Host of Sparrows

To Summarize

2009-12-24T10:05:00.002-05:00

A Quick Summary of what's happened since I last left off:

Summer:

at the annual antique fair

at the lake house

Fall:

on the apple farm

on my birthday mini vacation

with my new birthday camera

baking pies

in the sewing room

In wedding news we have a date and a place and a caterer and a baker and a photographer and the flowers are in order and I have a dress and he has his suit and it's all going smoothly and beautifully and happily!

It's winter now and adam is setting up a teeny tiny super computer that he says he'll let me use sometimes to upload pictures with! YAY! Flickr joy again!! No more trickling stream of photos for me! I can show you all my ginormous amount of pictures from my new camera!!! You are going to get so sick of all the uploading! So take a deep breath, enjoy the holidays, and I'll bombard you all in the new year :)

Where I Have Been

2009-08-06T17:21:00.000-04:00

Properly Pimped, originally uploaded by sparrow'.

I got discouraged. After being on such an incredible high of wedding planning and posting here about my bridal thoughts and wedding wishes, I was brought down quite quickly by a response to my plans and until now haven't had much courage to post again. Adam & I have a wedding website now (thanks to him! :) and if you'd like the site address please pop me an email or flickr mail! I haven't decided yet how much more I'll post here about the wedding. Still figuring that one out.

In other news...

while I was offline adam finished pimping my car!!! It's so fast now with the spoiler and the mudguards and the Make magazine license plate frame and all the cuteness he splashed all over it. This is not to mention the new tailpipe he installed which makes me sound badass in such an adorable way! I suppose if you had to combine them into an adjective, the adorable would cancel out the ass and the bad would alter the adorable, making it very "cutebum", if you will. I have more pictures of the nitty gritty details for anyone remotely interested in:
a. vehicles
b. moving objects
c. shiny things
d. my pictures

Plans

2009-05-21T15:25:00.005-04:00

Mini Cake in a Cup, originally uploaded by sparrow'.

Original plan:

bake a cake to simulate the wedding cake in your head

Altered plan:

bake miniature muffins thanks to a brand new mini muffin tin from adam and polka dotted mini muffin cups thanks to martha because it was morning time and muffins are good in the morning and it was adam's idea and i liked it

Additional plan executed after the altered plan:

bake miniature cupcakes for mother's day, as the next day is mother's day, that sorta but not really resemble the wedding cake/cupcakes in your head, only in that they also:

have white frosting

are sweet

are edible

and some of them even:

have sanding sugar which is the crux of the whole cake in the head thing

Summary:

neither the cupcake or the muffins are actual representations of the wedding (cup)cake in my head. neither is the birthday cake I made adam which had the star trek thingie on it. that doesn't look like the cake in my head either (except for the applicable aforementioned reasons of course)

Therefore:

I will do more baking. and photographing.

Another Thought on Invites...

2009-05-13T15:17:00.003-04:00

Outgoing, originally uploaded by sparrow'.

Ok actually the same thought with an addendum...

On friday we get to celebrate adam's birthday together, the first actually together. Last year on May 17th, two days after his actual birthday, a mutual friend brought me to his belated birthday party. We met and fell right in love, in the early evening, on a porch, in the spring.

It looks like at about a year into our relationship, we're about a year away from tying the knot which gives me plenty of time to make sure everything is just so & just right with plenty of time to breath between each decision.

However, with thoughts of printing our own invites and save the dates and rsvps and thank yous and monogrammed lavatory paper for the reception's powder rooms (this is going too far - I'm kidding on this one - seriously adam do not get any funny ideas!) I don't think it's too far ahead to be thinking design, format & layout and we can simply plop the date into the design as soon as it becomes clear. i'm waiting for some sort of epiphany in dream form on this one - is that a bad idea girls? should a more formal approach be taken? coin toss? ancient runes? lottery? blog giveaway? make adam decide? sunday june 6th? stop being silly and figure out where to have it and if they'll let you book it that day first?

* please note, as always, with each flickr mosaic I post, you can find a list of links crediting every lovely individual picture and the flickr page of each individual artist (or recipient as the case may be) by clicking the mosaic *

Thoughts on Photos...

2009-05-07T13:10:00.005-04:00

Thoughts on Engagement Photos..., originally uploaded by sparrow'.

I'm thinking in the next month or so the girl and boy sparrow need to pick out a bunch of fun clothes and have a couple of people follow us around different places with cameras capturing all the happiness that is our love for each other since the holding the camera out as far as our arms will reach (his reach much further than mine) or trying to angle the camera just right at the mirror captures only a certain angle of that love that is all encompassing.

* please note, as always, with each flickr mosaic I post, you can find a list of links crediting every lovely individual picture and the flickr page of each individual artist (or recipient as the case may be) by clicking the mosaic *

Thoughts on Bridesmaids...

2009-05-05T12:07:00.003-04:00

Thoughts on Bridesmaids..., originally uploaded by sparrow'.

After talking to my Maid of Honor (my older sister who has already been thru all of this already both as a bridesmaid several times and a bride just the once) last night by phone I feel a lot better about liking the dresses I do from J Crew. I like the cotton candy line of colors a little better, but if the girls like the other cuts I think all of the colors blend really well and I just want them to be happy and comfortable and have a dress that hopefully they might want to wear again some time.

As I was going to sleep last night I was reading the last article in the knot magazine, a one page piece by a girl who wants her sister, the bride to just make up her mind and tell everyone what she wants instead of being so nice all the time and letting everyone tell her what they want. The bride had told her that the girls could pick out whatever they wanted, but she actually knew the exact brown tea length dresses she wanted to have at her wedding. The sister finally broke the bride down and made her say what she really wanted and everything was then good in the world, so I decided to take a page from the knot and put together an idea of exactly what I wanted and see if then everything would be good in the world (I do however still see the scads of files on my desk, so not everything has corrected itself quite yet...maybe there's some sort of time lapse thing with this or maybe it happens after i upload the post to the blog...)

Preoccupied

2009-05-04T13:27:00.003-04:00

Picture of Happiness, originally uploaded by sparrow'.

A little bit ago my friend over at three kitchen fairies tagged me to list my top five addictions

photography - i love seeing beautiful things over again. i'd like to put this one to better use some day and capture other people's beautiful moments for them, too.

printing - this is an odd one, it's more of an anticipation of an addiction. i was exposed to a printshop at an early age and then again to another independant printer a bit later in life and have had the urge to print ever since. now that i'm old enough to own and operate a press of my own i have a desire to find one and figure it out for myself (with adam's mechanical aptitude to guide me) and make many beautiful letterpressed creations. until then i use freezer paper and my gocco and will soon be brave enough to attempt the screenprinting kit adam got me for christmas.

antiques - i love sharing the love of objects already loved for a long time. i still dream of a shop with my mother to share our love of antiques and letterpress and quilts and art with others (and get a sneak peak feature on design*sponge, this is the silly part of the dream, but i still dream it and keep the apartment nice just in case)

wedding planning / adam - this is often where trains of thought stop these days. i'm a bit preoccupied lately as you can tell by my recent string of posts. i could try and drum up another but honestly i would get sidetracked and end up thinking about dresses and favors and guestlists before i was able to compose much so i'll leave my list at this and pass along the tag to list addictions to anyone who can actually list 5 in a row without getting consumed by addiction # 4 before they're done...

Thoughts on Sweets...

2009-05-02T20:12:00.006-04:00

Thoughts on Dessert..., originally uploaded by sparrow'.

Just having finished dessert made by my future mother-in-law for my future sister-in-law's birthday celebration I apparently am still thinking about sugar. A small cake for the wedding party and the parents of the couple surrounded by table full of cupcakes for the guests is my thought. I'm seeing a white or light colored simple cake with sanding sugar. I think I might make one soon so I can get the picture out of my head and into my flickr (and perhaps a bit of the taste into my mouth)

Preliminary favor plans are food based. Sweet to be specific. We were thinking customized m&m's in our colors but I think macaroons could be super nice as well. This is still quite preliminary. Well it all is. But it's fun to start planning in any case.

Thoughts on Flowers...

2009-05-01T15:32:00.004-04:00

Thoughts on Flowers...., originally uploaded by sparrow'.

I've always liked bouquets with just a single flower variety in them and have thought about ranunculous for a while (and not just because the name is so amusing) but depending on when we set the date they may not be so available. I also like hydrangeas and calla lilies and peonies (but I fear the trail of ants marching into my dress from a bouquet of those - any of you with peony bushes know the risk taken by bringing the ant hills on a stem inside to put in a vase)

Thoughts on Color...

2009-04-30T13:50:00.003-04:00

Thoughts on Color..., originally uploaded by sparrow'.

So many thoughts and decisions are swirling around. Step one in Real Simple Weddings (a must for engaged girls and yet to be engaged girls - afterall adam did tell me I could have bought the wedding magazines 11 months ago on first impulse - but instead I waited and he got them for me) is to start a wedding binder. I'm told some girls have these started years in advance. I actually witnessed one of these back in high school and thought it a little silly - but to be fair she did get married years before me and it went off with the actual hitch - so it seemed to have worked for her. So apparently, it's time for mine. I have a couple things jotted in a moleskine but perhaps tonight is the night to make plans look a bit more official...

Sparklie

2009-04-22T10:46:00.001-04:00

At Last, originally uploaded by sparrow'.

Shortly after the ring was slipped onto one hand, my trusty kodak was tucked into the other and I ran into the bathroom where adam's brand new orange sweater was hanging ready and waiting to be the backdrop for a just became engaged photoshoot. It wasn't until i was uploading them a day later, seeing the ridiculous number of shots i took, that he realized why i was in the bathroom for so darned long after just being delivered the happiest news of my life.

Rather than working I'd like to be planning and prepping for our engagement dinner party for our parents this weekend. finally! the funeral home's first dinner party!! we originally planned it for last sunday until my landlord called to tell me there would be a body downstairs at the same time. a body and some mourners. very unappetizing if you ask me, and probably a tad bit impolite what with the whopping and happiness upstairs, engagement joy and all, while the mood is a bit more somber down below.

New Sunday Stash!!!

2009-04-22T10:36:00.000-04:00

Yay for Me!! New Sunday Stash!!!, originally uploaded by sparrow'.

