This is my 100th post! Yay for me!

Sunday I did the craft sale at St. James Civic Centre. I think it went well. I had a good time I made enough to go to Micheal's and get my punch for business cards. If my co-worker does indeed purchase my scarf like she has said she will then i will have enough to buy the stamp that I've been coveting off etsy...

I saw a lot of beautiful crafts that were being sold for way too little. It was sad. I wish crafters would realize the value of their work. I saw such a variety of items as well. Magnets and cards and clips and bags and hats and dolls and towels, the items people had went on and on. I was also amazed by how much stock people had for their tables. Dozens of hats and scarves and mitts all in different colours and styles. I learned the importance of business cards and having that variety in your stock. I also realize that craft shows are not the way to make money. All you want to do is spend all your profit! It took great self control not to run around and buy everything.

On the horizon I have some orders for dishcloths. 12 of them! Yes, 12!!! I'm going to get busy on those.

This week I have been preparing for a craft show. I have a pre-order for 3 slippers (2 adults & 1 baby). Tonight I made the price tags and everything is in the box ready to go tomorrow. I still have to finish up one of the baby booties and find my shelf and covering for the table. Oh, and I need change. I guess Steve will be in charge of that tomorrow (tee hee--way to make him involved). If I have time I also want to finish up a tea cozy that I started making months ago but lost interest.

So wish me luck for tomorrow. I hope to make some money so I can purchase a cutter to make business cards and a customized stamp for my business cards. That's my goal.

I Would Die For You - Jann Arden

This beautiful song takes me back to that night standing in Paul's empty apartment, days after he had left his wife and moved in to the tiny space so we could be together.

I had discovered my love for Jann Arden during round 1 of mine and Paul's relationship. I listened to her a lot during those first two and a half years we went out. We parted, he got married to another woman, and I waited. Dunno why, but I did. Probably had to do with self-esteem issues. One year later we were fooling around and then we were suddenly in a relationship again. It was very overwhelming but something that I thought I wanted. For years I thought that.

Anyways...I remember that moment of that night in his empty new apartment, furnished with old car seats and a mattress on the floor. I had that CD playing and we were slow dancing and he held my face in his hands and looked at me for a long time. He didn't say anything until I broke that moment. We stopped dancing and he said, "You know I couldn't hear any of her music without crying when we weren't together."

I know I shouldn't have, but I felt glad. Happy. Vindicated that he had not spent our time apart in a state of bliss. I was pleased that I made such an impact on this man's life. & especially pleased that even a marriage could not keep us apart.

I had so much to learn from that moment on.

We are still potty training (but nearly done now! yippee!).

After every poo on the toilet he gets a a smartie. this is how the conversation goes:

andrew: andrew gets a smartie.
me: yes, because you pooed in the toilet
andrew: does andrew get 2 smarties?
me: ok, you did a BIG poo and get 2 marties.
andrew: does andrew get ALL the smarties?

always.

ps. he always refers to himself in the third person. sometimes he replaces andrew with 'your little boy'. it's adorable. "mommy! your little boy is hungry".

I love making Dishcloths. I love the simplicity, the beauty, the colours, the sizes, the variety. I love working with the cotton. I espeically love the variegated cotton. I think it looks so pretty and bright. I always think of warm sunny days when I see all the different colour combinations.

I started crocheting Dishcloths about 5 years ago. When I was a novice crocheter they were about the only project that I could ever finish. Now I like them because it is a good way to try out new stitches and patterns. If you're not sure how to make a cluster stitch or a double treble crochet then a dishcloth is the perfect way to try it out. It's even more appropriate if you're not sure if you would be able to read say, a diamond pattern for a larger project. Try it out with a dishcloth! If worse comes to worse you just unravel a dozen short rows and pick another pattern. Crochet Pattern Central has loads to choose from or if you want you can make your own. It's easy enough to do. Just pick a stitch and away you go.
I always give dozens as Christmas gifts every year. It's become 'my' thing now. My grandma claims she has too many now and my friends get upset if they don't get a pair at Christmas. So far this year I haven't been crocheting any. I haven't had time...and my crocheting skills and ability to read patterns have both drastically improved so I've been making slippers and hats and bags and other more complicated items. But when I get frustrated with a pattern or don't know what to make next, I always return to the Dishcloth. :)

I hope you enjoy the pictures. Cheers!

This week felt very busy, but as I sit here trying to think of something to write I can't think of anything of note.

• On Thursday and Friday me and Andrew walked home from daycare (well I walked and Andrew rode in the wagon). That is a good 45 minute walk! I figure we'll walk home as much as possible for a) it snows b) it gets frigging cold and c) he doesn't fit in the wagon anymore.
• I have an 'order' for 3 slippers! One of my facebook friends (a girl from high school that I haven't seen in years) saw my pictures and asked me to make her some pairs! I am so pleased with myself.
• I believe that Andrew is toilet trained now. He still has some accidents, but not many. I am so pleased that he caught on as fast as he did and that his daycare group leader was so awesome in the process. I was so thankful that I crocheted her a hat that matches Andrew's. Now they're hat twins.
• I have a cold. It's not getting better and I'm living of DayQuil an NyQuil. I hope it gets better.
  

