10 Things I'm Not Talking About

1. The fact that I haven't posted anything in a full week and that I haven't actually written anything in 13 days.

2. Unrest.

3. All the pictures I need to upload from my camera and then blog about. See, I have plans. But, I don't want to talk about them.

4. Lemon Ricotta Cookies. Yeah...a version of the Valentine's Ricotta Cookies.

5. How much I want Verizon to get the iPhone. Don't crush my dreams, which is why we're not discussing this.

6. Coffee. I don't know why, perhaps because I haven't had any yet?

7. The red, picked at, zit on my chin. If we were talking about it, I'd tell you it's name is Helga and she can't go away soon enough.

8. We're going to make a special trip to Chapel Hill for bologna. Bologna.

9. My back, it's sore, it hurts, it's tired. I need a massage.

10. Hank's need for attention.

PSA

Have you seen this?

Thoughts

I'm pondering.

• I'll say it 18,927 times: I love coffee. 
• People say things on facebook that they would never say in real life. I'm not sure it's necessary for you to be nasty to other people via fb status updates. Please and thank you. 
• Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate Butter Biscuit, you had me at hello.
• My design style is girly. Yes, I like pink and green and blue and bright colors and patterns that contain flowers and all that. I'm done apologizing for it. (I'll show you pictures of my room sometime...) I like it. That doesn't mean I don't like other things, but this is what is most me.
• My grandpa was in the hospital this week and it freaked me out. Seriously, I can't handle people in my family being sick or injured or not knowing what's going on in their bodies. I CAN'T HANDLE IT.  Does this mean I should live closer than 12 hours to my nearest family member? What does living closer look like for me? (And things are looking cautiously optimistic for him, but if you want to pray or send healing thoughts or anything, we would appreciate it.)
• THEN my younger brother called me and McPherson was in a tornado warning. Seriously? Tornados? Freaking out, people. Freaking out. 
• Am I making the right decisions? Am I making the wrong decisions? 
• I got a massage today and I got the crap beaten out of my back/shoulders. I'm so happy.
• I need new glasses. 
• In 12 days my brother, David, will be here. In 14 days (2 weeks!!) my friend, Emily will be here! I'm so excited! Whoo! Then we're going to Young Adult Conference through the Church of the Brethren in PA for the weekend where I will see Rach McF! EEEEEEeeeeeeee! 
• A few weeks ago I bought a Camelbak water bottle and I love it. It is attached to my hip. (Not literally.) 
• My phone died. Dead. Dead. Dead. And I lost every phone number that I had. Now I'm just hoping and praying that the iPhone comes to Verizon...please, oh please, oh please. 
• I watched Spanglish last night. I want to marry Adam Sandler's character.

I think I'm done for now.

I'm off to go to the library. Then to AAA to get my car worked on. Oh, how I love getting my oil changed, brakes checked and tires checked, the thrill of a lifetime. The thrill of a lifetime.

Speaking of Crafty...

What? You didn't know we were speaking about craftiness?

Well, we were.

And I made this:

I found a link to the directions over on Apartment Therapy, which took me to Holidash.

And as we all know, I don't follow directions well, so I did it myyyyyyyyyyyyyy way. (Who's singing?)

And by doing it my way, I'm really saying that I used hot glue rather than regular glue because when I tried it with regular glue all the petals kept uncurling. Boo! Hot glue is amazing.

(This is actually my second one...the first one is red and it's cute, but not as nice as this one. I made the first while watching Sixteen Candles and waffling between drooling over Jake Ryan and reminding myself that he's fictitious character...and being crafty. You just try to convince my mind that neither Jake Ryan or Gilbert Blythe will ever show up on my doorstep. I live in a constant state of delusion.)

So, I whipped this pretty little thing up in about 45 minutes and it cost a whopping $0.50 (or there abouts, mostly because a sheet of felt is cheap!) so I'm quite happy.

Now I'm wearing it and it looks cute!

I'd put one of these on a headband or on a hat or on a cardigan or on a shirt or on a necklace....so many possibilities!

Happy crafting!

Packages

You know how sometimes I'm freakishly crafty?

Like when I made all those Christmas presents?

I was particularly pleased with this pillow I made for my mom. I applique. It's just one of those things I can do.

Mah-ha-ha-ha-ha.

So, I'm thinking that if you knew the kind of person I come from you might "get me" a little more. Maybe?

This is mi madre:

 Yes, my mom and her dog, Daisy.

Well, I get into my quirky overly-crafty mode (hats, pillows, elaborately decorated cookies, etc, etc, etc) but I get it naturally. My mom is into paper-crafts.

You know like cards and things.

She's really into stamping. The rubber kind that are attached to wood blocks. When I say that she has an entire room dedicated to stamping, I am not exaggerating. I'm talking about thousands and thousands of stamps. Yards of ribbons. Hundreds of markers. Dozens of stamp pads. And a bazillion sheets of paper. Yes, a bazillion. In colors like Really Red, Certainly Celery, Gable Green, Only Orange, Always Artichoke, Elegant Eggplant...they're really into alliteration over at Stampin' Up!

Believe me. I've been to the parties. Crazy town. OOOH! A new color? Bermuda Bay? I love it! I need it! I must have it! OK, they're not really that weird. The ladies (and it's all women) are rather fun and there are always tasty snacks.

I came home the other day to a large box on the front porch for me! I love packages! We'd talked on the phone and my mom said that her Easter present was going to be late, so I was expecting a little something, but wait until you see what she made:

It's a little crate with little treat boxes! Yes, she put them together in their entirety. Bending and folding and cutting and gluing them out of a flat sheet of cardstock.

So cute!

And they have these teensy-tiny, itty-bitty clips on them to keep them from opening.

Because they're filled with m&m's and Cadbury Mini-eggs.

I love them.

She also made this:

Which was filled with coconut Hershey's Kisses. Until I ate them. All of them. Well, I still have a bag left, but don't tell my roommates.

Last but not least:

Even though the card says Easter, I think it was delightful to receive a spring package!

I'm trying to convince my mom to host parties to make this stuff when she retires from teaching. Don't you think people would love that? She could handle all the getting supplies part, organizing the paper/stamps/markers and patrons could come and make the cards and feel crafty too.

I'd run it, but I'd want at least 25% commission. Do you think that's too much? Plus I'd have to move back to Kansas.
( :

They're Brown and They're Tasty

Do you know what this is?

It's delicious.
It's amazing.
It's bangin'. 

It's a mocha brownie from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

That's right. And I highly recommend it.

What? You don't have Thee Pioneer Woman's Cookbook?

Well, git yerself one. Maybe someday I'll give one away...(Hint: foreshadowing)

Oh and I'm sorry I've been absent from your lives as of late. I just was feeling the need for a breather. Thanks for sticking around. I'm refreshed now!

Happy May!