I totally forgot to post this to the blog until adam reminded me that I said I was totally going to post a sunday stash post! (the joys of a fiance - he was actually completely joyful already as a boyfriend - i just thoroughly enjoy saying fiance)

Some of my new fabric from Sew Mama Sew!! And tax season is over! So I can sew again! And I'm engaged!! so I feel bursts of creative inspiration left and right and I feel like running home right now and sewing up an enormous "I'm the Happiest Darn Girl in the Whole Wide World" pillow!!!! (though it would be more fitting with the darn and all to knit it I suppose...)

One After Another

2009-03-03T15:47:00.002-05:00

Seriously, originally uploaded by sparrow'.

Hopefully.

Making this robot mini quilt for adam for valentine's day has got me aching to get back into the art room and use it more. This could be why when taking a blip of a break from work, Kristen's 10% off email coupon for Sew Mama Sew led me to get a stash infusion (justified by the fact that a few cuts are to be presents) By the time i get it all in the mail and busy season is over (only 6 more weeks! yip-whadippin-ee) I can sequester myself for a couple days and nights (you guys can visit me if you want, just good luck prying me out of the art room chair!) Who even knows, from Sew Mama Sew I linked over to pinkpetunias and entered in her japanese sofite book giveaway - maybe i'll even win and then i'll have all the more reason to create! :)

(not actually suffering under this delusion since you've all now clicked out of host of sparrows on over there and commented too. add to that the fact that my giveaway to winning ratio is dismal and i think that equals bookless but I just thought I'd throw it in there as an extra affirmation to boost my odds)

I think i'll go to sleep dreaming of quilting tonight (after i get to see mom & dad first! yay!)

(random aside: i'm in a surprisingly awake and giddy mood considering i'm still doped up from the dreaded tooth removal which has been making me feel slightly hibernateish for well over a week. At this time last week, i was fearing that they'd accidentally got my jaw too!)

(thought as to the random aside: i just got an email from adam so i think that explains the giddy thing)

(another randomly aside thought: i totally warned you guys about the giddy in love thing affecting my bloggings from that point back then on,

so,

yeah.)

An Open Letter

2009-02-04T09:30:00.000-05:00

Bottle in Question, originally uploaded by sparrow'.

What follows is an open letter to adam, much like that written recently by the bush girls to the obama girls:

i turned on my light when we were on the phone and didn't even go back to sleep because you told me not to baby. i got up and came in over an hour ago and promptly spilled my cranergy all over myself. as in allll over myself. i was talking to carol when i shook it up initially and unscrewed the cap. i then left the room and came back in and sat down and shook it up again which resulted in cranergy coverage in the entirety of my body. i quickly ran to the bathroom and found the last shout wipe hidden in the medicine cabinet (julie's going to kill me when she spills coffee on herself this morning, as she does most mornings) when i felt i had attacked every stray droplet of red juice on my person i returned from the bathroom only to sit in a cranergy sodden office chair. the fabric of the khakiesque slacks i'm wearing reacts in such a way that it bulges in a grotesque fashion when in contact with moisture. therefore every large patch of cranergy and/or shout wipe soaked pant material had become a wrinkly balloon protruding from my thighs. I wore three tops today (a tank top, a button up, and a cardigan) none of which can the bejeepers be stretched out of to make them long enough to cover the worst of the offensive marks on my legs. I had administered the wipe to a rather large stain on my shirt where my cardigan had been left open so as to provide a window of opportunity for the initial splash to do the greatest damage possible. once the shout dried and the cardigan was removed, so as to perhaps wrap around my waist ala prep girl 1992, the trail of stains running down the length of my green and white striped button up, which had defied physical and transportational logic in traversing up and around and down into my clothing, was revealed and my screams of shock and horror were choked back out of respect for my co-workers.

i'm trying now to wake up for real.

I love you. like always.

<3 a

There you have it. Perhaps more of a cautionary tale centered around current events than that of the bush twins, I felt the need to share it nevertheless.

Kind of Rock

2009-01-22T16:27:00.003-05:00

Rock Out Shirt, originally uploaded by sparrow'.

The facts that:

i finally uploaded to flickr

i got to sneak a peak at some of your pictures

i got to talk to my sister two days in a row

i get to see adam in a little while

i got to hang out with mom and dad the other night and talked to my brother even

adam and i totally made this shirt (ok so not totally - we re-purposed it)

i got to work early this morning

i hope to do so tomorrow too

i finally went to kickboxing last night

even though my legs feel jelly like going down the stairs by next thursday they'll probably feel all superwoman like from two more bouts in the karate studio

i like the word jam but i like the concept of juice better

i'm wearing a dress today so i feel like a girl

i went to jcpenney today

i didn't really but i just made adam laugh by saying that i did

i just hung up on an automated calling telemarketing thingie

i can't stop replacing words with the word thingie

adam and i might get the new coconut records cd tonight

and

ok so this kind of doesn't rock

i totally have more work to do.

Robot Stash Even!

2008-12-04T09:44:00.002-05:00

I still haven't determined whether by posting mid-week I'm delightfully early or regrettably tardy on my Sunday Stash postings but here's this week's anyway for good measure in either direction - the most darling japanese prints sent to me by Melissa (chmihen) in our fabric and chocolate swap.

The hedgehog print has already crawled it's way onto the back of a late night mini quilt. I'm thinking of starting a series of these. I can't quite yet as I only technically have one at the moment which hardly constitutes a series. But after several more episodes of choosing sewing over sleeping I'll get back to you with a mini gallery of sleep deprived stitches.

You Know What I'm Going to Say

2008-11-04T13:20:00.001-05:00

Shining, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

vote

but you guessed that, and perhaps already did that, or are off to do it, or are living in a foreign country in which case props to you for doing that and you can skip the voting thing today if you want.

Progress

2008-10-31T13:09:00.008-04:00

on the beginnings of a baby blanket for a shower for a baby who will come into the world and then land in a yellow and green jungle themed nursery and on the beginning of using the art room. Now I don't really want to leave the room. this is a problem as i technically must work elsewhere most days. If only I could find a way to get paid to sit in the art room all day. And make cookies, because i did that too. last night.

oh and with a glimpse of the blanket comes another glimpse of my stash, even though, as always, it is not a sunday, but it's still slightly a sunday stash post. as a random aside i don't have the internet at this apartment either, so unless i find myself at an web toting innocent bystander's house on the weekend, or are sitting here behind the work producing desk, i fear that posts on the actual day will be few and far between.

oh and also back to what i did bit, i would say that i went to JCPenney too, but i didn't, so i won't.
1/4 of an inch

Quite a bit After Sunday Stash Infusion

2008-10-24T15:20:00.005-04:00

I know that it's Friday, but I've just now returned to the internet from vacation and out of work work related stuff. So here's a belated Sunday Stash post nearly posted on the next Sunday. Some fabric I couldn't resist bringing home whilst out getting fabric for other people.

Also, Tamara from 1/4 of an inch, the host of Sunday Stash tagged me

to share 7 random facts about myself. So...:

1 - I feel fabulous now that I got a breath of fresh air out in the country with adam this past week. work now feels do-able.

2 - it's my brithday this weekend and what I'd like more than anything is to use my art room and have ella join me in it.

3 - i will then want to take a nap. with the cat. so it will quite literally be a cat nap.

4 - they just asked me what kind of cake i want for my party at work on monday and i was unable to come up with a favorite. of course i wasn't about to start naming my favorites of mom's because honestly, then they'd have to call mom to make it. that would be silly. so norma jean will make me a lemon cake which should be quite nice.

5 - i'm horrible at revealing things about myself. i've just found that out about myself right now. i didn't even know that about myself, that's how bad i am at letting people in on things, myself included apparently.

6 - i'm in a quilt making mood lately, perhaps that will be what i make next.

7 - we're on 7 already - i guess that would be that adam is the best. so it's not a fact about me i suppose. but he is. so yeah. that would be # 7.

I think Septemberbird already got the "tag you're it" and I love reading Harthillsouth but would be happy even if she didn't but it in 7 random fact form, Rosalie amuses me to no end with her posts and her shower art and Alice and Manela and Drewzel and Moline are all friends across the seas, and other than that, that may be it, I'm thinking.

Newest Sunday Stash Infusion

2008-10-13T13:22:00.002-04:00

Just for me!, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

Over the weekend my stash grew in size when I received my wonderful Secret Santa "Just for You" Fat Quarters Swap package from Spiced Coffee. Sent along with so many other surprises (including some early birthday ones) it was the perfect welcome back to swapping and crafting and sewing all at once, just what I wanted!

In other news, why have I still not taken a picture of my Yaris? This occurs to me every time I sit down at my computer. Someone needs to remind me to snap one. Or maybe I just need to remember. In any case, you all need to see it. Because it is cute. Maybe I'll take before and after shots as adam adds all the modifications he ordered for it. Mud flaps, spoiler, snow plow, monster tires, vinyl decals of birds with flames and maybe dice somehow incorporated, helicopter wing thingie coming out of the top, etc. It will be not only cute, but awesome as well.

1/4 of an inch

Yeah I Did

2008-10-03T16:18:00.001-04:00

All Together Now, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

Iron all those. Yeah I am ridiculous. But yeah, the crazy sense of organization in my new art room makes me happy too. Now that everything's pretty well put away I just have to figure out what to take back out and use to make something. If any of you have any suggestions I'd welcome them gladly because sorting through the 10 billion kagillion things I'm thinking about doing is getting a bit cumbersome.

In other news I have a new car. I finally decided to park the 'baru at the urging of somebody's dad (who is completely right by the way - i totally needed a new auto - as another aside from the one i was just on i like the word vehicle better than car and auto better than vehicle) So now i have a yaris, nearly the cutest thing on wheels (second only to when adam's driving around - I'm allowed one sappy remark per post girls - as yet another aside: i'm kind of sick of using just his initial as we so often do around here - especially since he can then be confused for what some view as an article and others an adjective grammatically speaking)

A New Kitchen...

