I'm Not Pregnant...Yet

So, what is with the "Hi! I'm pregnant summer fashions? It is driving me insane. The majority of the female population are not hip-less 12 year olds. Even the models look preggers. I keep seeing the style everywhere. Grr. Hello! I have a waist! I'd like to not look pregnant. I'd like to show off my curves, isn't that why I workout everyday and deny myself all my favorite foods, just so I don't look fat? Sigh.

Maybe it is just baby lust. I feel surrounded by babies or mothers to be and I want to be one. Time goes by so slowly. Things are still in line for starting to try in January, but that seems so far away. But until then, do I want to look pregnant? NO!! Of course by the time I am pregnant, will I be able to find this type of clothing? With my luck, no. Maybe I should buy a bunch when they go on sale, so to have them next summer when (I hope) to be preggers.

I'm doing the Once Upon a Time Challenge.

Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings has issued a reading challenge.

The Challenge as issued by Carl:

"Once Upon a Time…all the great ones begin that way, don’t they? At least in our
recollection? Hearkening back to childhood, those four words represent the
foundation upon which story is built. In that same way, these four types of
story, Mythology, Folklore, Fairytale, and Fantasy, form the very foundation of
storytelling itself. It is from the roots of these genres that our latest
challenge grows...."

He has offered up 4 Quest of varying difficulty...I am accepting Quest 1. Which is to read at least 5 books from any for the 4 genre.

I'm an avid reader of that type of book anyway, so it shouldn't be too hard. I've been looking at the other player's choices for suggestions and books I haven't read before. I'm having a tough time choosing, so...

My book choices:

Mythology:

1. American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Folklore:

1. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Fairytale:

1. Stardust by Neil Gaiman

2. Widdershins by Charles de Lint (I love Charles de Lint, this one is already on my library request list.)

3. Tithe by Holly Black

4. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

5. Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan

Fanatsy:

1. Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip

2. Eldest by Christopher Paolini

3. Greywalker by Kat Richardson

4. Something Rotten by Jasper Fford (I've read the others and love the cheekiness of them)

I think I've chosen enough books for now. This should last me until June. If not, I'll be sure to add more!

I Am the Empress

You are The Empress
Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.
The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents, beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.
The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Yea! the Monkey Shower was a hit!

I am so, so glad the Sewing marathon for the baby shower is over. My sewing room is trashed (and the rest of my house), I haven's cooked dinner for my Zalebaby in two weeks. So tonight is dinner of his choice. But I digress, I want to show you what I've been doing. Heat's Shower had a jungle theme and she is doing the baby's room around a monkey picture. So, as part of the shower committee, I was delegated to making the favors. Which I never did get a picture of. Sorry. I made animal print pocket tissue covers, I put trim on the edges of mine, but they basically looked like these. Thank you Stardust Shoes!

So, one day I was hanging out with the father to be, and he started talking about the barrel of Monkeys game. Then I got the bright idea to make a foam barrel and some monkey's for the baby's room. It was a great idea, but the making of it, oh dear, somebody shoot me please! I hand sewed the whole dang thing. Now that I've finished it, if I had to make another I think I could manage to sew it on the machine. I think. But I am not making another. Not anytime soon.

Here is my barrel with a store bought monkey. I finished the barrel at midnight the night before the shower. I did make a monkey for the barrel, but at midnight, he was still in several pieces in my sewing room. I never want to work with that fabric again. I wound up making the monkey twice....I had to hand baste everything, the fabric was that fluid. Grr! Here is my Monkey at 2am. I think he is really cute. Annoying to make, but cute and cuddly.Now I have to show you what my friend Elliwati made. Too funny! Heat laughed her head off. Way to go Elli! My friend Michele also made a monkey. She borrowed her 8 year old daughter's bratz sewing machine to do the job. Heat promptly named him Floyd the Lesson Monkey (don't drink and sew) what you can't tell by the picture is Floyd has no stuffing in his neck, so his head flops around when you carry him.

I also was in charge of making a diaper cake. That was a first for me. I used 250 or so diapers, size 2, 6 yards of ribbon (I had just enough- which is why the top bow is so small) and an extra set of arms to help hold the diapers in place while I adjusted and tied the ribbon. Thanks Joh and Amy!
My next project is to rearrange my sewing room and make something to wear during my cruise in May. What to make....hmm. I don't know what, but it will be fun! (I'll take suggestions! What should I wear on the cruise?)