I made these slippers on the weekend from this pattern. They are nice and RED and made from a very thick and sturdy yarn. I really enjoy making the popcorn stitch too. They fit my feet so I know they are quite large. I plan on making some more of these in a variety of sizes and colors.
I've also been working on my picture taking. I took about 25 pictures and these are the best out of the lot. I'm not even too keen on this last picture. The first one is definitely my favorite.

Egads! I just realized there's only 70 days to Christmas. I've gotta get Christmassing.

I'm really not feeling focused this year about what all I'm making even though I've made lists and charts and diagrams.

I made some slippers (one pair for myself, one pair for Andrew, and one pair for the craft sale or Christmas). I made a scarf...but then didn't finish it. *sigh*

Hit me with some motivation and some focus....now.

I think for the rest of this week I'll work on my scrap-ghan and maybe make a snowflake or two and if I feel real stuck I'll make a dishcloth. Dishcloths always make me feel better.

This song takes me back to latter half of 2003.

Living on Lipton Street in the West End with Erin. The neighborhood had definite ghetto tendencies and instead of crying we would laugh and sing this song. It kept us sane as the neighbor dealt drugs out of his back door, the neighbor on the other side had 6 dogs that barked all through the day and all through the night, and the ghetto insulation that I created for the back door.

"On a cold and gray Chicago mornin'/A poor little baby child is born/In the ghetto/
And his mama cries/'cause if there's one thing that she don't need/it's another hungry mouth to feed/In the ghetto"

Andrew sees me crocheting all the time and demands that I make him various items. He especially remembers that last year I crocheted 2 hats for him. Often I ignore his requests or tell him what I'm making is for grown ups and he loses interest right away.

Last week he started in on the 'make me a hat mommy' routine and I have to admit that I caved. I finished the scarf I was working on and starting in on making him a variation of this hat pattern. I made him a similar one last year that matched his winter coat. I wanted to make one this year that matched his Fall Jacket. I think it turned out pretty good.

As soon as I finished it he wanted to put it on and got very excited every time i tested out the size on his head while I was still working on it.

The original pattern doesn't have the ear flaps, it has the brim instead but I remembered from last year that the brim made it too bulky for such a little head and I wanted something that would keep his little ears warm.

I get to show you guys the pictures of the hat and scarf but it's also a good time to show off my little boy.

appreciate what you have


after watching this i realize that today i am thankful for my fridge, having a bank account, and my bachelor of arts.

Another internet friend of mine is being featured on ETSY.

Thistledown & Finch has a great article on the Storque about how she takes Vintage Suits and turns them into wonderful mens wallets and bags.

Thistledown & Finch explains part of the process involved in (re)creating her gorgeous wallets, "the existing curves and seams make the design process an intuitive one. Not only is the fabric long off the market, but the motion dictated by individual cuts contributes to making each piece unique."


Not only does Thistledown & Finch have amazing creative talent she also shows her love and concern for the Earth in her brand of 'craftivism'. T & F explains:

"The exportation of our discarded clothing, as opposed to domestic re-use, contributes not only to dissolution of long-standing textile traditions in economically vulnerable cultures, but also to dependency situations which would take much longer to reverse than they did to establish. The transportation of these goods, by air, land, and sea, also creates copious greenhouse emissions which could be easily be reduced, were an effort made by each of us to step up and exercise restraint in our buying habits.

Supporting small-scale artisans, working in recycled materials, providing upcycled goods of high quality which will last longer than the season — these actions affect the local community, the country, and the continent. And further, as with any of our actions, our actions have ramifications which affect everyone: the whole world."

My house is pretty chilly right now. We resisted turning the heat on as long as we could. I turned it on this afternoon (after a week of it being between 3 and 7 degrees outside) but have set it to only go on when the inside house temperature goes under 18 degress celsius. I figure that's a good compromise.

The laminate floor has been so chilly and my feet have been so cold and since I refuse to wear socks until it snows I decided to crochet some slippers. I've tried making slippers before, but they never seem to work for me. They stretch or end up warped. Last year I had decided not to make any more...but my feet have been so chilly. I started making these last night and finished early this afternoon. They feel tight for now and I hope they don't stretch. My feet are currently toasty warm!


Andrew watched me crochet the slippers and now he wants a pair. I went on crochet pattern central and I'm going to attempt these slippers for him. I hope they work. He'll like them even if they're not perfect. That's the beauty of having children. :)

Cheers!

PS. These slippers are upcycled because they are made from used yarn. I picked it up at a second hand store a few weeks back.

PPS. Can someone tell me if these pictures are ETSY worthy?