2008-09-25T15:33:00.000-04:00

And a Dessert to Follow, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

...and a new apartment surrounding it. At least twice, if not 53 times, as large as my last place, the ceilings loom and the costs of all those rolls of wallpaper it must have taken to cover all those surfaces astound. Most rooms currently either look like glorified storage units (the art room is still the staging area for the rest of the place) or like I'm playing house (the living room which begs for sofas and settees and built-ins currently houses 3 chairs, 3 stools, a cedar chest, a beer crate, a hitch pin cabinet, 2 silly pillows, and a monkey rug. The hodge podge assortment of small items (the chest is rather large. Must give credit where credit is due) do not do the room justice to say the least. None the less soon, more than just the meals made there will be picture ready and I'll be able to show you where I'm roosting above the nearly abandoned funeral home mere moments away from work. There aren't too many coinhabitants from my understanding - though I may have an occasional overnight guest staying a floor or two below me every once in while. And there is a box that has been sitting for some time now on the the shelves at the foot of my stairs that looks to contain a former coinhabitant. Due to my uncertainty of the others that may be below me, be they living or dead, perhaps I should take mom and A.'s advice and talk to Frank about the functionalism of the lights outside the building for all my post dusk hasty and not so hasty retreats from and returns to my new home.

Last bit of Mope

2008-07-31T10:31:00.002-04:00

Take it in, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

You should all know that once my packing and moving gets done this week, my next week's resolution is to buck the heck up and take happy pictures for you and say happy like things to you all again. It has been long enough. Sheesh & good grief & what the crap, am I right?

It has been determined that this mopey crap is for other more unfortunate breeds of birds, like the Indian White Eyed Zosterops, who, while adorable to look at (so they should be quite happy with themselves on that fact alone), slowly pine away when not kept in pairs. Alright, so this is a bad example. I would do the same without A and then all hope for happy pictures would be lost.(really silly to just use his inital, as he's used his name in my comments, but we all do so I'll keep it up until I accidentally write out Adam one of these days) So instead we turn to the Superb Manager whose eyes look like something out of a Hitchcock film, has feathers the hue of which may or may not be the result of some sort of radioactive contamination, ironically subsists on meals of mealworms and has a name like that to live up to every day of its life. Now he has a truly superb reason to mope on a daily basis. Conversely, sparrows should attack other birds, be supremely happy doing it, and fly around with a small digital camera hanging around their neck. That would be amusing. And not in the least bit mopey.

Will Do...

2008-06-13T16:02:00.004-04:00

happy dance, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

Trying very hard to come up with intelligent conversation to have with you all. But I find I am more of a girl than I thought I was and I find myself preoccupied by that which I have previously zipped my lips about.

Whilst sitting stationary, minding it's own car-like business in my business's parking lot, my car did get smacked quite hard, and by quite, I mean extremely, with a flying tire which flew through the air with the greatest of ease from yards and feet and many meters away. Enough to warp the side of it in a slightly tire shaped fashion. That did happen. I know it did. Because I watched out my office window. I was, and still find myself, amused. So I do have that to report.

Do you people like boingboing.net? They have an endless stream of brilliantly, and sometimes not so brilliantly as the case may be, ridiculous things that at times make me laugh so hard I almost fall out of my chair - which you should not do - for as one man in the UK knows this could result in pepper spray to the eyes.

So until I resume normal brain function, or until my car does something else dumb, I'd recommend you meander over there for a bit of a laugh (chuckle if you will - you don't have to if you don't want to, but you are welcome to), and I'll get back to regulating the dangerously high levels of dopamine I find in my system at the moment. (No folks. I am not on coke - I just find that I am very happy at the moment. I do however appreciate the concern and your thorough understanding of neurotransmitters. Kudos to your psych professor for keeping you awake in class!)

Famous last words:

oooh it's friday the 13th - I forgot to be freaked out until just now! Scratch that. The day's almost over anyway. It's all good.

Sealed

2008-05-27T16:06:00.006-04:00

+, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

Alright. So. It's been fun hinting at my sporadic and quite minimal run-ins with the dating world - most of which (alright, all. depending on which dictionary you subscribe to I suppose) qualified as minor fiascos. But I think it's time to seal my lips - being the ladylike thing to do and all - stopping with the small talk and gossip about boys with her friends and random passersby. But I will leave you off on this subject by saying this: my lips now are firmly sealed in a smile.

Duties Have Called

2008-04-17T18:49:00.001-04:00

Did Someone Ask for a Superhero?, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

As way of an explanation for my absence I submit to you this rare footage of me in my superhero get-up caught on tape. That's right. My duties and responsibilities are many and lots and I have been spewing many numbers for several months now. Even Spiderman gets a break every now and again though (they didn't make that movie though because it was a bit dull, but believe you, me, he does do the less stressful work at certain times of the year) So that will be me for a while. A Pretty Awesome Andrea. My fullblown awesomeness will just have to wait for the next extreme digit emergency.

It just occured to me that my client's nephew chose for me the initials A.A. Quite hard to fly about safely averting fiscal disasters until you've mastered the 12th step isn't it?

Seasonally Disordered

2008-03-08T14:56:00.003-05:00

One More Cause It's Cool, originally uploaded by lucyellen06.

It appears that the blog has been suffering from a mild case of Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.). The good news is that last week's storm that brought house sized walls of snow - as seen from inside my parent's garage (courtesy of my mum - as I was quite obviously snowed out of the vicinity) - may be the last lion's roar for the time being. In fact, yesterday's snow emergency didn't put me off the road at all and has now turned into mere snow eradicating downpours today.

On the other hand my car has acquired a severe case of M.A.D., commonly known as Mileage Affective Disorder. In an unruly attempt to make me pay attention to the damned check engine light that accompanies me every so often in increasing frequency and perhaps treat it to a drink of fresh liquids of which it was sorely overdo, my car leapt onto a sharp object the other day and punctured itself leaving a tire quite deflated and my boss's nice white shirt stained with a bit of it's grease.

In nearly completely unrelated news, my long held suspicions have been confirmed, and until proven otherwise it turns out that I am in fact Janene Garafalo in the movie "The Truth About Cats & Dogs". There's really no Uma in my story, and no cute boy with a dog either. Just me. And I don't, as of yet know how to play violin or have my own radio talk show. I am thinking of finding an Uma, a boy, a dog, a personal venue & a stringed instument just to complete the effect.

Multiple

2008-02-22T10:19:00.001-05:00

Yes Brainer, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

My contribution to this week's Illustration Friday topic: Multiple. Born on an afternoon of manic space thoughts.

A Fortune on Friday

2008-02-08T11:58:00.001-05:00

Fortunistic, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

I think I'll choose today to believe the random flotsam fortunes cropping up, on and in various pieces of furniture over the last several months since the cookies became crumbled.

And I'll leave my newest endeavor of oil painting to Illustration Friday, this week's topic being "Choose". People are free to take this as they wish and either tell me put down the dern oils and use the new easel for something else or tell me if they think deers or toadstools are cuter.

Finally Revealed

2008-01-29T00:24:00.001-05:00

Baubles, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

Once upon a time in technapleasnaland a wee tiny picture taker named kody met a big ol data processer without a brand name and they decided not to get along. So the wee tiny picture taker's mum took a trip to the neighboring kingdom of workalot and asked the kindly data processor named Lapafold who lived in a cave near the edge of the Yawarktaherd cliff to take her wee tiny picture taker kody under its wing and help kody to realize his full potential of sharing all his images with the world. So on a bright sun shiny day in January the two plugged together and technapleasnaland rejoiced as they all could finally see what sparrow did all christmas time - cause they were all wondering where the heck she'd been.

The End.

That is until the wee picture taker reunites with Lapafold to share images and quite random and slightly smartalecky blog posts with technapleasnaland again...

I've been thinking of you...

2008-01-17T13:03:00.000-05:00

...all for quite a long time. The holidays were a fabulous whirlwind of family and friends and parties and presents and snows and thaws with some mad crazy goccoing mushed in between. But no this isn't my print (it's fromBirdie1973 - I want several of each of her prints and originals because I am greedy and an art monger) because as you'll see....they also included some funky computers refusing to play with my pictures again and cars refusing to share heat with me leaving my nose red and a bit sad.

The new year is bringing in even more friends popping their heads back out of the woodwork and a mounting workload and repeated assaults on my funky computer and thoughts of commandeering mum's computer to visually share my holidays with all of you and yet another strike by my car's heating system which is at this very moment being addressed by "the man", such man being the car one, who addressed it the first time, by simply replacing a fuse and thus making me feel like a twit - a very girl-like twit. So when the car played nasty this time what did I do? Why of course, I ripped the fuse box open. And I proceeded to get on my hands and knees in the hardware store parking lot to inspect which fuses needed to be replaced. I decided to change the radio (have I told you all about my uber-feminine scan function in my radio? She's more indecisive than I am! Here I am thinking I like a song I'm listening to - forget that - the radio begins skipping through the stations at varying speeds, lightening at times, the remaining buttons shut off all capabilities and the only remaining option is to play a game of catch the station at which point - if able I can then quick hit a preset button - and get back to what I'm listening to. Ah - but she's not done with her manic mind game yet!! Unless you very quickly shut the radio off completely, wait .748 seconds and then turn it back on the merry go round will begin anew...audio-hell especially when that finger eleven or sara bareilles song or comes on - I hate it when she skips through those while I'm at the apex of my lung capacity!) and dash fuses (those have been dying a slow tortured death since the day I met them) while I was at it - handy girl that I am. The hours spent "playing" - and oh what fun I had - were un-fruitful and either "the man" is correct and the blower motor is ironically blown and the radio is just stupid or I'm on the verge of an apocalyptical electrical meltdown.

Pray for me.

And then she stopped...

2007-12-21T00:30:00.004-05:00

And then she stopped..., originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

The snow was coming and I was ready to play shutin on Sunday. I set the electric heat to crackle & resisted the urge to don the new snowpants & join my landlord outside to aide in his constant snowblowing efforts. There must be some fun he derives from it as I can't think of any other reason to work against the impending drifts with no real intent to leave the house. Glee, however, wasn't apparent in his voice at one point. In fact he sounded downright perturbed at his grandson & I thought we might loose poor Tony - or at least one of his limbs to the wee plug-in flake bouncer.

My last stop on my christmas "oh my good gosh I have no presents for anyone and we're about to get blizzardized to next week which will put us at about Christmas" spree the night before had been to the supermarket where I stocked my kitchen with every cookie making supply that I was told by the good people in the good books and in my head that I would need. I had grand intentions of supplying everyone I knew with batches & batches of confections they'd still be craving as they sat full from next year's Thanksgiving turkey.

One batch is still in the refrigerator ready to cut & cook. The second required chocolate chips. The good person in my head at the supermarket assured me that I hadn't used the bag in the cupboard. The good person was damned wrong - so the cooking spree halted before a single cookie touched the stove.

