I left the house at 7:30 thinking I would have plenty of time to get to work. Only I couldn't get the car up the hump at the end of the driveway so i drove out into the yard to try to turn it around and got stuck with my "performance" (translation- crap on ice) tires. I shoulda just tried to scrape the end of the drive, but nooooooo.

Then after scraping and kitty littering the driveway I attempt to back C's giant diesel truck outta the driveway. It took me like 4 tries because the middle of the long drive is slicker than whale blubber and I kept losing my momentum while I was trying to look and see if any cars were coming. What a nightmare.

Then some d-bag on 435 gets RIGHT on my bumper and I gotta tell you by this point my nerves were a bit frayed. I gave him the death stare in the rearview, yelled at him and blared my horn. To which he responded by mocking me bobbing his head around and then I flipped him off. My mom would be appalled. Why do people tailgate? I was on a 3 lane road, in the far right, "slow" lane, going the speed limit. SERIOUSLY!

But I'm gonna pause, breathe and try to reclaim this day. Oooooomm. :) Of course somehow I have to get in and outta the driveway tonight to get the dog and take him to the kennel. That should be interesting!

Sleigh bells ringggg are you listenin?

Hi all -

Hope you are enjoying the Christmas (and other Holidays) Season! I know I have been... The Christmas tree is up, I've made snowflakes (beautiful ones if I don't say so myself!), and packages are all wrapped! In order to pass along some cheer I've made some 'Coon gift tags that I'd like to share. Click the image below to download and enjoy!

Not for resale, for personal use only!

Magpie @-/---

News

Family
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

Hi all! Here's a funny pic of me and two little munchkins who keep me cracking up, my niece and one of my nephews.

Well, I have finished my cousin's website: http://www.world-yoga.com/. Check it out!

I've also gotten some more done on my own website, but it needs a lot of love: http://www.magpieskinnies.com/.

Frog Sculpture

Frog Sculpture Side
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

I made this little sweetie out of polymer clay. Inspired by Christi Friesen.

His little soulful eyes are the sweetest. :) You can find him in my shop!  He would make a fantastic Christmas present for someone you love or for yourself!   

Magpie @-/----------

Friday - Hooray!

I've been the worst about posting pics.... Probably because I haven't taken any to post. :) I was busy though, for a while. That was before I was overcome with crankiness. Now I sit down by my craft stuff, I sigh, I flip through a book, toss it aside, flip through a magazine, toss it aside. And I sigh. I've got the crafting cranks. My motivation is shot. Hopefully this weekend I'll get inspired.



I've just created a little piece for you all. My homage to fall (i love his brushes!):






















Last weekend we had a bonfire. C and I put luminaries all the way back to the fire. It was beautiful, but unfortunately I didn't take a picture. :(

Good times were had, C’s “Mr. Bucket” was passed around. A gave away the quasi secret recipe. Overheard:

L: What is in this?
A: In the bucket? (all matter of fact)
Okay, there’s alcohol, sprite and limes.
A’s husband: I can’t believe you just said that.

Overheard later:

L: Okay, so what’s in the bucket?

D pointed out this comet . You can see it with the naked eye, but we also looked at it through D’s telescope. So cool. I couldn’t believe how big it looked.

On to other notes...

I love this groovy dancing chick's style! And her big mushroom-like hat.

And I have (mostly) finished my cousin's website! I'm so cheesed. I'll link to it when it's all said and done!

Have a good weekend!

Magpie @-/-----

Lentil by Sia

sad girl
Originally uploaded by johnnyb4.

I love this song... I just can't get enough of Sia....

Lentil (click to see on YouTube)

Well you were waiting for me, you saw me, adored me
As I wish the whole world would
You would never hurt me, desert me or work me
For all the things you thought you could
Yeah you would lick the tears from my eyes when I cried
Oh how I missed you when I was gone
Hurt me so to leave you deceive you I needed you, I believed in you

Oh I I never meant to let you down
I’ll wait with the stake in my heart
I never meant to put you down
I’m trying not to fall apart

Now all I have is riches and pictures and stitches
Money could never buy what you gave
And though my heart is aching and breaking I’m making
The most of what you send my way
Now I want just to hold you, unfold you, I told you
See I am coming back for you
Yeah I know we will be ok every day the sun
Shines a little brighter

