Zazazu

Thankfully, today is the end of NaBLOPoMo.  I’ve not made it any secret that I’ve not been crazy about the exercise and I’m ecstatic that it is finally OVER!  To be honest, I think I’ve revealed to much about me and I’ve not really censored enough of what I’ve posted (especially on the memes).  Many of you probably have a totally other view of me now and that is okay.  Some of you are probably just out there nodding your heads thinking, “Well, at least she was honest.”

At any rate, now that this fiasco is over, I plan for this blog to lie dormant for quite a while.  I will post every so often with crafts that I’ve done as I love sharing those but, otherwise, I’m ready for a break and for a break from the criticism that I get about this blog.

I do have a very cool collage that I’m working on right now that I can’t wait to share but I want the recipient to get it first before I post a picture of it here.   So, look for that in the near future.

Otherwise, for now…

::: Many or most of you have my email address.  Feel free to email me anytime!  I check it frequently.  For those of you who might want to contact me or be in touch and don’t have my email, use the CONTACT button at the top of the blog page and send me an email.  I’ll reply! xo… :::

“‘Well, what I like best…’”, and then he had to stop and think. Because although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was even better than when you were, but he didn’t know what that that was called”.

I was tagged again by the lovely Stacie at Nomadic Creations. This is a pretty neat meme so I want to do it but I won’t be tagging anyone else. If you want to do it, go for it.

8 Passions in my life….

1. Delali

2. Creating art (collage, photography, cards, mail art and hopefully sewing soon)

3. Yoga

4. My family

5. Making things aesthetically beautiful

6. Being kind and doing good for animals

7. Cultural experiences

8. Learning

8 Things to do before I die

1. Live in NYC, if only for a short time

2. Live in France, if only for a short time

3. Re-decorate my Mother’s house for her

4. Get my yoga teacher certification

5. Own my own house

6. Become the person I aspire to be

7. Kill my Internet addiction

8. Go antique shopping in Paris

8 Things I often say…

1. Yeah.

2. Sh*t

3. Crap

4. Blasted

5. You know?

6. I’m probably not making any sense.

7. Jacka$$

8. Woe to me

8 Books I have read recently…

1. Sadly, I’ve not read much lately… the ones I have read in the past few months…

2. The Budget Fashionista

3. The Other Boleyn Girl

4. The Prophet

5. Eat Pray Love

6. Books that I do plan to read soon…

7. Hip Tranquil Chick

8. Every Frenchman Has One

8 Songs that mean something to me

1. Variations on the Canon by George Winston

2. Angel by Aerosmith

3. Kind of Blue by Miles Davis (the whole album)

4. Bohemian Rhapsody

5. You Are My Sunshine

6. Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden

7. Chances Are

8. Lightning Crashes by Live

8 Qualities I look for in a friend…

1. A great sense of humor

2. Tell me like it is

3. Honest

4. Good listener but knows what I mean without my saying it

5. Good conversation

6. Comfortable silences

7. Open to fun, fun, fun

8. Available 24 / 7

What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner. ~ Colette

I’ve been tagged by the lovely and talented Melissa of Just Me. The game is to name six random things about myself and then tag six others. Very out of character for me, I do plan to tag six others because many people that I know are needing ideas for the last couple of days of NaBloPoMo. So, this is my gift to you. And, just to keep up with Melissa, I’m posting some pictures along with my six items of interest as well. Here goes:

No. 1 … This is my favorite tree on the whole property. I think this tree is the perfect shape, height and overhangs on the yard just amazingly. Of course, being a fallish girl, I like it when it turns the beautiful hues of fall the best but I really do like it all the time.

No. 2 … For some odd reason, even though they are the epitome of messiness, I love my bookshelves. They represent the very odd, eclectic, cluttered-yet-spirited side of me. I like them just as they are.

::: The cool “KBM” initials were a swap gift. :::

No. 3 … These are my two favorite people right now – Mr. and Mrs. Rice Farmer.

No. 4 … I get UBER-COOL swap packages. It almost makes me wonder why I’m getting OUT of swapping. Check out these neato things…

::: And this is only a sampling of the cool things I’ve gotten!!! :::

::: NOEL garland was a swap gift too… can you spot it? :::

No. 5 … My favorite Christmas decoration of all is a large ceramic Santa that I got once at Big Lots for 7$. I almost didn’t buy it but I did and have loved it so much ever since.

No. 6 … As if you couldn’t tell from all these pictures, I love the Eiffel Tower and all things associated with it. I’m a bonafide Francophile! I aspire to someday have a Christmas tree decorated only with Eiffel Tower ornaments, although I’ve found that they are somewhat hard to come by. Le malheur à moi…

So, while not very interesting at all, there are a few things that you might not have previously known. Now, onto the tagging. I bestow the honor onto Colette, Kristen, Leah, Rebecca, Polly, and Kelly.

Have at it girls!

Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don’t unravel. ~ Author Unknown

Okay, I have five more days of NaBloPoMo.

To be honest, I’m ready for those days to be up.

This has been an exercise in discipline, which is a lesson that I needed. But, there have been definite downsides too.

Firstly, and the main reason, I’ve gotten way less comments than when I post just a couple of times each week.

Secondly, my posts have gotten sloppy, silly, stupid, rambly. In the past, they have been thoughtful and at least somewhat composed and that is what I want this blog to reflect.

Thirdly, I really don’t have things to say out loud everyday; everyday is what my written journal is for.