I compromised & finally settled on making myself a new meal from the new Cooking Light magazine I picked up while shopping (because it had delicious looking cookies I planned to make on the front cover - yeah, no - not going to happen now) I did not have, as the recipe asked me to have, mushrooms on hand (odd for me, my local grocer has considered running an intervention) and was derailed from the cooking at all train for about a half an hour until I became ridiculously hungry & substituted broccoli in a fit of creativity.

When all is said and done - I'm finding it hard to believe the good people at Cooking Light however, when they say that the meal was in any way "light" or "healthy" - with the wine and the cream and the cheese and the pasta and the butter and the too darn goodness - but I'm going to choose to belive them because I may start making it for myself every night and that would make it that much easier to swallow. A professor from college introduced me to Salmon Run and it was a damned shame to open it just for the recipe and not have a room full of people to entertain with it, so I felt obligated to have a token glass with dinner. The fridge and subsequently the sink shared in the rest of the bottle.

************** EDIT & UPDATE LIKE THINGIE**************

************** 3/8/08 **************

I, um, just yesterday threw out the cookies. The very same rolled out batch waiting for me in my fridge since way back when. The exact same batch that never saw the light of the oven. I became disgusted.

Can't Wait Any Longer

2007-12-10T15:35:00.001-05:00

~, originally uploaded by lucyellen06.

My camera taking thing isn't currently talking to my picture uploading thing in order for me to show you all the amazing advent calendar that my mom - lucyellen made for me (& a similar one I'm told way down with my sister). Just about every day is fit for framing (though two days ago the chocolate santa that she sewed on would have to be removed first) So until I can get the picture showing all under way, here's one of the peeks that mom gave us all before December 1 on her Flickr.

This was December 5th and had a pocket of recipes that were handwritten by my mom's mom. I think I'm going to have to make the Missouri Golden Harvest Biscuits to celebrate my sister & brother-in-law's arrival home in the very soon future.

UPDATE: Here they are!

Still Tasting Times Square

2007-12-08T16:19:00.001-05:00

Every day in NY is a fair!, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

Emma Williams & the good people over at Schmapp.com decided to use my snap of the annual food festival, that I stumbled out into while walking out of my hotel this summer, to help illustrate the 4th edition of their interactive online NY map & guide.

I'm happier than ever that I opted out of ferreting out my burrito joint 5 blocks away that night! The quesadilla I scored was way better & the roof-of-the-mouth scorch from the raging SHU was worth every second of tingly pain and crap - now thinking about the whole thing again I need another slice of Banana Foster Cheesecake like a naked dude needs a barrel.

(The coolest part is my link includes a swear word in it. I'm bad ass - you know it.)

Burst

2007-11-30T13:18:00.001-05:00

Burst, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

This popped to mind when I read today's Illustration Friday topic: Excess.

I've haven't had a lot of excess in the talkage department around here lately - I should probably formulate some interesting thoughts over the weekend.

The dinner party Sunday? Yeah the menu still is not concrete. Brilliant. Sounds familiar doesn't it? I believe for this meal I will choose ingredients I am a bit more familiar with - no one choked due to my triumphant harried last minute de-boning of the salmon steak for the quiche - but I've been scarred for life and it's tainted the bright pink fish for me forever.

Some Snow & Endangered Roofers

2007-11-10T19:54:00.002-05:00

Not at all related, as the first snow hadn't quite fallen when the roofers were pounding in the last few shingles of the new roof to keep Ella & I dry & un-draft-like. No the danger occurred as I merrily baked a batch of poison cookies for the height desensitised band of men to thank them for all their hard work and all their chivalrous deeds in the name of getting me out of the driveway and around their numerous work vehicles each morning (always a smile and an occasional wink - my days have been vastly improved over the past two weeks I can assure you - especially the one with the dark hair - dark hair is very nice on boys...I'm digressing back to the me almost killing him part) Thank god I can never keep my hands out of my own baked goods as I did the night of the ill-fated batch, dipping in for not one (well it was broken) but two (was that first one a tad bit too salty for the boys refined palates?) peanut butter cookies.

Then, as I was oh so proud of myself for being such a sweet girl that they surely would not be able to resist me now and instead insist on coming back next week to put a new roof on the subaru for the winter, I staged a photo shoot of the cookies in question, packaged them up and wrote them a witty little note, complete with a smiley face (very uncharacteristic with notes with boys, must have had some sort of premonition that I would have to make up for what was about to go into their bloodstream.)

Before settling down for the night after what you can see was a very eventful night indeed as it was, it was time to do the dishes and become suddenly, hideously and grotesquely ill as the clock struck one hour after the first arsenic laced cookie crumb touched my lips.

I am alive I can assure you. I recovered unnervingly quickly after my episode and wondered if perhaps it wasn't the cookies after all, but one of those 24 month bugs that have been going around - you just finally forgot about the last one - then WHAM - it comes again. So several hours later as I lay down in bed with my book propped on my chest I began to choke down cookies number 3 & 4. The ultimate experiment had begun. As in all good controlled scientific experiments, as my brother would surely tell you, you must take very precise measurements, which I did with my clock. I can not even fathom being a poor sickly little roofer man trying to cope with the amount of sick I experienced exactly one hour to the second after consuming my first bite of the second round of evilness while either:

A.) being resigning to staying stranded on the top of a building
B.) attempting a mad crazy sick scramble down a very tall two story ladder

Moral of the story: the roofers didn't get any sweet things (or sweet thangs either - my good lord - sheesh) and I believe this to be a much sweeter gesture in the long run, even if they believe me to be an ungrateful non-baking-like girl. At least they are alive and didn't fall off my roof.

Another Monday Morning

2007-11-05T09:39:00.001-05:00

In the Room, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

Good thing I keep my Anti-Shock Airpants in the cupboard behind my desk otherwise I wouldn't be able to make it through another Monday morning trip to my inbox. Apparently one of my Bluebird prints was the very first sale of the show and sold "within 30 seconds of being put out" - even before they finished labeling everything for that night.

I'm starting to rethink throwing myself my very own interactive cupcake party - as I didn't get to partake in the one stationed at the opening - looks like there may be reason to celebrate after all.

(Promise girls - no more talk of this silliness in the next post - seriously)

To Open - Right Away

2007-10-26T16:27:00.001-04:00

Open - Right Away, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

I fell asleep at my blog for a bit and woke up with people telling me that my Illustration Friday submission was picked to go to LA. ASAP. So I zipped about this week mounting and printing and packaging and trying to ship from several places until a nice postal boy finally made my day yesterday and sent it flying off to be opened by the gallery at Open, hopefully well before next Wednesday.

Now I'm going to go home and finally breath tonight and spend my birthday evening with the two who brought me here, the two that I love.

(An addendum to the other two whom I love who are far and away but both of which I've "talked" with today so I feel relaxed and groovy on that front)

Open

2007-10-05T08:28:00.001-04:00

Magic, originally uploaded by ~ Sparrow ~.

To some of you: Yes she's back
To other's: here's my Illustration Friday "Open" submission - her head's opening up
To another subset of you: yes I'm still a dork

Illustration Friday

2007-09-28T10:20:00.001-04:00

Bluebird, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

This week's theme is "The Blues" . Thanks to Harthillsouth for the link - every week it takes me about a week to get ready to upload my image and then another theme is up - this week I happened to be prepared. (Sort of - maybe by next week I'll figure out how to get my computer to keep thinking along the 72 dpi lines and get a thumbnail up there, too - she kept going all grandiose on me and blowing it up to 96 - thinks she's important or something)

A Weekend Should Do Quite Nicely

2007-09-27T21:36:00.000-04:00

Quite Contemplative, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

....and as luck would have it, we're about a day away from one right now. My last was taken a bit up by hustling and fun and bustling sorts of things, I think this one shall be deemed a quiet contemplative sort of time with hours devoted to craft and rest. Thoughts of that should get me through tomorrow quite smoothly...

Have You Seen?

2007-09-22T00:59:00.000-04:00

New Shower Art, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

Ella has - and she is fanatically in love with the new shower art installation in the powder room. Thanks again to Ugly Baby & her fabulous Etsy Shop for my work of "just what the dentist ordered" served up for me on a gold plate of "hell-z yeah" every morning.

Pay It Forward

2007-09-19T09:30:00.000-04:00

Outgoing, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

I know you want some mail...and the first three people to comment and pledge to pay it forward will receive a handmade item from me within a year of this post ( I won't wait that long ladies don't worry)

I'm paying it forward from Blissful Mama's blog which you should go see and then go see her flickr pics - she has the best color mosaics ever - makes me want to re-decorate already

PS - I know there are like 4 comments but there's still a spot open - cause I talked a bit too - so snag it quick-like

I May Need a Little Magic

2007-09-18T21:07:00.003-04:00

Blame it on the romantic magical comedy I just read, blame it on the psychic & the potentially psycho relative who both told me in my 28th year to expect the one I'd marry (just rounding out my 27th now) ** Edit 9/28/07 - you know what it just took me a week & a half to realize? I'm only 26! I'm just about to turn 27 - so yeah a year to find him - back to the story: ** In any case I made a silly wish about 48 hours ago for my true love to hurry up already:

within 10 minutes my ex called me up to ask me to the theater & I politely refused on the grounds that he was drunk when he asked (I um refused again the next day when he re-asked whilst sober)

within 18 hours my friend wanted to see what I was doing tonight - I politely told him my cell would be on if he came up with something interesting for us to do and with that ... then poof he disappeared again. ironically he's an amateur magician. next to balloon animals, I think this is his best trick to date.

sometime in the middle a bank manager showed up at the office whom covertly, I may or may not be, being set up with, behind my back - though I have slightly turned around and watched them all doing the setting up - so I'm in on the whole thing - and possibly not down with it

So girls - is that 3 strikes I'm out? Or - no clue...4th one's the charm perhaps? My Grandfather asked if I'd looked into that internet dating thing. I may be doomed.

So I spent last evening homeifying my pad by completing a project which had been on the list of "Hey Get Me Done Already!" for a very long time

A wee collage framed atop a quite long mirror from my mum - it's makes me even happier than I thought it would

Mousse at Nearly Midnight

2007-09-11T00:31:00.000-04:00

Mousse at Nearly Midnight, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

I ended up ditching the print & go plan & drafted a whole new menu on the fly:

Mushroom, Romaine & Leafy Green Lettuce Salad with Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Crab & Salmon Quiche (thanks to delicious magazine - yet another reason I wish I was an aussie)

Chocolate Mint Mousse (thanks to one of Martha's big cookbooks I found at a library book sale - because cookbooks are so expensive new aren't they?!) - which I made the night before & indulged in the bowl drippings (to test of course for accuracy & in true bird/"canary in the mineshaft" form to ensure no guests would be harmed in the serving of the dessert course) topped with mint whipped cream. After the last spoonful I went to sleep the night before the party in heaven.

