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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Tickers and Blogs

It's been a very long time since I've blogged anything here. Life has kept me  pretty busy the last couple of months. I wanted to share a couple of things while I had a moment.

Pooka Monster Tickers! 
Alternatickers has added some of my softies to their tickers! Alternatickers has the absolute best tickers out there. Their designs range from traditional to punk to retro rockabilly.  I really love them, and I'm so flattered to be included. You can find them here ~Guest Ticker Designer~ ~Alternatickers Home~

AlternaTickers - Cool, free Web tickers

AlternaTickers - Cool, free Web tickers

AlternaTickers - Cool, free Web tickers



Blogged!
My shop was blogged here ~Autumn is in the air!~ By Just Nibbles, shop owner of Justine's Originals on Etsy. You can find her shop here ~Justine's Originals~ She has beautiful handmade jewelry and greeting cards!
 

And, a few random photos from the last two months.....

September
 

 

 








October
 

 


Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Mama is a four letter word.

    In the last few centuries, the face of motherhood has changed dramatically. What was once a respectable life path is now seen as a social stigma. In the past, a mom could stay home and raise her children, instilling the values with which she believed. She could nurture and love her children to her own preferences. When her baby cried, she could comfort him. When her kids were hungry, she could feed them the foods she chose for them. When her children came home from school, she could make them a snack, and help them with homework. A mother could tell her peers of her life choice proudly, because she had the most important job there was.

   Now "mom" seems to be a dirty word.  Sure, you can still be a mother in this day and age, but the word has lost the dignity it once held. Now children tend to be an accessory to the rest of a woman's life. A woman's career is to take priority. She is expected to work right along side her male counter part, and she expects to be seen as an equal. As dirty of a word "mom" has become, it pales in comparison to the vulgarity that is added when you put the words "stay at home" in front of it. The stay at home mom is looked at as a pariah in our new, equal society. The hard working June Cleaver has been replaced with an image of the bon bon eating Peggy Bundy.
  
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against working mothers. My own mother worked 12 hours a day, and sometimes nights as well. It was the only way she could give us the life she felt we deserved. The fact is that I have more respect for her than any other person on the face of the Earth.

My problem is with the stigma attached to being "just a mom" as many put it. I myself am a stay at home mom. Those around me have tried to tell me that I need to, "do something with my life".  That alone should give you a little insight into how the stay at home mom is seen in our society. On the upside, there have been more mothers choosing to stay at home with their kids recently. I only hope that the negative view of this choice will start to disappear.Our future as a society depends upon supporting each other.

    

Friday, September 4, 2009

Cloth Diaper Obsession ~ Part 2

I only had time to cover a few different types of cloth diapers in the last CD post. I didn't even scratch the surface. There are so many options out there. If one doesn't work for you, there are thousands more to choose from. You can get most cloth diapers with either snap or velcro closures. I prefer snaps because the velcro tends to come undone too easily.

Pockets
Pocket diapers are waterproof on the outside, so there's no need for a cover. They are the best for going out and about because they're good and trim, so they fit under most baby clothes. There is a "pocket" inside of the diaper itself for absorbent  inserts. The most common inserts are made of microfiber or hemp.

Fuzzi Bunz (my go to diaper)

Diaper Change (fabulous prints)



AIOs (all in ones)
AIOs are just that. There is no need for stuffing inserts or adding covers. I haven't had great luck with them myself, but I know a lot of mamas who love them. There are a lot of different kinds, but here's one example~
Bum Genius


These come in regular, organic, or even pockets.

Storing until laundry day~
There aren't alot of stink issues with cloth diapering. I personally think sposies (disposable diapers) smell much worse. You can use any trash can or hamper with a lid. There are also waterproof pail liners and wetbags for keeping in the stink.

Wetbags
Waterproof bags for keeping the dirties in. There are a plethora of prints, from plain to posh.