Oh I I never meant to let you down
I’ll wait with the stake in my heart
I never meant to put you down
I’m trying not to fall apart

I never meant to let you down
I wait with the stake in my heart
I never meant to put you down
I’m trying not to fall apart
I’m trying not to fall apart

We’ll reunite oh we’ll set alight
I’m wishing with all of my might

Oh no, I never meant to let you down
I’ll wait with the state in my heart
I never meant to put you down
I’m trying not to fall apart
Never meant to let you down
I wait with the stake in my heart
Never meant to put you down
I’m trying not to fall

Friday Cuteness

***The hairiest chauffeur I have ever seen. ***


Magpie @-/------

Cutest couple award?

Cutest couple award?
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

Frankenstein and his bride didn't know what to dress up as for Halloween... heh heh

Happy Halloween you lovely peoples!! :)

Hope everyone is having a fun day and eating some deliciously spooky treats. :)

Magpie @--/-----------

Tomorrow is Halloween!

Happy Halloween!
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

Unfortunately C and I choked on getting Halloween costumes ready so we are going to be Jack and Coke. He's got a Jack t-shirt and I stapled a Coke label to a tee. It's sad cuz we both would like to dress up, but can't seem to be bothered with looking for or working on a costume. Lazy Lazy. :)

I also have yet to carve my pumpkin so I'll have to do that tomorrow night! I'm so behind!

Happy Halloween Eve, all!

Magpie @-/---

Halloween is almost here...

I love candy corns!
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

And these two characters love Halloween! And candy corns. :)

C and I have yet to go shopping or do anything for Halloween costumes... So bad. We both like dressing up, but are too lazy to shop/make costumes. :D

What are you going to be for Halloween?

I went to Halloweekends at WOF last weekend with K and her daughter S and friend. I had a fantastic time, riding rides and hanging out with them. They left at 7 to avoid the scary stuff and C and some friends met me there. We went through the Fright Zone and it was pretty creepy. People jumping out at you from everywhere, scary masks, spooky noises. It was too fun. :D Kinda like going to the haunted houses, but you get to ride rollercoasters too. Speaking of, I think I'm becoming a rollercoaster junkie. We rode the Patriot a few times, one of the times sitting in the front. It was amazingly cool. Kinda feels like you're flying!

How was everyone's weekend?? Mine was nice. Went walking in the back 40 and bike riding Sat and Sun, can you believe it? Gotta keep on it, I feel better when I exercise.

I watched Pride and Prejudice (the version with Keira Knightley) again this weekend. I love that movie... I think the acting is fantastic, the scenery, the music... **sigh**

Magpie @--/------

My Halloween Tree

My Halloween Tree
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

This photo convinces me of one thing.... I must work on my photography skills! :) It doesn't matter how cool I think something is, if I can't take a sweet picture of it, how can I share the SWEETNESS?

I went to breakfast with my octogenarian friend Sammie yesterday. He's such a cool guy and very sweet. He used to work at the same company as me but has since retired. He asked about how everyone was doing. He was bored sitting at home "watching court shows" so he got a job at a school serving lunch.

I hope I have 1/2 the energy Sammie has when I'm 60.

Today started out as a cloudy gloomy day, but has turned out to be really pretty... Sunshiney goodness. Wish I was at home enjoying it. **sigh***

Oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY C! Many many happy returns. C, my husband (it's still so weird to say that!) is so good to me. I am so lucky. Even when I'm sitting on the floor working on a project and he's poking me in the rear with his feet, I know how lucky I am to have found him. Someone who laughs at my jokes, makes fun of me, tickles me 'til I nearly pee and who listens when I'm sad.... I love you C!

Happy thursday all!

Magpie @-/--------

Cuteness

Cuteness
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

Could he be any cuter? :)

What a lovely weekend.... Saturday was a gloomy, rainy day until sometime in the afternoon. Perfect for running errands and getting some things done around the house. I made some more clay creations which I'll post some day soon.

We went to see Webb Wilder Saturday night. He put on a great show as usual. What a hoot. :) It was outside and it was a really pretty night, slightly on the cool side, but nice.

C and Magpie exchange:

M: I think it's at 12th and McGee
C: Hey, I'm psychic! I was thinking 12th and Monkey!!
M: What am I thinking right now??
C: ...B*tthole...
M: Ummm hmmm

We watched Wild Hogs last night and it was a cute movie....

