Something to keep me busy, like I have nothing on my plate already!

With all the snow that pummeled the midwest I had a bit of a shopping hiatus. So when it melted and I felt free to move around and not feel so stranded and such I figured it was high time I went on some errands to places that hadn't seen me in a while, like Home Depot. Yeah most people don't think of Home Depot as one of the places that they would like to go and peruse. 

I love home improvement stores, it's where I get a ton of ideas and get myself into trouble, constantly thinking of new things to do or redo. This trip around we, Ari and I, only picked up a few things, some new jade plants to fill into my thrift store planters and some rope. Oh and some flood to add to my paint for my dresser. Can't wait to show you that one.

But I did find an alternative to my night table lamp dilemma.  Can't wait to spring that one on my unsuspecting husband.

I stopped at Hancock fabrics, it's not the best fabric store but it will do in a pinch, Vogue Fabrics probably is the best in the city. SO I always peruse the remnant rack and this time I found some upholstery fabric that was $4.00 a yard down from $21.00 in a quatrefoil pattern. I don't know what I'll do with it as of yet but the price was great. I do love me some quatrefoil. Isn't that grellow (grey/yellow) patterned fabric too cute. I also picked up some embroidery thread. I'm not sure how this is going to work yet so the details of this project are still secret but either way I will share, even if it comes out looking horrid. 

I can't forget the rotary cutter, I was trying to be cheap and just use the fabric scissors that I have but cutting fabric straight with them was not a strong suit for me. This, I'm told or better yet read is the way to cut fabric with one swipe. OLFA is a great brand I have the circle cutter from them and it's OMFreaking Great!

I hope to show you in the next few posts what I have done with some of these. 

Artist Crush - Florian Nicolle

I have to introduce you to this fab-tastic artist, Florian Nicolle. I have been following his work for a bit and I'm amazed at how beautiful and fluid and multilayered his work is. I love the way he incorporates newsprint and different types of ink and washes and adds dimension to the work. It really is breathtaking. I'm sure as he gains popularity you will see him in more national newspapers and magazines, definitely keep an eye out for him.

Ruminations on Life

I found this great site and I can't keep it to myself some of the things listed on there had me cracking up out loud! Here are a few that I had to put down because they were too funny or true to miss. Enjoy.

One of life's great frustrations is the quest to get the refilled ice-cube tray back into the freezer without spilling water everywhere.

I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying. 

How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

Our generation doesn't knock on doors. We will call or text to let you know we're outside

MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood. 

I hate when I think of something really great to say during a conversation but by the time I get a chance to speak, we're on a different topic. Do I let it pass and keep the good thought to myself, or do I awkwardly bring up the old topic again?

My GPS says "Estimated Arrival Time." I see "Time to Beat." 

I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away? 

Does anyone else mutter "righty tighty and lefty loosey" when tightening or unscrewing anything?

Facebook is a lot like a fridge. When you're bored you keep opening and closing it every couple of minutes to see if there's anything good, but nothing ever changes.

Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart". 

Every phone should have the same charger. 

Everything's funnier when you're supposed to be quiet. 

My keyboard needs a removable crumb tray like my toaster. 

I don't know about you, but a highlight of my childhood was talking into the fan to hear my robot voice. 

Why do I always pack extra pairs of underwear when getting ready for a vacation? I haven't shit my pants in years. 

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

I wish it were appropriate to say to a complete stranger, "Excuse me, would you like me to show you how to discipline your child?" 

Was learning cursive really necessary? 

"I had to walk to school 40 miles in the snow... barefoot" was good in it's day. But imagine the sheer terror on your kid's face when you drop "When I was born there was no internet". 

If I see your pants sagging below your ass I know you didn't read the instructions that came with them.

I wish there was always a recycling bin next to people that hand out pamphlets. 

American Apparel ads equal marketing fail. Neither the phrase "3-D Flower Mesh Jumper" nor the emaciated model makes me want your hideous product. 

The concept of a raincoat without a hood is beyond me. I mean making it to work with my hair soaked and my makeup running, but with my outfit completely intact really isn't an accomplishment. 

It will change the way you look at dinner.

I'm not a vegetarian, or a vegan or any type of other movement. We are meat and potatoes, and now since I married a filipino, rice family. Although I did not grow up on a farm, we lived in the city while my dad worked in the coal mine, we went back to our grandparents home often. My fathers father had a working farm when I was a child so when we went to visit sometimes for months at a time, we lived on an actual farm. My grandpa Jan was so removed he had no working toilet and no telephone until the day he died. We had sheep, cows, chickens and some pigs. I'm sure there was a horse once upon a time, but not while I was a child. The farm was only to raise livestock, you couldn't grow much of anything since we were in the mountains and the earth wasn't good for growing. We grew the only thing that thrived there, grass. It was harvested and fed to the animals during the winter months, but during the summer the cows grazed the pastures and so did the sheep. 

Not our actual home, but close enough.

What my point is, is that everything was natural. There was no hurry to get the cow super fat for slaughter, it took time to fatten them up. They ate the grass and that was their main nutrition. In retrospect it was delicious, not the stuff that you buy in commercial stores in a big city. I think its hard to eat in a natural way and affordably at the same time. You have to make a choice, to either spend the money and buy grass fed and organic, or eat less meat. 

This movie Food, inc is nominated for an Oscar this year in the documentary category. It's definitely a movie everyone should try and see. Food, inc explores the way that our food comes to the table in America. It is not necessarily how animals are slaughtered, but how they are raised and what they are fed. Since seeing this movie, it has made me think about what I put on table for my family to eat. I have looked into buying grass fed but it's hard. It's not as easily available at most supermarkets except your Whole Foods and other high end grocers and its much more expensive. I figure it's a compromise that I need to make, buy less meat but better quality and try and feed the family more grains and other proteins as the bulk of our diet. I'm not saying we are going full force and convert to organic and all, but maybe the choices we make on the whole will change the food industry for the better. Go and rent this movie and see how you feel about the way you look at dinner.

Let them eat CAKE!!!

About a week or more ago was my birthday. Nothing fancy we didn't really celebrate since it falls close to valentines day I asked my husband to wait afterwards to get me flowers. I help my mom, who's a part time florist so I know the quality of flowers would be horrible around that time. 

I asked him to get me a facial instead, which was wonderful and since it was a real european facial took 3 hrs.   

This post isn't about any of that, its about the cake my girlfriend brought to my house to celebrate my birthday. My 3 closest best friends came over and we had fish tacos and wine and cake. 2 cakes. One was a passion fruit and the other a nut/chocolate/alcohol combo. We all had a small piece of each.  Although I cheated, I gave up pastries for lent, I will buy these cakes again for Easter. Only 30 something days to go.

Seriously?!?!

Come ON people!