Christmas is a time for driving myself insane.

It is so true. Christmas has turned into a time that I seriously go bat  crazy. Though, I will say that this year I haven't been as Grinchy as I have in the past. Maybe it has something to do with making my own Christmas gifts this year. Or maybe my heart has grown two sizes larger? Its hard telling, really. All that I know is that I am more in the festive spirit of things. Until I look at my to do list and realize Christmas will be canceled for half of those people because I am too entirely ambitious.

Basically, I have 10 days to get Christmas together at least for those back home in Wise. I am almost there, which is awesome. But I'm telling myself that people here in Wilmington can just celebrate Twelfth Night which is when the Wise Men actually got to Jesus. I feel pretty decent about that until I realize the main differences between me and the Wise Men is that I don't have facial hair, camels (be it the animal or the cigarettes), and I don't have the gold, Frankincense, or Myrrh. I don't even know what myrrh is. Or how to spell it. I had to do a fake Google search to let it spell it out for me. Something, I will admit, that I do often when posting pop culture references in facebook statuses and comments so that I don't looks like I've grgraduated college and still don't know how to spell Kardashian.

I totally did it again.

Anyways, what this is all coming down to is the fact that Marie's mom will be coming in tomorrow to bake her little heart out for Christmas and I am trying to decide if it would be Kosher or not to ask her to make cookies for me t give to people. Now, some of you might think that it is, but seriously, you do not understand the situation at all. Let me spell it all out for you.

Agnes Kathy is Marie's mom. I call her Agnes Kathy when talking to others about her (including Marie) because her name is Agnes Kathleen and some people call her Agnes and some people call her Kathleen and I don't know what to call her because when she was introduced it was all "HEY! This is my mom! POLKA MUSIC!" When I see her I usually stumble over what to call her and don't want to be that rude person that says "Hey you!" or "Um..."  So I default to awkwardly calling her Momma Kathy because I'm not sure if she really likes that or not, especially when she has other people calling her Agnes.  The moral of this name story is that I look far too much into things. Seriously, I'm obsessing over something highly unnecessary.

So, Agnes Kathy is coming in tomorrow and staying until Saturday morning to bake cookies away from the little helping hands of her grandchildren. I don't think that Agnes Kathy really thought this all the way through, though, because my hands are much bigger and don't really help out so much as swipe and eat. But I digress. She will be turning into the foreman at the Keebler Elf Factory, and, only second to Paula Dean, the sole reason that the butter industry is still thriving. The kitchen will only fit her and her backing supplies and dog dishes will be relocated to the dining room area. Popcorn tin after popcorn tin will be chockabock full of delicious wintery treats. Thus, why I wonder if she will even miss a tin for me to give to others for Christmas after I have ate my fill.

Maybe I should take to making cookies for people for Christmas instead of the detailed items that I have been working on? I cant wait to start posting pictures of what I've done, though most will have to wait until after Christmas when I know they will be a surprise for those getting them.

I wish this post was better, but I'm rambling and getting ready for work.

Over the Shoulder Boulder Holder

Now, I know that I want to keep this blog to be about a lot of crafty, foody, and naily things. But, I feel as though I should be allowed to write about a few more personal things, right? And, well, its my blog, so I'm going to. lol

At the risk of sounding like a well known nun singing on a live with with music, Let's start at the very beginning.

Quiet a few years ago, maybe about 2004 or 2005, two of my best friends from high school found the hobby of sending me Cosmo articles, verbatim, through AOL instant messenger. This then progressed to them being sure that my life wouldn't be complete with this new found knowledge of "What he likes" unless I also has a Victoria Secret's bra. So, that Christmas, they joined their money, purchased my girls a gift card, and gave it to me in a Dollar General training bra that they has written on with a red marker. It was one of the most hilarious presents I had ever opened...and in public, at that. So, a few weeks later, I finally made it to a VS and bought my first really nice bra.

As soon as the girls were properly supported, there was instant uplighting and a choir of angles singing.

I wore the heck out of this bra. And continued to do so until it finally had to be put out to pasture. When the bra was gone, it was like I had lost my best friend. I didn't ave the money at the time to buy a new VS bra. I relapsed into cheap bras, because before VS, they were all I knew! I even delved into the world of sports bras and thinking that because my skinnier, smaller bossomed friends could wear tank tops with built in bras as their bra, then I could, too. Looking back not I will honestly admit it wasn't the best of ideas for me, but I was going to be just like them, dammit! I was going to wear tanktops under EVERYTHING. If I got hot? What did it matter? I was still just like them.