And now, back to work on a Monday. :)

Magpie @-/------------

Mushroom

Indiana Mushroom
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

MUSHROOM
a poem by Emily Dickinson

The mushroom is the elf of plants,
At evening it is not;
At morning in a truffled hut
It stops upon a spot

As if it tarried always;
And yet its whole career
Is shorter than a snake's delay,
And fleeter than a tare.

'Tis vegetation's juggler,
The germ of alibi;
Doth like a bubble antedate,
And like a bubble hie.

I feel as if the grass were pleased
To have it intermit;
The surreptitious scion
Of summer's circumspect.

Had nature any outcast face,
Could she a son condemn,
Had nature an Iscariot,
That mushroom,--it is him.

Halloween Extravaganza

Halloween Extravaganza
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

Here are more of the creations I've been working on lately. I've been on a Fimo'ing binge you might say. :) I think I'm almost ready to go back to painting for a while... We shall see. The guy on the left isn't done yet, he just got baked (heh heh) last night. I think I will paint him and I might add mummy wrappings. Opinions? Too mummify or not to mummify...

I've been feeling a bit of the in-a-rut blues lately. I need to do something to shake up my existence. Start a big project, something...

C is gearing up working on his beater car. He said I could form a skull in the head liner. It's droopy so we'll be pulling out what's there. Have any of you seen that on hotrods? It's pretty neat. I think they build it with foam and then mold the liner around it. There's probably tutorials online. I'll have to look around.

C and I had Indian food with Big, my favorite foreign food friend earlier this week at Cafe Tandoor. It was pretty good. There was much re-telling of funny old stories and laughs. Our waitress seemed super sweet, but a smidge silly.

When we were settling up, Big handed over our credit cards.

Big: "Can you put one third on this card and two thirds on this card?"
Waitress: "So you want half and half?"
Big: "Sigh..."

Big made fun of me (again) over the sting ray comment. **sigh** I know manatees and sting rays are different. I WAS THINKING MANTA RAYS!! haha! That's okay, cuz when the waitress brought our food out she set down a little pot with a candle in it and Big leaned over and peered into it cuz he thought it was one of our dishes and he couldn't believe it was in such a small bowl! heh heh heeh ehhhhe!

Good times.... Good peeps....

WIP

WIP
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

This is a Fimo sculpture (approx 6 in tall) that I'm working on. She's roughly based on a painting of mine...

This is the first "large" fimo thing I've done. It was tougher than I thought it would be. :) I need to do something to fix her skirt, it got a big mashed when I was working on her.

I'll post a final picture when I'm done!

Göoo magazine #4 (detail 1)

Göoo magazine #4 (detail 1)
Originally uploaded by himnôfeda!.

I saw this on flickr. Doesn't it make you go eeeeeeeeeewwww! :)

I'll have some photos of my Halloween craftiness to post soon. My camera was being all goofy and not charging, but I think I've figured it out.

Happy (eeeeeeeeeeuuww) Tuesday!

Magpie @-/------

Birthday Girl

Saturday was my birthday and it was a lovely day... I went to Borders and got the Martha Stewart Halloween magazine and a chai tea. **lovely**

Sat. afternoon we went mt biking and then camped at the lake. Two of my most favorite things! The weather was lovely, the sky was clear and we could see lots of stars. Pooch slept in the tent with us and he was really good. I got up in the night to go to the restroom and he sat up, on high alert. :) Then in the morning when I woke up he must have been getting restless, cuz he slithered over C and started his licking and kicking hi jinks. haha!














This little pretty is a new painting. Maria Quite Serene - 12" x 12" Acrylic

Wednesday

Pan's Labyrinth
Originally uploaded by hjw223.

We watched Pan's Labyrinth last night... I gotta say it was not what I expected. It was not so much a fairy tale, as a war movie with a smidge of fairy tale. I don't know quite what to say about it! There were some very disturbing, violent scenes in it, that I thought were unnecessary and gratuitous. *sigh*

C & I sold my '98 Honda Civic last night. It's fun to have a new (to me) car, but last night I realized, I'll miss the Civic. Goodbye Pebbles.

