Diego by myself with two girls was a lot of work. I was pretty much ‘on’ the whole time and didn’t even manage to catch up on my sleep, what’s up with that?! We did see LegoLand though, and that was pretty awesome, and did a lot of visiting. And a LOT of driving. Work has also been totally stressing me out. I generally haven’t been working (for pay that is!), but I am still ‘employed’ and every once in a while I take a contract through my company. Which means suddenly inventing more hours in the day, getting less sleep, falling behind on the house and all of the things that I do to make everyone’s life run smoothly. Because there really aren’t any extra hours in my day, they all have to come out of something important, don’t they? But it is good for my long term career, and often fun, although this particular project has turned out to be the not so fun kind. Can’t win them all. And once I am done inventing time for my paid work, I am now behind on two more promised projects for the next One Yard Wonders book. Which is much more fun, but still time consuming.

Want to guess what this one is? It’s done, so if you’ve seen it, or are secretly stalking me on FaceBook, no fair!

This post runs dangerously close to violating my blogging without obligation commitment, doesn’t it? Maybe I should take that down, I think I have made a commitment, and I do feel an obligation. But perhaps that’s silly. Doesn’t everyone use a blog reader now? So who cares when anyone updates, your reader is always full of 500 posts anyway? My mother-in-law was just complaining that there is no RSS button on my blog. I suppose my layout probably needs some love, but that will happen sometime in the next century, when I am DEAD and have lots of time! Sigh. I could get into blogging from the afterlife. I always did like Dar William’s Alleluia. See, I am sleep deprived and RANTING! Are you getting enough sleep? So that’s two questions for you, are you getting enough sleep, and what is that thing? Three: do you care if the blogs you read update regularly? (And do you hate it as much as I do when every post is apologizing for how they haven’t posted recently? (FOUR!)) Also I just realized I only have a month until Rebecca’s birthday! OMG.

One Yard Wonders Call for Submissions

Monday, February 27th, 2012

If you are a creative person who missed this announcement, the next One Yard Wonders book is in the call for submissions phase, deadline is April 15 (Oh, I thought it was March 15th, I have LOADS of time left, phew! Unlike last time when I somehow didn’t find out until a week before the deadline…)

They are looking for projects focusing on children this time, so check out their call for submissions, I know all you crazy people are full of great ideas for kids!

Quotes for the New Year

Sunday, January 8th, 2012

I was reading AffricanKeli because she is in the One-Yard Wonders blog tour, and saw this quote above her stove:

Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.

I had to immediately go and look it up, it seems to be a reordering of a quote made famous by Theodore Roosevelt, and in any case is awesome!

Some other awesome Teddy quotes from wikiquotes:

Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing

There are many kinds of success in life worth having. It is exceedingly interesting and attractive to be a successful business man, or railroad man, or farmer, or a successful lawyer or doctor; or a writer, or a President, or a ranchman, or the colonel of a fighting regiment, or to kill grizzly bears and lions. But for unflagging interest and enjoyment, a household of children, if things go reasonably well, certainly makes all other forms of success and achievement lose their importance by comparison. [I am so with him here!] It may be true that he travels farthest who travels alone; but the goal thus reached is not worth reaching. And as for a life deliberately devoted to pleasure as an end — why, the greatest happiness is the happiness that comes as a by-product of striving to do what must be done, even though sorrow is met in the doing. There is a bit of homely philosophy, quoted by Squire Bill Widener, of Widener’s Valley, Virginia, which sums up one’s duty in life: “Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.”

Might as well be the stash buster’s mantra. Use what you have.

Need something for dinner? Pantry diving. Use what you have.

Don’t have enough time? Use what you have.

Need more exercise? Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are. You’ve got shoes, start running. Park in the farthest spot, take the stairs.

Waiting to start until everything is perfect? Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are. Get to it!

I think I’m going to have to put that over my stove like AfricanKelli. Or somewhere.

What, you were expecting something crafty? Maybe tomorrow.

What quotes are you finding inspiring right now?

One Yard Wonders Giveaway Closed

Sunday, January 8th, 2012

Congratulations to the winner Drea!

Drea says:
I’m not sure if this giveaway is over, but either way, I would be all over the book holder! Congratulations on your success!

Once she sends me her address I will send it to Storey Publishing. (The best kind of giveaway is one where you don’t have to go to the post office yourself! Ha.) And thank you random.org, this time I decided what to do with the number *before* I rolled it, so didn’t myself all tangled up in how I was supposed to count comments this time! Practice! That probably means I should have more giveaways, right?

Not Dead Yet

Monday, December 12th, 2011

I’ve survived my textiles class, it’s over! Except for all the material re-sorting, budget submitting, curriculum re-planning, volunteer soliciting, and then class will be starting again for the spring session… hrm. But next time I will have a clue! Clues are very very useful things. And now for some quick project catch up blurbs before I slam into the next year, ready or not.

Holi

Sunday, July 17th, 2011

Holi is a Hindu festival of spring. Spring. It isn’t remotely spring anymore, but I was just looking through my photos for something else, and aren’t these beautiful? I love Holi. This year I was brave/foolish enough to take my good camera, and although my camera survived it needed a good cleaning, and my camera case was an entirely different matter. Well, it did survive, but I think I spent over an hour trying to get the red powder out of its many cracks and seams. I seem to remember eventually resorting to the hose… So I don’t know what it was I was doing in April that was so important, but obviously what I *should* have been doing was sharing these!

Now go make a mess!