Finally, my mom talked me into going to Lane Bryant and looking at their bras because we had a coupon or something. I went, though I was perfectly fine with my tank tops at the time. And, then, for the first time, I was properly measured for a bra. It was...amazing. They told me precisely what I needed and when I put it on, it was like I had found my best friend once more.

We purchased three that day, and once again, I wore them until the underwire finally snapped in the middle. It was a sad day, and I was soon finding myself in the underwear section of Wal-Mart looking for something, telling myself "Oh, I just need something cheap. It will just be for a few days until I can get to the store and by a few more really nice ones."

A few days turned into a few weeks, which then turned into a few months. I try to find something at some of the other clothing stores I had went into, but they were still just as cheap and my boobs were proving to take over the world.

Last night I had had enough of it! I gathered my roommate into the car with  me and off we went to the mall. Once again, I headed towards Lane Bryant, but I went for the same size I had worn last time. But when I put it on? Well, my cup runneth over. A little distraught, I put on the same size around, but upped my cup and wasn't sure if it was fitting right. Thankfully, one of the workers saw the distraught look on my face as I was looking through the bras again to find something, ANYTHING, that could contain Flotsam and Jetsam. She asked if I wanted to be sized and I instantly said yes and about dropped my dress right there.

She measured me and that's when it all went down hill. First it was around my body, the measuring tape help right underneath my boobs. She made a noise and then went "Looks like you're in the middle. You're hitting right around 41." I just nodded and then helped her place the tape around the largest part of the boobs. Then she kind of laughed and I could just picture her standing behind me, shaking her head in amusement. "You're in the middle here, too. Between a DD and a D cup." For a second I let out a breath of relief because I was totally worried she was going to say between double and triple d. But then I just laughed. Of course I was in the middle on both parts! Because life couldn't be as east for me as to just say my size, pat my head Cindy Lou-who style, and send me on my way with my glass of water.

I fiddled around a bit until I was finally comfortable with two different bra and made my purchases. At the time I Was a little grumpy because I wasn't sure if what I bought was really right or not, and a good bra costs a good, pretty penny. But, this morning, A smile was brought to my face the moment I put the bra on and the girls were back where they belonged. It was like seeing an old friend that you hadn't seen in years. And I definitely said "Oh, hello, ladies!" when I saw myself in the mirror.

Now I'm just tempted to write a lower  case d on the tags in the new bras. Because, that's what the middle of D and DD is, right? Dd?

Let's get ready to rumble!

Or grumble. Whatever. 

 Get yo popcorn ready, gurl. Cause its gonna be a big post.

For those of you that are my friend on facebook, you know all about how much I wanted a crafting armiore. For those of you that are new to this blog. Well, I really wanted a crafting armiore. I started saving my tips and searching the internets for one and finally found one that had been getting some really nice and recent reviews. So, I settled on This One. I even purchased it on Walmart.com because it was going to be cheaper than amazon.

The reviews looked awesome. Out of 20, 17 were 5 stars! There were no 2 or 1 star reviews. Seriously, it was looking pretty good to me. So, I purchased it and waited for it to get here. The nice men that delivered it brought it in the house and left it in the front hallway. The boxes looked good, no banged corners or anything. The cardboard just had an awkward smell to it, but sometimes cardboard does that. I got the 240lbs of pressed wood moved to the floor and opened it. The packages were extra padded with styrofoam at the corners. But when I pulled the pieces out, the corners were looking like someone had dropped them. My happiness meter started to drop. 

Something that I didn't expect to take me too very long took two days. Now, I would like to take a moment to preface the rest of this post with the statement that I know what I'm doing when it comes to putting together store bought furniture. I know how to wield tool and put things together. I know the age old rule of "measure twice, cut once." I've built sets and props that had no instructions or pre-drilled holes. I'm no Bob Villa, but I know how to build.

But I would love to see anyone with knowledge try to build something that was obviously messed up at the manufacturers. My predrilled holes didn't match up, corners were busted, the laminate on the pressed wood was bubbling on one side, and the whole thing doesn't sit straight. And that's just a few things off the top of my head. What was suppose to be an awesome first adult purchase for myself slowly turned into the bane of my existence.