I'm in the midst of making a wee Halloween tree. I'm having a blast. I'll post pics when I'm done. I'm also redesign the website for my cousin's yoga studio. Hopefully it will all come together nicely. I find web design to be tedious, at least the way I do it. Wish me luck!

C & I, cracking ourselves up

This is a crazy cool drawing my coworker did. It's the monkey version of me!

C and I were having a lively discussion the other night and the end of it went as follows:

C: Your logic's all messed up, Johnny Cochrane.
Magpie: You're a crazy crack head, OJ.

heh hehh hehhheheheheh. :D

Magpie @-/----------

Some more wedding...

Here's a small vignette of our wedding... Not all the important peeps are shown, but that would be a much larger picture. :)

My mom made my beautiful dress and the luminaries were my handiwork.

And a quote for the day:
We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." Carlos Castaneda

Magpie @-/-------

'Coon days

Here's a new little painting of mine... Quite a summery feel to this one, suitable for today. 86 degrees, quite a change after the cool weekend we had. Brrrr, chilly. :)

Magpie @--/---















And a quote for the day: "Things are pretty, graceful, rich, elegant, but until they speak to the imagination, not yet beautiful." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

BFFFFF

Big and I had a meeting of our club, BFFFFF, last night. Here's a picture of Big's doppelganger, Brad Friedel. He looks eerily like Big and for a second I thought this WAS him. Friedel looks especially like him when he has this quizzical look on his face. Heh heh. Bizarre....

Anyway, we met at the Thai Place and shared some good food and laughs.

Apparently in Florida, you can snorkel with manatees which "are just like sting rays." (I WAS THINKING MANTA RAYS!!!)

Big recently spent some times in the Philippines and has some pics of beautiful sunsets cuz he is too lazy to get up and take pretty sunrise pictures (Hmph, lazy!).

He says there are really great beaches there, but some take quite a lot of travel by various means to reach (boat, three wheeled scooter, etc- right Big??). He also mentioned that there's a tasty creation called egg pie (which is made of eggs). heh heh heh.

People often feel like throwing Big in the ocean when he comes back from exotic places like the Philippines and shows off all his great pics. Shoot, sometimes you just wanna throw him in the ocean for no reason really. heh, juuuust kidding Big. Good seeing you last night!

The Lunar Eclipse

The Lunar Eclipse of August 28, 2007
Originally uploaded by jasohill.

C and I got up at 4:30 in the morning night before last to check out the lunar eclipse. Very cool.... The stars were so very bright, it was beautiful. I even saw the chicken leg constellation (remember RR?- haha!).

Magpie @-/-----------

Buffalo National River, Arkansas

Buffalo National River, Arkansas
Originally uploaded by cormack13.

We went canoeing on the Buffalo this weekend. It rained Friday night and Saturday morning, but obligingly stopped right as we were getting to our put in spot. Grazie!

A lovely time was had by all, even though the river was low and we were dragging bottom a fair amount of the time. Ah well, I still heart canoeing!


Hot Fuzz DVD
Originally uploaded by arguablysane.

C and I watched Hot Fuzz last week. I think it's hilarious... LOVED IT! I think Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a hoot. The outtakes made me laugh nearly as much as the movie!

Awesome quotes:

Danny Butterman: By the power of Greyskull!

Danny Butterman: Ever fired your gun in the air and yelled, 'Aaaaaaah?'

Nicholas Angel: Sergeant Butterman, the little hand says it's time to rock and roll!

Danny Butterman: It's not murder, it's ketchup.
Nicholas Angel: He's appointed himself Judge, Jury and Executioner.
Danny Butterman: [agitated and defensive] He is not Judge Judy and Executioner.


Magpie @-/-------

Our Honeymoon...

We went and stayed at a little cabin on a lake. Here's the view from the front porch.


From the porch of the cabin
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

We kayaked, went biking, took a little hike in the woods and walked the Pisgah Marsh Boardwalk.

We went to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. We rode the Maverick, loads of twists and stops and sudden starts and drops. LOVE IT!


Maverick
Originally uploaded by bellzatk.

We rode the Millenium Force. You gotta love the big drops. WHEEEE!


Millenium Force
Originally uploaded by NxExRxDisME.


Millenium Force!!!
Originally uploaded by edyment81.

We saw the movie Stardust, which I thought was quite good. It covered all the bases, charming, adventurous, sweet. It covered all the bases. Robert De Niro was a hoot in it and Michelle Pfeiffer played an excellent witch.