The party went off without a hitch - to risk rhyming I think I've found some sort of nitch.

Dinner Plans

2007-09-06T19:00:00.000-04:00

I've spilled my drink 3 times today, only minimal damage to crucial items to report, but all signs still point to "it's certainly time for the weekend" already. I've gone and invited more people over for dinner this weekend than I have chairs to support - I may serve & eat while standing. After racking and hemming all week over what to cook and coming to the unnerving & quite unpalatable conclusion that mid-nineteenth century french chicken recipes may very well end up tasting of a mid-nineteenth century vintage once I was done with them, I may in fact cheat & do the following "Print & Go" Weekend Filet Dinner Ala Martha, because when all is said and done I am in fact a cheater.

Re-coup, Re-focus & Re-lax

2007-08-30T16:48:00.001-04:00

Sparrow to Color, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

Lately I've felt in a similar way to the great Eddie Izzard when he said, or rather shouted, "I've lost my comedy!" Only since I don't do stand-up on a regular basis I suppose it's more "I've lost my forensic abilities!" This has led to many un-productive days at work making me feel like a bit of a craphead. Thanks to some sisterly advice I've taken the reins on the situation, completely gutted my office, been granted a 4 day weekend by my boss to re-coup (he's terrific - the best a girl could get) and by Tuesday morning I'll be all ready to drop the reins & take the bull by the horns! I will no longer be known as Sparrow but as Producto-Woman, Workhorse-Extraordinaire!! Yahoo has also recommended I update my wardrobe, I will look into that as well.

IndieFest 2007

2007-08-29T14:50:00.001-04:00

Birds, Birds, Birds. . ., originally uploaded by ThePaperPrincess.

I declare this national Oh my Goodness Indiepublic is Awesome Day!!! The PaperPrincess herself came and requested me to be her friend out of the clear blue sky and I am a happy bird, let me tell you. Have I loved her stuff forever? Yes. Have I filled my cart at her site only to say "sheesh, girl - your credit ain't that good, yo!!" many a time?! Yes. Is it time I buckled down and made a few choice decisions at her shop? I think definitely.

Oops, I've got a mission

2007-08-28T20:54:00.000-04:00

First of all let me tell you all that today I discovered IndiePublic and I would take the day off tomorrow and enjoy it if I had internet at home (#1 on my new list of things to do!) The first fellow artist/crafter/cool person to befriend me was UglyBaby who, with the help of her husband, Doug, invented "Shower Art - Waterproof art you can hang in your shower with a suction cup". Some of which you see above. I would like to plaster my teeny-tiny blue shower with it, that is if you all don't clear out her Etsy shop first.

Second of all, there has been a resounding complaint in the blogging community that I (eherm) don't post frequently enough to satiate the quite large web-like appetites of my word-crafting buddies. That being said in a much more succinct fashion by my friend KateyB (whom by the way oh my good Lord I have to upload pics to my flashdrive tonight of allllllllll the amazing loot she sent me so I can show you all tomorrow!!) in the form of tagging me to pick my 5 favorite blogs to read on a regular basis. She's always one of my first stops but as with everything in life there's the "no tag back" rule. So (in no particular order, order)...

The first blog I check everyday is my sister HartHillSouth's. She's truly a bloodhound when it comes to finding style and inspiration, discovering new avenues and outlets I wouldn't even have begun to imagine. Plus I miss her, so it's nice to keep tabs on her (hehehe)

I love going to Katey Nicosia's One Good Bumblebee blog (jeepers I feel like I'm always talking about her - I can't help it - she's just so cool!!) If you haven't followed all my links to her yet - go now - I beseech you!

I go to alll of Drewzel's 587 blogs religiously - I'm exaggerating - but seriously here folks if and when Steph does create more than 3 blogs? I will continue to visit them all in reverse introverted alphabetical order every day as I do now. For example for now I visit her blogs in the exact following order as they appear below - I recommend you do the same:

Blog Portion

Pod Bobbins

Bird Mad Girl

Greenolive makes me want to just abandon it all and go into crafting & arting & making a shop full-time with my mum (as we've talked about for so long) which explains why I'm still at the office of course. You name it - Greenolive makes it - and dagnabit she's about to sell it!! I can't wait!!

I like to check in on Sarah a.k.a. Geek+Nerd who's a crazy busy crafter/shopgirl/dance lady and super amusing on top of it all. And today is her birthday. (I don't know why when I was just typing that I was also reading it aloud in a Molly Shannon/Mary Katherine Gallagher voice. But I was and I'm glad my co-workers have all left for the day)

Recently I stumbled upon ArtJunkGirl's Flickr page which created a domino effect landing me in her blog & her Etsy page (which I cleared out & scored a tremendous package of wonderful!) . She creates fabulous collages and oodles of inchies and oozes inspiration.

Oh shoot I just did 6!! Crap!! Well heck if I'm gonna erase one-a my girls! So um yeah!

Oh and, I have to also give notable mention to my girls AlicePalace the ficklecrafter in the UK who is experiencing technical difficulties at the moment and Em whose going through some really hard times - doesn't stop me from clicking back incessantly hoping upon hopes to find them well & back to posting one of these days soon.

Okay. I'm done now. Right?

Quite Literally: Too Cute

2007-08-28T17:35:00.001-04:00

This Big..., originally uploaded by lucyellen06.

Mom has gone & gotten herself two extra-dorable witsy-teensy-litsy-bitsy bunny tots for her sewing room and they are literally too cute for any words I could attempt to pen or type. I try not to be too easy when it comes to matters of the heart and love and such, but they've thrown me off the deep end, I'm in full blown adoration stage. HOW CUTE IS HE??!!

Well girls...

2007-08-24T23:21:00.003-04:00

Magic, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

Right. So. Ephemera from the antique show kept saying magical things to me and until I put it all together into a pretty picture I was of no use in other respects. At least I have a pretty collage to look at now. My favorite to date. The magician I found for this is actually just a guy in tails from an acid stomach elixer ad. Poof and all that magical stuff. I amused myself. Original exercise accomplished.

Settling In

2007-08-15T22:07:00.001-04:00

Fortnight, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

Unpacked, decorated, and in full "let's walk in and relax" mode. Quite nice now actually. Bedecked with original art prints by Katey Nicosia of One Good Bumblebee my bedside dresser/nightstand encourages slumber and sweet dreams. If you are finding yourself restless at night I encourage you to go the same route. Twice as fast as Lunesta & Sonota combined after being chased down with a nice tall J&c.

*please note that while I am not a medical professional and therefore you should not take my word on the Rx portion of the previous statement, I was a fully qualified bar attendant in a former life so you can take my word on falling asleep after washing stuff down with Jack Daniels*

Shopping = Happy

2007-08-13T09:45:00.001-04:00

I apparently put in my latest order about a month too early because the Superbuzzy 1st Anniversary Extravaganza is going on NOW! Ok, so I'll just have to put in another order. I'm obviously torn up about this as you can see. (or as you could have seen when I originally uploaded the pictures that are now dead and have been replaced by the even cuter red riding hood fabric - I swear - with the blogging - i will do it right someday)

Sugar Feet

2007-08-09T09:30:00.003-04:00

(note that "X" box is being left here intentionally to display my dumbness. I think you should all know when I've been dumb. It's only fair. I'm very good at picking up when others are dumb around me.)

(newer note - the boot people brought the boot back but i don't have the energy to edit the whole post to its original form so I'll leave it as is still to show my dumbness)

It's sunny outside today. These boots (that are no longer listed on piperlime - thus you can no longer look at them because i was dumb and didn't just copy the damned picture way back when) make me wish it would rain. I want a good excuse to make my feet happy - all wellie-style. Had another date last night. Rated a bit better than the first, in a mildly amusing, slightly embarrassing, fiasco sorta way (if that says anything about the first you have permission to cock your head slightly to the side and let out a slight "awww" on my behalf) No bad feelings though, it would be hard to rival these boots on a stellar date I suppose...

since it was sunny that day, and the boots had red riding hood on them it's only appropriate I replace the photo with that of these trainers I have decided I need. I do not want them. I need them.

She's Home

2007-07-27T12:21:00.001-04:00

Lucky Girl, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

Settled in and purring with Ella surrounded by lovely things & lovlier thoughts

Off to Paint

2007-06-28T18:30:00.000-04:00

Off to paint the cupboards at Ella's new palace. She's requested that I hurry as she is no longer amused by the gangster cat who simply goes by "The Imperial Big Bad C" who insists on attacking her at any and all given moments, without relent.

Very First Etsy Purchase

2007-06-23T23:00:00.001-04:00

I need to take just a minute to say that I am no longer simply a windows shopper. I have made the necessary clicks and keystrokes and am now an official Etsy customer. Mom had her eye on the tropical pendant (snap she saw it first) and asked that I broker the deal. I gladly rose to the challange and she couldn't have picked a better shopowner to purchase from! Kristy from Chickadee Buttons & Beads was fabulous - immediate responses to my questions - discounts - feedback - package perfection & personal touch - all this on top of the gorgeous pieces of art she sent us. Kristy really made shopping fun! I can't wait to get my new craft room all set up so I can design the perfect necklace to showcase my new aquamarine beads! Rent's paid, security & Ella deposits are down; all that's left to do is to get my move on!

Very First Etsy Purchase, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

Countdown

2007-06-22T11:30:00.000-04:00

Only an hour & a half left to go to decor8 & vote!!

Decor8 Finalist

2007-06-18T14:53:00.002-04:00

decor8 detail, originally uploaded by harthillsouth.

I can't wait for the Decor8 Mood Board Contest voting to begin to that I can vote for my sister's entry! (Entry #20) I can't help envisioning people in the room - so many would feel at home - I'm feeling Katherine Hepburn perching on the sofa, Grace Kelly flowing through the french doors, all the while Cary Grant standing at any point in the space (I think a highball would be appropriate) - together the whole room has a classic modern twist that's undeniably Kelly. Her decorating has long inspired me - I'm glad to see it's beginning to spread!!