My 1st Swap

When it rains, it pours. I'm not talking about the weather, I'm talking about my time management skills, which are poor. I've been wanting to do a swap, I kept seeing the cool things others do in the craft blogger world and I wanted to join them. So...I found Swap-bot and signed up for a swap. The Handmade Bookmark Swap. I signed up in early February, then had to wait until the end of the month to see who my partners were. It seemed to take forever. Then in the first week of March I got my partners. That is when it started raining. I looked at the calendar. The bookmarks need to be Mailed by the 10th and on the 17th is Heats baby shower (for which I had/have huge amounts of sewing to do) Ack! Alas and alack. So I kicked my butt in gear and got the bookmarks finished and mailed out on the 9th. I had two partners and each one got a sewn paper bookmark and a quilted bookmark. For a little something extra I included a handmade note pad to each lady. I got the idea for the notepads at my house is cuter than yours! Mine are a variation on the theme, but I really hope they like them. (and my bookmarks!) I had fun making them.







This is what I received from crochetoholic debb a lovely crocheted pink rosette bookmark and a fun pink bookmark that has a sweet poem on the other side. Also a Leprechaun Pin (I'm going to wear it to the baby shower) some green tea (long gone now! yum!) and a really cool card. It is going to be cut out and go on my Christmas tree this winter.

From my other partner, Denise I received 4, count them 4 bookmarks. Each one a treasure. I really liked her metal stamping. Way cool. She also included a neat multi media handmade card. I shouldn't forget the dum-dum. (also long gone!) She sent her bookmarks in a cool sleeve to protect them.

I am so pleased with everything I got in my swap. I can't wait to do it again. I just need to get past this weekend, then clean up my sewing room before I can sign up for another. Nothing has been more annoying that look for all of my supplies. I hadn't unpacked them from the move, so I don't know where everything is. This will be remedied next week!

I read, do you?

I love to read, so I thought I'd give this a go:

A fun, literary-themed meme, courtesy of Rancid Raves.

In the list of books below:
- blue the ones you’ve read
- purple the ones that are your personal favorites
- italicize the ones you want to read
- red the ones you won’t touch with a ten-foot pole (I didn't do do this - never say never, right?)
- put a cross (+) in front of the ones on your book shelf
- and asterisk (*) the ones you’ve never heard of.

If you decide to join the fun and play along, let me know in the comments!

1. +The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. +Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)--
5. +The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. +The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. +The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. +Anne of Green Gables (L. M. Montgomery)
9. +Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. +Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. +Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. +Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. *A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. +Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. +Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. *Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. +Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger)
23. +Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. *The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. +Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. +The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. +The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. *Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. +Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. *The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. *I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. *The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. *The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. *The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. *The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. +Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. *Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. *She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. +Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. +The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. *The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. +Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. +The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) -
62. +The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. +Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. *Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. +The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)-
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. +The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. *The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. *The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. *Not Wanted On the Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbecck)
83. *Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)--
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)--
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)--
87. *Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. *The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. *Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. *Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. *In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. *The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)--
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S. E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. *A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)--

Slutbomb

When I grow-up, I want to be a slutbomb.

Thank you to Erin at A Dress A Day for the word. Slutbomb, it is my new favorite word. Not just a slut, but a slutbomb, the Marilyn Monroe, the Jennifer Lopez, the Charo of the slut world. I’d love to be one of those. Not a husband/boyfriend stealing woman. But to be a woman hot enough to turn heads when I walk by, to make other woman froth at the mouth with envy. That is what I want to be. Sigh, what a lovely fantasy! It is going to stay a fantasy because I don’t have the drive/willpower do make it a reality, I don’t want to spend all my free time in the gym and I don’t have the willpower to give up fresh bread. Not to mention the money to get a boob job.

I am willing to take some steps in the slutbomb direction. I’ve been reading The Grrl Genius Guide to Life by Cathryn Michon. Which is a super funny book about realizing your own greatness as a female. So, if I want to be a slutbomb, if I believe I am a slutbomb, I will be a slutbomb. All I need to do is stop worrying about the extra 10 lbs I am caring and act as if I am the hottest thing in the room, I will start getting the reaction I want, which will cause me to feel like I am a slutbomb, without the perfect hard body and size D cups. It’s the old confidence makes a sexy woman routine, and I am willing to give it a try. I AM going to give it a try. No, make it, I AM going to do it! I am a grrl genius! Here me purr sexily!