Stardust
Originally uploaded by Kyrion.

We ate pizza from Pizza King. I gotta say, it's delightful. Ummm umm.... Pizza King.


Pizza King Pizza
Originally uploaded by brassfly.

And drank some wine...


Menage a Trois - Lens Baby
Originally uploaded by amjphoto1.

Quite a relaxing time...

It all feels surreal now that I'm back at work, like maybe it was all a dream. A lovely dream.

Mrs.

2007_0815Image0016
Originally uploaded by ajkruser.

So now we are married. :) It is so weird to be introduced as someone's wife! WEIRD. And people keep calling me Mrs. SO WEIRD. I'm sure I'll eventually get used to it. ha!

The wedding turned out nice. I got choked up trying to say my vows and then consequently started laughing trying to get it under control. Then I apologized to the crowd which made them laugh. Everyone said it was sweet. Hopefully it was. I had hoped to be composed and suave, but hey, that's just not really me. :)

Our honeymoon was lovely. Uber relaxing. We just hung out at the cabin on the lake and went to Cedar Point roller coaster park one day. LOADS OF FUN! I loved The Maverick and Millenium Force. We tried to go on the Raptor a couple times but they kept shutting it down everytime it sprinkled and it just didn't work out. Balls.

It's weird being back at work. My friend Matt and I decided that we would like to be professional vacationers. Sweeeeeeeeeeeet.

Thanks for all of the well wishes friends and family. XOXOXO

@-/---------- Magpie

Midori

etsy-midori4
Originally uploaded by sewingstars.

I love this woman's work, she makes the cutest softies. :)

So a week from tomorrow I'll be a married woman. HOW CRAZY!! Wish me luck!!! I wonder how I managed to find such a cool, funny, handsome man... Luck, blind dumb luck. And finally developing a sense of what I actually wanted from a partner.

There were times when I thought I'd never find someone who fit me, got me, made me laugh, and laughed at my jokes. So be patient, ladies and gents... I believe there IS someone for everyone. The right ones are just harder to find than the losers, crazies, etc. And the co-dependents and the jerks. And... just kidding. I'm done. :)

A special thanks to my lovely girlfriends who have listened to me gripe and seen me cry over boys who shouldn't have taken up a minute of my thoughts. Thanks girls, I love you. *Muah*

This week has seemed so long.... I'm a bit emotional and frazzled. Work has been nutty, even though my new assistant is working out famously. Then on top of that I get home and clean house like a mad woman, while trying to tie up loose ends on wedding details. Whew, TGIF!!

But then again, even with the weekdays dragging, I can't believe how this summer has flown. It's August already!! Nutty.

So to all of you out there, happy friday. Have a relaxing lovely weekend.

@--/------ Magpie

Imagine the tropics

Wedding Invitation

Wedding Invitation
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

This is the invite I designed for the wedding using Jason Gaylord's photoshop brushes.

The wedding plans are coming along nicely. C is afraid it's going to get too hectic and we won't be able to enjoy the day. I'm doing my best to plan everything out as well as possible and as simply as possible so that we can enjoy ourselves. Otherwise, what's the point! :)

The prices of wedding bits and pieces are shocking. A cake for $300? ZOINKS! I'm trying to keep the budget low cuz that's just how we roll. I love to bargain hunt and I prefer to find thrifty routes. But I think it'll still be pretty. I'll post pics afterwards!

I had an illustration published in Dirt Rag Magazine. I'm so stoked about it. Check it out here.

We went and saw Poison last night. They rocked the house for old guys. :) Hearing their old hits brought back old memories from my youth. Ratt opened for them. Good times.

Guess what?

C and I are engaged! :)

So much has happened lately. We went to Belize! (I'll post pics later.) And while we were there, C proposed. We're hoping to get married this summer. Man, I had no idea how much planning went into these things. YOWSA! But I'm going to have fun with it. Once I get the big things pinned down at least! :)

Happy Tuesday all!

@;---/---------------

What am I up to these days? Here's a clue...

Messy desk

Messy desk
Originally uploaded by elliottcable.

I love this article. See I have a messy desk because I'm EFFICIENT. :)

click here!

Scuba Diving!