Update: VOTE HERE!!!!

Back from the Other Side of the Looking Glass

2007-06-14T18:43:00.001-04:00

Staying in New York City's Paramount Hotel was like Alice through the Looking Glass less any evil Jabberwockys lurking through the hotel corridors.

Think Art Deco meets Pop Fiction on a Nuevo train ride through design world. Hands down the very best overnight experience ever - and I got to be there for three days!!

This bird was at the height of happy and feeling just a wee bit posh. (I'm thinking of booking for next weekend, too!)

Many Shelves of Happy to Come

2007-06-13T12:15:00.001-04:00

Shelf of Happy, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

Back at work today and shamelessly daydreaming of setting up my new place. A whole room for my craft. Can anyone say happy bird?

To Roost

2007-06-07T22:20:00.001-04:00

To Roost, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

I checked the wingspan and it fits me just perfectly. A bedroom for me a crafting room for Ella what more could a Sparrow ask for?

Another Possibility

2007-06-05T10:29:00.002-04:00

Guess where I went yesterday? The farmhouse. Guess what didn't work out yesterday? The farmhouse. Guess what is okay that it didn't work out yesterday? The farmhouse. Why you ask? For tonight I go look at the possibility of living in the top of a barn itself. What better place for a wee sparrow to roost.

(Please note that it's not the barn depicted here - that would be far too much to hope for - this is one of my mom's Flickr piks. She has some of the best barn takes ever)

Please also now note about a year later I go back and see that mom no longer likes this picture apparently because she obliterated it for all eternity so we will now look at space and ponder on what once was

Revelation

2007-05-30T17:57:00.001-04:00

Perhaps, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

As the clock struck around midnight, before sleep could fully consume, approximately 25 lbs of weight plummeted from the sky onto my head and a light went off. Or perhaps it turned on, still a bit fuzzy. All I know is that my textbooks have decided to move. With or without me. Unfortunately, at the moment they decided to make their first move while I was in the fetal position with my eyes closed right underneath them. I got the point though, loud and clear. I've emailed an agent I knew back in the days of my youth from running through her back lawn, now it's just finger crossing time until I step foot inside. I feel as if I should tick off a couple more items from my mounting to do list before any more of my beloved possessions beginning packing themselves without and/or on top of me ( am considering purchasing one from 16 sparrows to ensure I get the job done)

No Vacancies

2007-05-21T18:40:00.000-04:00

My 2 1/2 hour nesting session that spanned nearly 4 towns was less than fruitful producing only one ripe juicy "For Rent" sign displayed proudly in a run down empty store front in the county seat. Let me interject that this is in no way typical, some natural and/or unnatural force was undoubtably at work here - probably roving bands of youths pilfering lawn signs. If this is the case these are neighborhoods in which I would rather not live anyway!

Near the end of my ride I became rather whippy & began to imagine moving into already inhabited homes such as this lovely stone abode that looked as if it would love a resident gardener.

I then began imagining myself as Bob Villa fixing up every run down Colonial, Craftsman, Tudor, Victorian, Federal or Cape Cod I could find. No Ranches though. Ty & HGTV can have at those.

I wound down close to my second home, the office, by driving by my dream home. A mortgage I would only dream of taking on but if the nest search takes me too much longer I just may be able to swing it (as in years longer folks).

New Nest

2007-05-20T14:31:00.001-04:00

Home At Last, originally uploaded by *GaryP*.

I'm off for the day to continue the nest search. As it has been going on for a bit of a time perhaps it's time to lower my fairytale expectations a bit: gated entrance optional, tree lined drive pleasant but not entirely neccesary. A bit of charm and ella accomodations however are quite required. So I set out today almost completely open minded hoping to stumble across a For Rent sign made just for me.

Late Night Muse

2007-05-15T04:04:00.000-04:00

Another deadline tomorrow today. My focus comes and goes. It frequently slips toward the direction of wishful thinking. As it did several nights ago when I nearly offered to travel halfway round the globe to retreive a means of a passion to be - a vintage printing press. Thought better of it before pushing the send button on the email transmission - reality stepped in & pointed out that perhaps my reasoning is not topnotch after the hour that most good girls and boys go to bed. Besides, the poor man might have been a bit disappointed when I tooddled up with my little hatchback wagon & politely asked him to help me sqeeze the press in the back. Of course the next ad found on Briar Press was a help wanted ad for a long coveted press in my area. At that point it was back to work or off to home. Wishful thinking has it's limitations. The above cut can be found on Briar Press's website along with a treaure trove of others free for us to use in all our crafty non-commercial ways. So go, have fun, but think twice before you commit to accepting a press: the damned things are heavy.

Kitson Fliers

2007-05-11T21:02:00.001-04:00

Kitson Fliers, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

I'm so pleased with the outpouring of love my sneakers have received already. Hands down the most loved sneakers I've ever owned and they've hardly touched ground yet (suppose thats one of the perks of rocking the planes) I plan to dance all the way to work tomorrow in my Kitson Fliers jingling all the way!

Recent Outgoing Happenings Swap-wise

2007-05-11T20:37:00.001-04:00

Recent Outgoing Swap Happenings, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

Thought I'd bring the blog up to snuff on what I've been stuffing the mailbox full of recently. Didn't want to make the mosaic wall size so this is just a sampling. Looking at it just makes me want to do more & with that I believe I will.

All the Blooms

2007-05-08T18:55:00.000-04:00

All the Blooms, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

Colors popping everywhere. Winter dragging it's late toe over the ground didn't seem to discourage the prettiest of blooms from showing their petticoats off. Lilacs are showing their tiny purple buds and by the time they open hopefully my new smell-o-vision camera that I bought off ebay will have arrived & I can share their sweet aroma with you all.

Kindly Replace the Flowers, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

Now if my desk inside could just keep up with the progress outside we'd be all set!

(I'm going to now give myself a big pat on the back because I finally overcame the dreaded html errors & figured out how to blog with more than one flicker pic per post - boo-ya!)

Supper Time

2007-05-02T21:45:00.000-04:00

Cooked Meatballs, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

Super Buns has been taunting me all day so it's time I flip down the laptap, drop off the grill and get me home for a good ol' fashioned box full a cooked meaty-balls. Talk about attack of the killer meatballs - I've never seen such a nasty look!

Super Buns Creative Force to the Rescue

2007-05-02T10:14:00.001-04:00

Even More Tiny Box of Joy Swap, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

Super Buns is making me think about creating instead of working. Natana's cunning plan worked.

Beautiful Things Swap Revealed

2007-04-30T19:16:00.001-04:00

Beautiful Things Swap Revealed, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

In between running here and there in and out packages have been being released on a semi-daily basis. I'm hesitating to post the pictures & blog about them until I receive an affirmative on the receipt end of things, cause I know how sneaky you all are. I am happy to hear that Crystal enjoyed her beautiful things that I sent last week though. I had an especially fun time pulling those images together for her.

Single

2007-04-26T00:58:00.000-04:00

Single, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

Work is still consuming me, like a big hungry consuming type thing. I am busy sending out all of my end of the month swaps and personal packages to all my new swapping friends before I head out of town for the weekend. I hesitate to wax metaphysical at a late hour such as this but as I was uploading this shot I took earlier this evening I was reminded by all of you that while the tree may stand alone at the edge of the water, in the reflection it stands among all the rest. You all make me happy. And on that I will say goodnight. Goodnight.

One Good Bumblebee Goods

2007-04-17T18:36:00.001-04:00

One Good Bumblebee Goods, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

Work is nearly done - am about to breath - perhaps go home & play with some of my One Good Bumblebee Goodies that arrived recently. Can I just say that I have never in my life felt compelled as I did with Katey Nicosia to send a thank you package to a merchant whose goods I'd purhcased?! She was tremendous. From the packaging to the personalized note she wrote on my invoice. I can not wait to order from Katey again - I've gone through so much of that pile of paper already between swaps & projects that I'll probably be in desperate need of an infusion soon. (I like to think it's just because I'm such a great person & she could identify that from what I ordered) but who knows, you may too get the free mini bag of paper that I received for ordering. We're talking: stamps, tickets stubs, buttons, cut paper, medicine labels, and well, the list goes on. Heck, I would have paid good money for that! Kateys the greatest!!

*Note to Katey if you ever bless my blog with your crafty presence* Every single thing arrived - thank you, thank you - just have omitted items that are currently being considered for"secret-style" sharing to people who are not yet in the know - this may not happen as I am ultimately greedy and love everything a bit too much

My thoughts are flower-strewn

2007-04-16T08:49:00.001-04:00

My thoughts are flower-strewn, originally uploaded by IrenaS.

This bird has been in her chair all the night long , again, though fret not for tomorrow I may sleep. In one of the wee hours I found myself astray looking at the marvelous photography of Irene Suchocki. What can I say? I'm enchanted and quite a bit tempted to order a print of this or one of her other amazing works from her site. Hmm, perhaps a bit of a congratulations for working like a highly motivated, snappily dressed, trained monkey for the past 4 months. A thought.

Non-Stop Work Machine - In Need of Fuel

2007-04-14T09:15:00.002-04:00

Imagine Big Cookie Picture Here.

Cause it Was At One Time.

Now It's Not.

gianduja, originally uploaded by cookiejartx.

I am hungry. I but left my chair for a change of clothes and a quick stop at a client's and I am back bumside again - a slight extension of college term paper night days. Normally dark chocolate does not tempt me. However, the ladybugs seem to be beckoning, plus hazelnut makes absolutely anything edible. I wonder if the Cookie Jar would deliver all the way from downtown Houston?

Scavengers

2007-04-13T20:20:00.002-04:00

scavengers, originally uploaded by lornaart.

I must occasionally allow for mind wandering during these late nights at work or my clients (not to mention my bosses) may not be quite as pleased with my output as they appear at the moment to be. So instead of taking lunch & dinner breaks I allow myself Flickr breaks.

Several nights ago Lorna Brown's kitten led me to her art, which I absolutely love, and she was kind enough to allow me to share it with you here. It was hard to choose which one to put here because I loved them all...so you'll have to go take a Flickr break, too. Everything about Lorna's art appeals to me, especially her choices of line & color.

The only potential hazard to Flickr breaks is stumbling across individuals, such as Lorna, who inspire you to go home and throw yourself into your own craft. Um yeah. Quite often this happens. Such as now. This is when the Flickr break must end. Back to the file at hand.