Petunias

MonkeyFootDesigns
Cleaning cloth diapers is no big deal either. That's the part that scares most away from trying cds. You just plop the solids into the toilet and toss the diaper into the wash.
Find more information here: The Diaper Pin
Happy Diapering!

Saturday, August 29, 2009

The Ever Changing Life





Each new day brings changes to my life. New heartaches, new hopes, new goals. I'm trying my best to stay positive. One of my favorite quotes says, " Learn from the past, live in the present, and plan for the future." I can not change the past, or the hearts and actions of others, but I can be the best version of myself.







The Hedge Monster
by Margo Fallis





There’s a monster in our hedges that comes out only at night.


I’ve seen it and can tell you it gives me an awful fright.


The leaves begin to rustle and the branches sway about


And then the worst thing happens, the hedge monster jumps right out.


Its toes are made of hawthorn and are long and bent and brown.


They’re thorny and have prickly leaves that hang and droop way down.


It’s legs and arms are holly with red berries in the fall


And the monster’s head is squished up branches of boxwood four feet tall.


It wanders through our garden and chases the snowy owls


And then into the chicken coop stealing feathers from the fowl.


When the moon is full and the shadows dance and swirl


The hedge monster’s appetite is for a little girl.


I stay in the house at night and never go outside


Because the hedge monster will get me, so in my bed I hide.



I'm not one to put stock into anything horoscopes say, but today's was strangely accurate.

Aquarius

Don't base your love on credit, or when you try to get you-know-who to pay up, the check could just come back marked insufficient funds. In other words, if someone has repeatedly proved untrustworthy and unreliable, why are you keeping them around in your life? Do you still secretly believe that somehow it's your fault that they can't be counted upon? What a load of hooey. You deserve better, and you know it.







Saturday, August 22, 2009

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

I Reupholstered a Chair...

Yay me.
This chair was in my grandparent's bookstore forever. The back "X" piece has been broken off, and it has a few scuff marks and chips as well, but I felt those war wounds were better left as they were. I really love this chair.



Captain Wolfy likes it.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

I've Been Blogged!

I was quite surprised to log in to Etsy today and find a message informing me that I had been featured in SonoSono's Newbie Monday blogpost. You can see it at Solilquies from SonoSono's Studio. I am truely honored, ecspecially since SonoSono does such amazing work! She has her own Etsy shop HERE. It's full of really beautiful jewelry like this~


She also features Japanese Friday in her blog which I love! She talks a bit about Japanese food as well as when she lived there. I've always found Japan to have the most increadible culture. It's my dream to be able to go there one day, so these blogposts are a special treat.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

A Woven Kind of Love



I'm in love. It's not an exclusive love, but it's pure all the same. Michael Miller, Heather Ross, and just about every Kokka fabric ever made holds a special place in my heart. These are some of the fabrics living on my bedroom desk at the moment.




Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Homemade Sushi...in Oklahoma?


Let me first say that this is not the melt-in-your-mouth salmon nigiri that you get at Fuji. We just aren't quite brave enough for raw fish from the local Wal-Mart. Call us yellow if you want, it just doesn't sound appetizing. We use shrimp tempura, and not even home made. Nope, this stuff comes frozen out of a box...but hey, it works!

Tempura

Rice

Nori (the seaweed wrap)
The brand they have at Wally World is Sushi Party. You've gotta love that Japanese packaging!

Spread the rice onto the nori.
You can be rough with the rice while spreading it on, but be gentle with
the nori because it will be very fragile until it's been warmed by the rice. Leave a small strip on the end without rice so that the nori has a place to stick together, closing the roll.


Wasabi
A lot of people don't like this stuff. It's not really spicy, but it has sinus clearing qualities. It's not something that I can describe with words. I love it.

Rice vinegar. (very important)
You need to dip your knife blade in rice vinegar every time you cut a slice of the sushi roll, otherwise the rice will just stick to your blade, making it dull and crushing the roll.




Here is our sushi! Ours were very simple this time, but we usually add avocado and hot house cucumber. You can add anything you want to them. Get creative!