Under Water
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

Well, I successfully completed my diving classwork and poolwork. Now I have to do an open water dive to get certified. I must say, while the classwork was a breeze (never mind my complaining all week about doing homework) and I only missed one on the final, the poolwork was TOUGH.

We started out swimming 4 laps, then treading water 10 minutes, easy-peasy. Then we suited up with the air tanks and other paraphenalia - good grief!! Lots of equipment. And putting a regulator in your mouth and attempting to breathe while going underwater, very freaky at first.

We had to simulate all the different ascents, from normal to complete emergency. It was interesting and tough. I was zonkered at the end of it.

ahhhh scuba. we shall see how i do on the open water dives.

@-/--------------------

Magpie

Cupcake Girl
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

So yesterday I started my homework for my Scuba Diving class this weekend... I'm excited that I'll be certified to dive for C and my's beach trip, but I'm not so excited about a weekend of claaaassss (said with nerdy nasal drawl). **sigh*

But I have been getting a ton done lately, I've got peas, forget me nots, alyssum, tea roses and many other lovelies starting to sprout in various places at the house. My mom gave me some starts of different plants (coneflower, lamb's ear, etc.). So barring any incidents (ie. forgetting to water them for weeks) they should be lovely this summer.

I finished my illustration for Dirt Rag, but I don't know if it will get published or not. Once it does (or I find out it won't) I'll post it. :)

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Magpie @-/-------------

Biking fun!

Track stand slammin' a Dew
Originally uploaded by Fixpert !.

This isn't me, unfortunately I do not have this kinda balance... But it makes me think it's time to get serious and get busy biking!! C and I have done some casual rides at the lake, but I need to get out on my mountain bike and hit the trails hard to get in shape for the summer. :)

My body will get in better shape, but if previous years are any evidence my legs will suffer. I do tend to take some big spills (more since I switched to clipless pedals than in the past) and it shows in the damage to my legs. Ah well, I'm proud of my wounds!! Shows I'm not a couch monkey. (no offense intended to any couch monkeys reading this blog while sitting on their couch eating potato chips).

My condolences to those who lost family and/or friends in the Virginia Tech shooting. What a sad story. It makes me wonder how a person gets so angry, so lost that they can commit such a heinous act. Very sad.

Hooray!

rabbit
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

I'm doing an illustration for Dirt Rag magazine!! I'm so excited. :) I started on it last night... You'll just have to wait to see the finished project though... tee hee

Magpie @-/-------------

Yuma

Yuma
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

This is a painting I just finished last night and I'm so in love with it!! Silly I know, but that's just how I roll. :)

Hope everyone has a Happy Easter...

@--/-------------

Cake...

Look at all those layers
Originally uploaded by S. Janelle.

Yesterday C and I went to K and N's house because it was N's birthday. Happy Birthday N! :)

K bought a lovely large layered cake (not actually pictured here, this is just a stand in cake) and doled out ENORMOUS slices. I'm not sure the last time I injested that much sugar in so little time. My heart started racing and my palms got sweaty so I left the last little bit on my plate, otherwise I'd have had to lay on the floor and do some deep breathing or something.

Much fun was had... N got a lovely ring from her husband and other assorted presents. I gave her a cd - Zero 7 - When It Falls and her husband mocked it. Ah well, not everyone knows great music when they hear it. heh heh heh... ha!

Nothing else to report... Except maybe that I'm feeling blech and crotchety today. I don't know what my malfunction is. Grrr and argh. This is one of those days when I want to get up, walk out of work and just see what else is out there for me. I'm a bit sick of the norm, sick of the BS and sick. ah well, it's almost five at which point I'll go home and get a big hug from C. **sigh**

Blackbird

 
Red-winged Blackbird.

I saw one of these beauties on my way to work today. I turned a corner and there he sat on a bush, pretty as you please. You just gotta love spring.

The weekend was fun, but flew by as usual. Friday night we went go-cart racing with a bunch of peeps. CRAZY! These little carts can go up to 40 or so mph. Doesn't sound too fast, but when you are very low on the ground zipping around a track, it feels pretty darn fast! I averaged 31 mph. Hubs and J* averaged 39 mph! They passed me a few times. I tried to keep up with them once after they passed, but just couldn't do it.

Saturday morning I took my mtn bike to the shop. The gears are slipping and no one can seem to adjust it right. Hopefully I'll get it back and it'll be good to go for the summer. Last summer a friend replaced my cables, chain, rear derailluer and rear cassette...