Fourthly, I feel the need to go around and comment on so many blogs if I feel any justification whatsoever in hoping for comments on my own blog. This takes SO much time and I’ve pretty much put it on a back burner. I really want to do other things on a daily basis and visit blogs only from time to time, not comment on each and every post.

Fifthly, when it comes down to my thinking… “Oh, I have to post another dang NaBloPoMo post…” that probably isn’t good. You think? I think.

So, after these next five days, this blog will become significantly less active on my end. It isn’t that I don’t love to blog but unless I have something to say to you all – not to my journal – I won’t be posting. I won’t inundate you all with my daily mindless ramble. I would, after all, like to keep you as friends.

Enough of that…

Today I was in town a good bit with Mom. We went to the Post Office, Salvation Army (where I scored some SUPER-COOL things!), Kirkland’s Home, Cato’s (where I scored a SUPER-CUTE blue babydoll turtleneck!), Lowe’s and the Dollar Tree. We did all of this in the very cold rain. Brrrrrrrrrrr… It was good to get some things done though. Since then, I’ve been home doing some more crafting, making some garland and such. More fun! Wahoo!

Just to let you all know, I only have one more MyPoints referral for the month so if anyone wants in so that you can use it for your holiday shopping, let me know and I’ll send it your way!

I had another creative day today, creating more things for swaps. I’m getting caught up. Hooray!

Front

Back

More collage… my favorite medium! These are Christmas package tags, made with vintage poker score cards – that are glittery! – and cool salvaged papers.  I’m happy with how they turned out.

This is a little naturistic holiday arrangement that I did with a couple of dried floral pods and, as you can see, some bells. I used the vintage text paper again and an adorable little vintage glass bottle. Cute!

It is definitely beginning to feel like Christmas around here! It was rainy and cold today (never snows here), I made a nice, big pot of wassail (a lovely Southern cider), and I’m currently watching Elf (I love Will Ferrell).

Don’t forget Cyber Monday tomorrow!  Lots of deals and free shipping around the Net for Christmas shopping done tomorrow.  If you are shopping online tomorrow, don’t forget to shop through your MyPoints account.  I got something on Overstock the other day and got 24,000 points for it which I can redeem later for Starbucks, Target, REI, etc. gift cards.  You can get TONS of gift cards with your points.  Neato!  I’m using the points I’ve gotten to get some MORE Christmas gifts (cards) for others.  It is a win-win.  Love it!   (If you need a referral, let me know!  It is totally free!)

It IS beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Shall I start to sing now…?

Today has been good.

I’m back home from my sister’s now and got to sleep late after a hectic – but very fun – Thanksgiving. I then had my coffee an piddled around, one of my favorite things to do. Then I got into some crafting! I had some things to work on for a couple of swaps that I’m in. I have a few to finish up and then I’m done, meaning that I’m not going to get into any more. I’m swapped out. Although they are and have been fun, they take a lot of time and money and are a gamble for a return. So, best that I call an end to it.

In the meantime, here are a couple of things I made today for swaps to send out:

This is a piece I made called “Wordy Girl” for a Mail Art swap with the theme word TEXT. This collage piece has been made from cool salvaged papers, scrapbooking adhesive letters and a silhouette that I made from an old novel page. I sewed along the edges and through the word line and cut around the whole piece with pinking shears. I thought it looked fairly cool.

This is a button wreath door hanger that I made for one of two ornament swaps that I’m in. I got these super-cool white vintage buttons from JustPickedVintage. I added two gold bells and a gold ribbon and TA-DA! I think it is pretty darn cute.

It was fun being all creative today. Hope all of you have had a good day too!

I’ve had two Thanksgiving celebrations which means two HUGE meals in two days which means that I feel positively like the Goodyear Blimp. What’s worse is that I am pretty darn sure that I look like it too.

And I have to keep reminding myself that I’m only HALF through the holidays! I feel like I should make resolutions NOW to lose weight, drink more water, exercise more, etc. etc. etc., like we all do in January (or most of us anyway).  I guess I could go ahead and make those resolutions now but the hope of sweet potato pie calls my name.

Ugh… this is NOT going to be good.

(But the cornbread dressing sure was good… )

Things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving season – 2oo7:

• My wonderful and supportive and entertaining family
• My beautiful and coquettish and warm and snuggly baby kitty-cat
• Wonderful firsthand cultural experiences
• Plenty of food to eat and a roof over my head
• Beautiful packages already wrapped up
• The promise of a new year coming up soon
• New and exciting experiences – things to do
• Thinking ahead
• Crafts to make and packages to send
• Hobby Lobby and Ross!!!
• Email
• Snail Mail – especially packages!
• Grey’s Anatomy
• Fall colored leaves and multi-colored mountains
• Christmas jazz music
• Bath & Body Works at holiday time
• Learning new and cool German words and phrases
• Starbucks holiday drinks
• Choices
• Wish lists
• Bringing Christmas decorations down from the attic – re-discovering them again
• Successful yard sales
• The first really cold night
• Gratitude journals
• Resolutions – are you already thinking about yours?
• Good books that I read to the end
• Long naps
• Longer naps
• Christmas lights – especially the white ones
• Poinsettas and paperwhites
• Time spent at the beach
• Shoes – especially classic stiletto pumps
• That first cup of strong coffee every morning
• Yoga
• Handmade gifts and homemade goodies
• Peanut butter
• Sisters, brothers, nephews, best friends
• Sunrises and sunsets
• The words “I love you” – given and received
• Toilet paper
• Thanksgiving dinner

That I have enough to be thankful for to make a list this long… I am truly blessed… By each of you as well.