The finished cabinet without the doorknobs. Notice how it leans to the left a bit. Also notice how the doors aren't sitting right.

Yeah, those doors are not right at all. The right door barely even reaches the magnet to keep to closed. Not to mention the fact that the screws to hold the magnet in place on the inside aren't catching the wood and wiggle around.

In order to close the left door, I have to push up on the molding because otherwise it is too high up and hits the top.

The table on the inside gave me loads of grief. It took entirely too long to get the slides to go in right, but I finally got that part done. Only yo be met with the fact tat the table doesn't sit right and also leans, hitting the wall on one side.

Notice how it brushes against the wall. And not in a sexy dancing kind of brushing against, either. This is full on annoying brushing.

Meanwhile, the other side is pretending like its at an 8th grade dance where you hold your partner as far out from you as possible to the point that only your hands are touching shoulders or waist and you both refuse to look at each other while dancing in a circle.

This is the top of the armiore. Notice how it isn't flush with the molding. The good news is that it shouldn't be flush with the molding. The bad news is that its suppose to create a lip over the molding. This is more of an underbite. And the corner is banged up and warped.

Its a bit hard to see here, but the right side has an extreme overbite while the left side has the underbite. See, perfect instance where the predrilled holes did NOT match up. Not only that, but you can see where the middle shelf leans to the opposite side that the rest of the armiore leans. Which means my shelves only fit on that side from about the halfway mark and down.

Not only that, but the backing wasn't measured right and in order for me to get the sides to line up, it caused the corner to come up over the back. Someone that an exacto knife will fix, but still.

Crappy corner.

One of the worst corners. It came out of the box like this and there was no sign of damage to the packaging here.

So, these little guys are suppose to help protect the little leg things that you add to the bottom of the unit. I couldn't use them because they were warped and wouldn't fit. Because I couldn't use the, the bottom of the unit messed up when we tried to move it, but I don't have a picture of that yet.

So yeah. That's my adventures with this stupid armiore. I will be including a link to this blog post when I leave my review on the website, but I will also be writing a nasty letter to Walmart and the Manufacturer. Sorry if it was a long post...but I felt like it needed to be done.

AHHHH

Sometimes I just feel like screaming like this little girl. 

Let's play a game, alright? 

Its called tipping anyone that performs some kind of service on you. 

And I mean that is the most family friendly of terms. Mostly because I don't know if you tip a hooker or not. Though, my tip would obviously be don't be a hooker. Yes, it worked out for Julia Roberts...But guess what? It wasn't suppose to work out for her. There was a different ending to the movies, kids. Yeah, that's right. The hooker wasn't going to get the millionaire.

Anyways. Just remember that tipping is a good thing.

The Crafting Days of Yore...

So I was sitting on the loveseat in my living room trying to decide what I wanted to blog about tonight. That's when I realized that my challenge to post in my blog once a day for an entire year could be in danger of just being completely ridonkulous and filled with posts about nothing. I don't want to just create a post for the sake of saying I posted. I want it to be more entertaining. Perhaps more inspiring. I don't know. But I wanted it to be more than just general dribble about why I couldn't come up with a better post that day.

Then I got to thinking about all the pictures I have taken over the years and how long I've been crafty. Now, I will admit, some of the things I created aren't that spectacular. But, I remember that at the time I created them, I was pretty tickled with them. It's amazing what paint and foam stars can do for your ego. lol

Here are some things that I've done in the past and would like to recreate at some point again if I ever get the chance. Or just tweak them a tiny bit. That could be a lot of fun right? All of these pictures were taken before Christmas 2001. It was my senior year of high school and I made a lot of my gifts for my friends that year. You will be seeing all the fun decorations in my room from then, I'm sure.

These were candle stick holders that I painted as a gift for someone for Christmas. I honestly do not remember who I made them for...But I thought they were super pretty. They were a maroonish pink color with a lighter pink and white trim, detailing, and spattering. 

(That large Ace of Diamonds in the background was a part of our senior homecoming float...WHICH WE WON THAT YEAR!) 

 I used a stencil for the first time to make this and I loved how it came out. Aren't they pretty?