K brought his Jeep over and Hubs and J helped him replace the brakes. J started cutting and welding to make the cab of his dune buggy taller so he doesn't hit his head on the roll bar. D Jr. spent some time regaling me with Ninja Turtles tales, while I dug some in my new garden plot and pulled weeds (or wild onions?) out of the bed behind the house.. He's a hoot that kid. :)

Saturday night Hubs and I watched From Beijing with Love a Stephen Chow parody of the James Bond movies. It was pretty funny, at least partly because it was translated so badly. At times I wasn't quite sure what they were talking about. Favorite line: "Chai, it's a sh*t".

Sunday I dug more in my garden (YEESH! It's full of root-bound grass and tough to dig. I can only dig a few feet wide swath at a time.) and planted some peas. Hubs worked on the orange truck, fixed the blinker, etc. He's so good at working on cars. He says it's been a lot of trial and error, whatever, he's good.

We took a picnic lunch to Smithville Lake and went for a ride. We stopped a ways along at a shelter and ate. It was so windy that it was cold, whereas on the trail it was pretty warm. Ahhh spring. Pooch ran his little heart out and was dragging at the end of the ride. You could tell he was hot because he ran out into the lake a couple times and laid down in one mud puddle. haha! He loves to go out there, you can tell by the way he sprints around.

We got back, took a nap and then went back to work. Hubs fixed the rear axle on his truck and I planted Forget Me Nots beside the front porch. I hope they come up, it should be pretty.

And that my friends, is our busy busy weekend... I'm worn out today and my shoulders hurt from cart racing and digging. :)

Easter is coming!

brunch
Originally uploaded by twittering bird.

Look at this adorable piece done by Twittering Bird. :) It just slays me how cute and funny it is!

This weekend, M and I had breakfast at YJ's. YUM! Gotta love the American Breakfast. Much laughter and chatting was done. We need to have an art night soon!! I need some inspiration.

In other news... Went to a girlfriend's salon (Satorum) grand opening event Tuesday, an astrology presentation by Quan. He was quite good, P and I thought. He pegged us both and seemed to peg other people in the audience as well! Ha! He told her she really liked thunderstorms and she YES! I love them. WEIRD. He said to me, you probably think you're the smartest person in the room or at least on the short list. I hadn't really!!! But then I was blushing like a maniac hoping no one in the room thought I was THAT conceited. haha!

He got it out of me that I was dating a guy a lot like my older brother (although he's even more like my dad) and told me that I am in the right place. I thought I was on the right track, good to have the Quan stamp of approval. :D

Last night we had a happy hour for L's b-day. Had lots of laughs over work and whatnot and some mojitos (YUM!) at the up-north Tomfooleries. Good times... Good times...

Spring has sprung

Happy spring all! Isn't this a cute picture of little Pooch? He's such a honey and quite a goofball.

Last night I went out to dinner at Lulu's with my FFFFFF co-member BL. We had a blast as usual. We established that I'm going to Belize in May and he's going to the Philippines, world travelers we two. :) I'm quite excited about going to the beach and perhaps scuba diving. My cousin told me you can go cave tubing there, NICE!!

We reminisced about our trip to Korma Sutra. I didn't blog about this before, but there was this pretty older lady at the table next to ours and as we were getting ready to leave a waiter came up to refill her water and she says, oh hello, how are your English lessons? He says, HUH? she says, how are your English lessons coming, i know you from the English as a Second Language classes? He says HUH? This continues on as we gather our things and leave the restaurant before we burst. My guess is that they are not going well. :) I shouldn't joke, I think HUH is a big part of my vocab too, but the context cracked me up.

We had big laughs over our new idea, the BRAG keyboard... This is a keyboard for the people who tend to brag ALOT. There will be keys with whole phrases, such as: I'm awesome!, I'm sexy! , You're never going to believe this!, Don't you wish you were me? ByE!. haha! This came about because I was imitating someone typing a bragging email and then BL says, your keyboard must be different than mine cuz your's seems to have a byE! key on it and I have to type with ten fingers while you use two (apparently i pretend type with two fingers and at the end sign off with a punch to the byE! key.) haha!

But alas, life is not all cherries. I've got the winter blahs...  But this too shall pass because spring has SPRUNG!