Edge of Town

2007-04-11T00:59:00.000-04:00

Edge of Town, originally uploaded by Sparrow's Tree.

I can't wait for a couple good days off to go out and enjoy my camera. I'm just begining to realize what it & I behind it am capable of. But until work slows down I'll have to settle for shots taken of the same road back and forth to work (of course if I was able to get going any faster in the morning I may be able to pick one less traveled, but that's a position I'd rather not consider at this moment.)

Flicker

2007-04-08T03:07:00.001-04:00

As a way to combat the battle fatique at work I've joined the Flickr revolution. Join me. And as promised here are the swaps that have gone out:

Cards to feed an addiction

Tiny Paper - Globe-Style

...and Horizontal-type Goods

Overwhelmed

2007-04-06T13:31:00.000-04:00

I'm here. I'm overwhelmed. I hope not to be in a few weeks. But for now I have not the energy to think about plugging in the digital once I get back to the house & uploading all of the photos I want to show you. Swaps that have gone. Swaps that are going. Swaps that have come (thank you Tracey brightening my day yesterday!!) Swaps that for the life of me I can't stop signing up for. More pictures from the road. But until I find it in me to do so, I point you instead to our good man Slaid Cleaves, yet another avenue of pleasure my sister first drove me down years ago. I'm finding myself humming Working Stiff tonight off his newest album Unsung as I try and pack up for the night.

Ketchup

2007-04-02T00:27:00.000-04:00

All my busy little peeps in internet land have been missing me immensely, I'm sure, so I will fill you all in on my oh so exciting week for which we are able to fit in a small post like format when the large bulky section devoted to work (a bit of my desk in honor of all that time:)

is weeded out.

To commence some tremendous packages arrived on a Saturday:

An Easter package magically appeared from my sister filled with many wonderful things like exotic sweets, sticky depictions of adorable easter & childlike images, a rabbit mobile which will happily toodle around my desk at work when my mind needs a bit of wandering, and a fabulous green bag from my Mecca, IKEA, to feed my compulsive accessorizing disorder, a malady I had yet to discover within myself until my dear sister tenderly pointed me in the direction of ThreadBared.com, and now, I am facing what truly is, when it comes to bags, an addiction. There I said it.

This print ala ma soeur is currently looking for a suitable frame. Preferably tall dark & handsome. So if your coworker has a brother whose old chum from school days is back on the market you make sure to let me know.

Finally, I found some sort of avian spirit which had made it way inside the box, now set on residing for the rest of eternity in my general vicinity. Very nice little ghost if you ask me. Doesn't seem to ask for much. Bit of attention now and again. Was a bit of a bugger to get on camera, but managed in the end.

The next package I opened came all the way from Portugal from Manela. Beads & Birds & Buttons & Fabric & Stickers & Candy & Trinkets & an absolutely wonderful letter(the handmade stationary stole my heart), the whole thing just completely out of the blue & such a sweet surprise!

READERS PLEASE NOTE AND POSSIBLY BEWARE: nearly identical chicks(save their color) flew in to me from opposite ends of the world and arrived the same day. Odd? Yes. Coincidence? I think not!

In any case - As much as I would now like to call in sick and stay home and assemble packages all day tomorrow, girls know this: packages will be coming!

We continue our ride thru my week with some tremendously blue skies caught dangerously on film. It's high time I fessed up to all my horrible habits and addictions to you people. I am a Drive-by Photo Shooter. I rationalize my behavior by saying it's better to keep your person aimed in the general direction of driving while letting your one, camera-laden arm fly asunder, than to give into the lowly practice of rubber necking. The photos to which I am graced with at the end of my trip serve as a drug which fuels this unending merry-go-round of madness. But no, really, the pictures are quite nice.

A quaint villa I drove by recently. Apparently a bit to quickly to focus entirely.

What follows is a story some would rather left untold. It all started out sweet & innocent as can be. A bright Saturday morning. The sunshine, much like what was found in the bed that morning, unlike anything seen in these parts. The siamese sleeping within 6 inches of the feline that they simply refer to as "the unreasonably large male one". I quickly checked their pulses, looked for empty bottles of sleeping pills, but finally came around to the realization that some sort of peace treaty had been signed and my bed, excuse my mistake, Ella's bed was now open to his restrained sleeping pleasure as well.

This now is where the story takes a grim turn.

Sunday, April 1st, 2:00 pm Bedroom entered - Jeeves found alone on bed - search for girls begins

2:21 pm Misha the Mauler Magoo is found smothering Ella (alias now known to be Ella the Elitist Ethelbert)

2:26 pm Ella , one with tremendous lung capacity removes herself from Misha's death grip only to find herself being licked to death, does Misha not know that she her chosen torture chamber is a dryer & not a washing machine?

2:31 pm Jeeves the Jabber Jones is content in the knowledge that he either a.) has a full size bed to himself complete with cushy chenille or b.) girls will be coming back soon ooh la la

So finally, on our journey thru my week; the other morning, here I am, merrily getting ready for work. Like you do. And I feel as if I'm being watched. And yes. I was.

I feel as if I should end this way in case I don't post for good stretch of time you'll all know where to point the authorities. Because it appears that they are everywhere.

And I am now paranoid.

Genius Jones

2007-03-27T23:34:00.000-04:00

I am still at work. It is time to go. Past time. But first, I should speak to the needs of developing minds during the formative years of one's child's life with the help of Genius Jones. Encourage your child to express their every emotion, yes even their grumped up sour mood, by giving them this pull toy so aptly entitled "My Sweet Dog" by Yoshitomo Nara.

Help to embrace the confrontation with death in our lives by sharing "Sad Malfi" with your child.

And finally don't forget to surround your child with large stuffed lifelike representations of potentially dangerous mammals such as these gorilla, leopard & wolf pillows to ensure that warm cuddly feeling of safety each and every night.

Busy Swapper Bee

2007-03-25T14:04:00.000-04:00

You can see now why the sky was so much more interesting to me than the road on yesterday's drive to work, but I can assure you that no other drivers were injured in the filming of this picture.

CAUTION: TO ALL PENDING RECIPIENTS OF SWAPPING GOODS FROM SPARROW. THE USE OF THE SCROLL FUNCTION FOUND AT THE RIGHT HAND VERTICAL EDGE OF YOUR COMPUTER SCREEN COULD RESULT IN THE LOSS OF A CERTAIN DEGREE OF SURPRISE AND OR AWE WHEN OPENING YOUR SAID PACKAGES OF SWAPPING GOODS UPON ARRIVAL AT THEIR PORT OF CALL. SCROLL ONLY AFTER DUE DILIGENCE AND AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

My Most Requested Recipes...are making me hungry

Altoid Tin to Connie...who loves religion

and one for Heartsnyou...at 3 this morning I was hungry but not at all in the position to whip together a fruit pizza so I continued with the hunger type food type cooking theme...

I must give a big thanks to both Rosalie for my tin of goodies & Niece Denise for my flat goodies for putting so many of the raw materials at my fingertips which made my wee morning swapping romp possible (Why are they starting the exit music? Now that's just not right!)

Snow is Gone

2007-03-24T10:23:00.000-04:00

Stopped at the post office on the way in to pop my recipes in the mail and (quite dangerously in retrospect) spent the rest of the ride in snapping pics of the beautiful blue sky out my car window. My ride into work fittingly ended with Josh Ritter belting "the snow is gone" from my Zen, as here spring is breaking, snow is melting and earth is returning. All love is not lost for snow, however. This paper is courtesy of Snow & Graham, one of my favorite paper/stationary companies and found today on the Luxe Paperie site. I snatched up a sheet of the dandelion the other day at my local paper store. Greedily I want the birdcages, too.

Again with the mail

2007-03-20T23:20:00.000-04:00

Will it never end? This joyful thing called mail upon my arrival home? What a wonderful surprise to walk in and find tons of wonderful teeny weeny paper scraps from Valerie (take a look at both her "being crafty" blog & her flicker photos!)

[producer's note: a lampshade was injured in the shooting of this picture - the national association for the cruelty to lighting fixtures & features has been notified and appropriate measures have commenced ]

I also found waiting for me...are you ready? Can anybody give me a drum roll?

My matchbox from Canada!! The border patrol were confounded for long enough and finally threw their hands in the air and the package with them. Once again it was a case of "Who knows what these crafty ladies are up to now!" They also couldn't seem to figure out how Jewelz managed to cram so many incredible vintage beads & buttons into such a space. That will have them puzzled for quite some time, at least until the next devious swapper sends to or from Canada.

Sitting here typing, I find my fingers to be as cold as the small swallow's toes must have been this morning as she hopped around the snow inside the garage waiting for me to throw open the door & set her free. And Ella I am sure is in need of a warm human to wrap around.

New Things

2007-03-19T23:15:00.000-04:00

Can't talk for long as Eddie's new show is on FX and I must go watch. Have loved him for ages and need to support him in his endeavors. However, I did need to mention the plethora of goodies that flooded my mailbox today.

Paper from evacorges in the Netherlands...

...and a beautified tin of goodies from Rosalie in the Southwest.

And last (technically first) and certainly not least, my top 5 tiny paper scraps that came in from Janet on the East Coast the other day. Oohhhh...my favorite...Mica....I better stop looking at it now or I'll miss the whole show and end up having to stay up all night watching Glorious on DVD to get my Izzard fix.

Treasures on Rural Roads

2007-03-18T23:16:00.000-04:00

I was squealing. I was giggling. I was dancing. I was having a good day. The monkey on the bike seemed to steal it though.

And all around her as she rode there seemed to be a bit of an "awww" feeling peeking through the clouds' grey underbellies. Twas if the sky knew it was sunday.

My antiquing adventure helped inspire me to start yanking together swapping packages. Quite literally: Pulling. Flailing. Paper was flying all over the room, I kid you not.

And all the day long the girls calmly encircled themselves in and around the heat as should be done on a day in which it is in such short supply.

Par Avion

2007-03-17T11:59:00.000-04:00

A very special girl in a far away land was sent a surprise today in the beak of bird - par avion. And this, "Tallest Tree", a new limited edition print by one good bumblebee .

Re-Visited

2007-03-15T02:00:00.000-04:00

A Brief Synopsis of What Was Missed :

A. Unequipped to take on a real dachshund at this time, Ella & her mum get the brass version that I, umm, have occasionally been caught speaking to at Target in the past.