 Here is a box that I painted of various blues for my friend. It was a carboard box with glitter swirls that I just painted in between. I thought it looked really cool. I remember who got this gift, though! :D

It is kind of hard to forget who got these three things, seeing as how her picture is right there and her name was on the pot. I was really into painted terracotta pots that year for some strange reason. I just remember thinking it was awesome. So I painted a good handful for people, thew their names on them, and pretty much called it a day. Though, I still kind of love them to hold pencils and what have you. This was a simple canvas picture frame, something that my awesome friend Jessica had gotten me addicted on my junior year of high school. I painted it black, threw on some glittery glazey stuff, then painted some extra stars, the words, and then glued on foam stars. It was so simple that I did the same on the box and clay pot!

Yea, some of these I wouldn't mind doing again. But I love being able to look back on the things I've made and go "Aww...lookit that!" Some of it makes me want to run to Old Time Pottery and buy some things to get crafty with again. Though, I'll admit that I have a whole notebook filled with to do crafting projects. I have a bad habit of starting something and never finishing it because halfway through I wanted to start something else because I was getting impatient. That being said, I really need to try and focus on the accessories for a long while before I decide if I want to get back into the painting or not. 

Though, there are some crafty bits that I try to stay FAR away from because I know it will only end in tears, excessive spending on supplies, and my roommate kicking me out because I'm a crafting hoarder. Are there any projects you guys would like to get started on but know it would be a bad idea?

Gettin' my Etsy on!

Aww snap, son! Guess who finally opened up an Esty shop? Why it would be me. Yup, this girl right here. I'm super excited about this and I can't wait to have more pretty things to post up on the site and then start promoting it.

I'm not going to lie. I'm a sure newb when it comes to Etsy. I know how to buy something pretty and that's about it. And I know that I am not alone in this way of being on the awesome site. So I've been doing as much researching on the subject as I can. That being said, I wanted to link my readers to an awesome blog post I found about being new to starting an Etsy shop. Its a really awesome post and a bit detailed, so if you don't want to read it...then, well, you don't want to learn how to start your shop.

Honey Bear Lane is an adorable blog with the awesome run through that I was talking about. Check it out.


In other news, I will be hosting a pretty awesome nail themed give away in hopes of combining my Nail blog with this one and getting my followers from there to switch to here. Cross your fingers with me that it works, please.

Bucket List Beginnings.

I think I am one of the few people that saw "The Bucket List" years after it came out. I caught it on TBS on e night recently and couldn't turn away. By the end, I was bawling my eyes out with a new found inspiration lurking inside of me. I wanted my own bucket list. I wanted that feeling of living and experiencing things. I wanted to focus on the simple things that can bring a smile to my face and focus less on the negativity that creeps up on all of us for whatever reason. Life is for living...that's why its called life. And I'm ready to live.

I wrote my own "Bucket List" and tried to fill it with things that I knew I could accomplish at some point. I didn't want a list that I would look at later and be depressed because I couldn't achieve my listy goals. So, here's my list. I wanted to share it.

My Bucket List:
1. Start a project, stick with it, and finish it.
2. Visit Ireland.
3. Inspire someone.
4. Experience a relaxing spa day.
5. Work with a childrens theatre again.
6. See Sleeping Beauty's castle (Either the one in Disney or the one it was fashioned after).
7. Travel on a roadtrip stopping at little tourist trap places on the drive.
8. Make a three course meal completely on my own.
9. Find love.
10. Witness a miracle/see something majestic.
11. Attend a wine tasting.
12. Be able to someday introduce my old friends to my new ones.
13. Finish my book.
14. Accept more challenges.
15. Find my Christmas spirit once more.


Number one on my Bucket List is the most important for me. Rarely do I ever start a project for myself and finish it. So, Monday night, while I was making dinner, II came up with a project that I realy want to do. It allows me to start posting on this blog again, which was my first one and I kind of love it.

I have decided to challenge myself and you all get to benefit from it. Or, at least, I hope its a benefit for you guys. I've decided to attempt to blog every day for an entire year. Within those posts, you'll see me challenge myself at least once a week to try or do new things (Look, hitting number 14 on the BL). I'll post about my crafty endeavors, stuff about nails, and my cooking adventures. I'm hoping this will be awesome and that I can stick to it. I'm seriously going to try my hardest.

So, here's to hoping I can do it. I'm gonna need all the support I can get.