Being a good friend, to yourself

Clouds
Originally uploaded by Cryptia.

Taken from here (kind of a 12 step site, but still pertains!!)

Get motivated! It simply means taking the initiative and getting into rigorous action of working on one's self improvement - daily.

Try and turn those bad habits into good habits! Pick one habit at a time and work on that for as long as it takes before moving on to the next one. Remember, take it one day at a time (have you heard that before?) and acknowledge your progress. Mark your growth in a personal journal or share your experiences with other people.

Love yourself! Regardless of every other relationship in your life you spend 100% of your time with... you! If you can't create that a functional, stable relationship then you will undoubtable have trouble living the quality of life you desire to. Become your #1 fan and enjoy spending time with yourself. Take time out to be a good friend to yourself.

Take the time! Take time out of your busy life to observe. There's a lot to miss when you don't use the entire spectrum of your sight around you.

Gratitude! It's difficult sometimes during the bad days or the sad moments to remember why we are happy to have the lives we do.

Start your day over! It doesn't matter if it's 8:00 in the morning or 9:00 at night. We have the power to turn our days and wills over at any point during the day. Waking up on the proverbial wrong side of the bed used to affect our entire days because we let it. Stop, take a deep breath and rework your thoughts, turn your anxiety, anger or sadness over to your higher power and start the day over.

These are some ways of the many I have learned in helping myself be a better friend to myself. It's no secret that we are our worst critics and the more we slow down and learn to love ourselves with the care and compassion that we show other people the better off our quality of life will be. There is nothing selfish or self-serving in taking care of our minds and bodies, of realizing the time when we need to be alone or be with others. The more we work on ourselves the more the rest of the people, places and things in our lives will fall into place around us with ease.

Good friends...

Snuggle Buddies
Originally uploaded by Magpie Skinny.

The years since college have zoomed past. I find myself chilling out more, partying like a rock star less... And equipped with a better sense of who I am, what I want out of life and what I want out of relationships in my life.

Because of this I've started questioning a couple friendships. Are they worth the time and effort, if I'm feeling blah about the relationships. So I went online and found this little gem of info (here- directed at college students, but I think it holds true with relationships in general):

What is a healthy relationship? Generally, a healthy relationship is one that is respectful and caring. Jean Miller Baker, author of "A New Women's Psychology," says that healthy relationships empower all people involved in them. She defines "Five Good Things" that identify a healthy relationship. Simply put, they are:

1. A sense of zest or well-being that comes from connecting with another person. For instance, you may leave time spent with this person feeling energized at times and quietly content at other times.

2. The desire and energy to take action within the relationship as well as in other situations. For example, you may want to clear up a problem in the relationship. When involved in healthy relationships you also enjoy being involved and active in your life.

3. An increased sense of knowing yourself and the other person. In a healthy relationship you will, with time, find yourself more confident of who you are, and also know the other person better.

4. An increased sense of worth or feeling good about who you are. Again, as you are around people who are caring and respectful, you develop a gentleness about yourself and know that you are valuable and good. The more that you’re around healthy relationships, the more this feeling will grow.

5. A desire for more connections beyond the present ones.

I'm not sure that these relationships I'm questioning fit these 5 things. Unfortunately they leave me feeling:

1. A sense of being unheard and boring.
2. An increased desire to take a break from the person.
3. The knowledge that if something is going really well for me I should keep it to myself or the other person will get jealous and shut down on me for a while.
4. Feeling I know every last bit about the other person and they know nothing about me.
5. Feeling emotionally drained, like I've been swimming, towing a deadweight for hours.

I know I can be a bit sensitive. But despite trying to stick it out and not be so sensitive, I'm still left feeling blech about the relationships. Sure, occassionally we have a great time, but not as often as I'd like. Are these people toxic friends?

I found this article about Toxic Friendships and it says: “You want the right amount of reciprocity of affection and assistance in a friendship,” says Isaacs. “So if you’ve got a friend who is always in need, always in trouble, always wants to talk about her problems, then there isn’t any reciprocity if there isn’t any room for you in the friendship. It doesn’t have to be 50-50 every minute, but overall there should be some kind of balance in which you feel you are getting your needs met, and so is she.”

hmm... Any advice out there? Lay it on me. :)

@--/------- Magpie