B. Beautiful Postcards floated in from Canada courtesy of Melanie. Ma carte postale illustrée préféré:

C. Beckra sent me my first batch of tiny paper. The presentation was fabulous! Compartmentalized on grid paper fits my very particular sensibilities to a "T".

D. Latest installment of objects found to have fallen off my walls after being on them for an inordinate period of time:

E. Regarding the Felines:

1. The Unnatural Source of Heat is Acknowledged:

2. Retreat to Safer Ground is Considered:

3. Upon Reconsideration a Nap is Decided Upon & the Intrusive Photographer is Asked to Remove Herself From the Premises Immediately:

Not Happy

2007-03-13T13:31:00.001-04:00

My whole post was lost. Trend Micro just had to tell me about a virus that it found. And it apparently decided to no longer multitask. I was just about to publish too. Part of it was about a boy. That's right, a Barnes & Noble checkout boy talked to me. Granted he was paid to do it but I was still pleasantly surprised. Oh well. Here's the shortest bit that I can bear to re-type before I fall asleep on the keyboard:

Call it Daylight Savings Time, call it the raging headache, I call it a miracle that I actually got to see blue skies while leaving work yesterday. (You should have seen the paragraph before that - it was funny!)

Singing and Signs

2007-03-11T01:22:00.001-05:00

During tonight's ride home the car was not filled with voices from the past but voices from my Zen pumping admittedly a bit too loudly from my rear speakers so as to maximize the joy of belting along. No radio station could provide nearly as much pleasure as I derive from revving up for a long day at work with JB & KG, riding along with Ellis Paul's 3,000 miles and driving through the rain wishfully singing Snow is Gone with Josh Ritter. To wind down on the way home I happily sing with Tracy Bonham "This damn bean won't jump for you anymore..." and giggle when I realize my Zen has done it again. The soundtrack of my life has played the perfect song while I whiz past the former residence of a very stupid boy indeed. I pull into the garage with Stephen Kellogg crooning to me to keep him in my thoughts, and this I can assure you will not prove to be a difficult task. (sigh.)

It's 12:45 am and once again, too late (early?) to pick up my guitar. Singing for 20-30 minutes on my way home always makes me want to make more. However, there is nothing more frustrating than being in the middle of a verse, deep in a note: resonating and full. You open your mouth to proceed to the next, and you yawn. Ruins the entire mood I can promise you that. I have disappointed myself more than once on that count. So the guitar has been brought out for an honorary photo session and has been lovingly placed back into it's bag ready to play another day (I emphasize the word "day")

(Ella returning to the scene of the crime read on for details...)

This I feel is worth noting:

First of all Cary Grant just fell off the wall upstairs when I went up there to photograph the guitar and nearly knocked my block off. This could be a sign from above. He has been up on that wall since before I can remember.Obviously so because I can't remember when I put him up there. This we will keep in mind while we ponder the next potential sign.

When very young my numbers were assessed by a relative of mine and written down on a sheet of paper. I acquired said sheet of paper many years ago and periodically move it from random location to location never knowing where it was yet it always seemed to pop up, among college term papers, paid bills, unused stationary, toilet paper, etc. My stock in this piece of paper has ebbed and flowed over the years but yesterday I believe I received a definite sign from somewhere about something. The piece of paper had somehow come out of my desk drawer straight into Ella's commode which is discreetly tucked underneath said desk. (All furniture has been placed feng "ell"-esqe. If the cat can be accommodated in anyway, then it is so.) In any case I had run back up to the room to grab my glasses, so as to protect other innocent licensed drivers out on the road that morning, and walked into find my fate laying face down in a box of kitty dung.

And here we find the suspect in her warm hideout (yet again). I believe she would be thumbing her nose at the authorities had she any opposable thumbs, but instead she opted for the classic stuck out tongue move. Very classy indeed.

The Jolly Postman Delivers

2007-03-09T21:18:00.000-05:00

I believe I could very well be the happiest swapper on swapbot on this particular day, for today, my very first swap package arrived in the mail. Step one of course was to photograph the momentous occasion - package as of yet unopened as shown above (with all addresses and names discreetly covered so as to protect all innocent swappers in so forth and in as much involved)

Postcards were sent to me all the way from the Rocky Mountains and my swapping partner was super sweet and gave me a bonus card from her home state. If I had stumbled upon the other cards out and and about I would have snatched them up for myself, it's as I had my own personal shopper! What can I say? Receiving my very first swap package, after an incredibly long week (with the knowledge that is not yet over) made me down right giddy. I think my antics were captured best by the great Steve Martin as Navin in the 1979 blockbuster hit The Jerk: "The new phone book's here! The new phone book's here!"

In other news Ella & Misha remain in the same spot we left them a little less than a month ago today. I would not worry so - only that their location is situated next to a heating vent located on a wall at flank height. I'm worried their skin may begin to see the effect of a month's long exposure to a constant heat source. We will keep an eye on this to see how the situation develops.

Familiar Voices

2007-03-06T23:59:00.000-05:00

One benefit to making my way home late at night is the joy of tuning into old time radio programs on NPR. I joined Suspense just as the question was posed:"Why'ja do it, Dickie? Why'ja do it?" and pulled into the garage not long after Albert & Ethel's pet pooch had been pleaded with to eat via long distance phone lines while they were off on a tour of the Grand Canyon. Listening to the old scratchs & crackles and telling musical interludes of "The Theater of the Mind" (as the announcer likes to call it) always takes me back to the way home from our shopping trips to the city, listening to Fibber Magee & Molly, Jack, Mary & Kenny, the Great Gildersleeve, Burns & Allen or Ozzie & Harriett, while riding in the back seat of the family van curled up underneath my father's long, warm dress coat.

I put my blank postcards out in the mail today for my swap which goes by the same name. We'll see how quickly the jolly postman is able to deliver them through all this wind and snow.

Day Off

2007-03-05T20:43:00.000-05:00

I caught my clothes red handed with the phone up to their collar, the phone book hanging out the sleeve open to the Wardrobe Abuse Hotline. On closer inspection I found that nearly all their garment siblings formerly housed in their respective cubbies & drawers had run away from home, some making it only to the floor below the hanging linen IKEA closet on the wall, while other more adventurous ones (most likely the teenagers of the bunch) had packed their duffels and wandered all the way out into the laundry room to be found in, around and among various pieces of furniture where they absolutely did not belong! Young clothes like these should be at home with their family! Quite obviously emergency action was required. Yesterday, I took a day off from work. This followed a very long 20 day stint at the office. I have never enjoyed folding laundry so much. The cleaning was not for me however, as always it quite obviously occurs for the cat's benefit. Ella gets especially excited when her mother turns the bed down; plenty of rolling in and among flying bedsheets. Both clean and those smelling of more than a few nights' sleep (admittedly this, I believe, is how she favors them). I also organized her ribbon collection as you can see above. I found all the velvets at the International Quilt Show in Houston this past fall which I went to with my sister & my mum.

The evening was spent in my immaculate room cutting up tiny pieces of paper for my aptly named "Tiny Paper Scraps" swap.

Yesterday was better than today. Today, I got stuck in a drift, in the middle of the road, in a whiteout.

When I crawled out however I received word that the little wings that I pasted onto the package to Portugal flapped hard enough to carry it all the way across the sea to Manela's doorstep. This makes me very very happy and is enough to take the chill away from the blusteriest day we've seen in quite some time in these parts.

Adhesive

2007-03-03T23:45:00.000-05:00

There's some sort of adhesive which has adhered my bum feathers to my chair at work. My purse has been flung around me messenger style weighing down my left side for about 20, no make that 45 minutes now begging me to take it home. Something about the freedom of these quiet minutes in the office, the sounds of the late night street through the window, the noteable absence of any ringing or talking, just seems too sweet to abandon. But if I indulge myself in blog peeking any longerI may just find myself waking up to an understandably inquisitive boss in the morning. My bed situated around a warm Ella kitten curled up wherever she deems appropriate sounds much more appealing than a pile of wet drool on, I don't what is this? I guess fake wood is the best description of my working space. I don't know. Maybe there's some wood composite in there somewhere. I promised a picture always - when I walked into the last quilt shop I was in I asked if they had any Denyse Schmidt. After the ladies all conferred and decided that, no they didn't have any, I was asked, "so, is she a quilter?" At any rate these are from her Flea Market Fancy line. Goes unsaid I suppose that I love her.

The Re-Unveiling

2007-02-27T00:32:00.001-05:00

As promised:

Manela's matchboxes with beads, buttons, brads, fabric & bobbin (to go with her new sewing machine), monogrammed hankie - with plenty of "M"s and music...she likes traditional folk music so I thought she might enjoy listening to some of my favorite modern american folk music...I've been singing it alone in my car for too long...

Closeup of the tinier matchboxes after they got filled a wee bit more - couldn't resist

Doll Askance

2007-02-26T20:58:00.000-05:00

I've been a bit sideways all day. Wet legs and your last pair of stockings - a sunny day at the park do not make. Not to mention the fact that I was trying to hide the run on the bottom of my foot...a bit of a tall order when you find a scuff to adjust onto the other heel...in the end I walked out of the bathroom a bit like a madame alexander doll whose legs had been experimented on by a pip of a girl learning about joint movement and just how far she make them go until they - oops I think I just popped it out mum...

Speaking of Mums, mine found a great website with french flea market treasures from which this paper doll came from...what I wouldn't give to find myself in a french flea market right now. Or any flea market actually. I don't know though...I've been to some pretty bad flea markets...perhaps I'm better off at work...

At lunch I hobbled down to the post office and sent my very first swap package winging it's way across the sea to Manela (I was told to walk across land would take it an extra 3 to 5 weeks and add to the exhaustion). I took more pictures of everything last night during all my finalizing (I kept reopening and rearranging and adding and changing and oh my goodness I really hope she likes everything) - and will upload them later.

Wee Beak

2007-02-23T22:59:00.000-05:00

A wee bitty sparrow dropped in keep Mum company while her other sparrow was away...

Wee Hour

2007-02-22T02:29:00.000-05:00

Just returning from work. No my commute is quite short actually. Would like to show you what the swap package looks like, but am too tired to photograph it at this moment. Will try tomorrow night. Oh my, I should have dusted the clock...marvels of modern zooming like action technology...

And though not tonight, this watched over my car until I left another wee night not unlike this night...