This week at life....

• I got my Performance Review today. I didn't even know it was coming. It's only...oh....7 months late (it's backdated to March 31st of last yer). However, despite the tardiness, I was and am quite pleased by it. It said lots of nice things about me. I am even more pleased because it is the first evaluation I have had done since 2001ish. It will be nice to have something to put in my portfolio.
• Right after I signed my review, Head Office phone to complain about me. It was very surreal. I immediately admitted my mistake (because I knew I was wrong), but it wasn't enough! this woman was grilling me for information related to my job! It definitely upset me, especially when she phoned my supervisor to complain about me more! Thankfully, my supervisor didn't even seem fazed and realized that their ruse was really to just send back work they didn't want to do and to get one of us to do it.
• The crazy co-worker that I was working with has retired. Today was her last day! I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
  
• I'm avoiding writing my competency statements.
• I'm worried about Sunday School. I don't seem really that into it or know especially what I'm doing.
• Tomorrow I'm going for lunch with my work email buddy. We are both very excited. I don't think we get out much.

as of today all the utility bills and the credit card bills have been paid in full. i'm feeling pretty darn proud that the hydro bill is sitting at zero. ditto with shaw and the water bill. who knew that paying bills could make me feel this good and proud and accomplished.

i took gails advice and i sit down twice a month now and pay the bills. i plan to make a schedule of what bills are due when and then go about paying them on those days that they are due (or a few days before) rather then going 'OMG, did i forget to pay the hydro bill and what did we spend the hydro money on????' repeatedly throughout the year.

last year we did not start the winter with a clear hydro bill. it quickly become enormous and impossible to pay. last winter it reached 500, 600, even 700 dollars. i am determined not to let that happen this year.

Captain, we are ready to face the winter.

Killing In The Name -- Rage Against The Machine

Everytime I hear this song, all I can think of is Halloween 1999 (?). I was dressed as a hippy. I had flowers in my hair and in between silliness at Reece's party we went to the Die Maschine and danced in the cage until closing time.

On our way to the Die Maschine, a devil accosted Andrea and I remember Kit stayed behind and got to know Cory's Girlfriend.

I remember it was 'live to air' at the bar and I requested this song (& Gold dust Woman by Hole--but the guy had no clue what that was). I must have looked quite the sight--a hippy dancing to Rage.

'some of those that burn crosses--are the same that run forces.'

"there is one path for all, but each must walk it in their way"

for years i've had problems with goals. i used to be very good at ignoring my lack of follow through. recently, my quasi-add has really become more noticeable and has begun (i think) to affect my future.

the advent of my blog(s) has made me recognize my shortcomings in this area of personal development. we worked on goals in the portfolio course and of course it was a tough thing for me to work on and elucidate. i'm all over the place. one minute i want to go back to school and take my master's degree. another minute i want to work in a funeral home (long story). or i want to stay at home with andrew and work on my crafting business. it goes on and on for me. sometimes it feels like if i make a goal (ie. to make a post on my blog every day or exercise so many minutes a day) then it's the very next day that it all falls apart. how do i stop this? are my goals too vague? too specific? too unrealistic? too random? too everything?

i have worked on some stuff, and i thought i'd share it.

Craft Corner

In six months to 1 year I will have opened an Etsy Shop and created and launched a website for my business. I will also have researched owning a small business.

In 1 to 2 years I will have achieved 100 sales and instructed classes on how to make the plarn bags and frog a sweater. I will have also written a business plan for success!

As a long term goal (5 years plus) I will be on the road to doing this as my full time business.

In The Now Career

In six months to 1 year I will have completed my portfolio and identified which areas I am interested to pursue as full time employment (this includes recognizing any education or training I might need, any practical experience that I will need to gain, and a plan on how to go about the achieving the above).

At this point I am hesitant to make any more goals until I really know what I want to do. I wish to pray and meditate more on this subject. I want to ask God how I should be discerning.

Money Matters

In six months to 1 year we will have completely eliminated the need to use the overdraft. We will have well established our emergency fund and will have well established a fund to be used for big ticket items (ie. car repairs and house repairs.) We will not use credit anymore.

In 3-4 years well will be consumer debt free. We will have paid off our credit cards, car loan, and consolidation loans. We will also have begun an aggressive Retirement savings plan for Steve as well as myself.

Gail talks a lot about being financially fit--and in this area this is my long term goal--to be truly financially fit. We will maintain our lifestyle of not having or incurring debt, by being prepared with savings that will cover a variety of issues. We will be on a plan to pay off our mortgage quite early (20 years vs. 40 years).

Healthy Living Bandwagon

This is probably the hardest section to write. I make promises to myself all the time. Every minute of every day I am waging a war with my insides about what to eat and how to move and when to weigh myself.

In six months to 1 year exercise will become a part of my daily routine. Just as I surf the internet and watch tv, taking a walk or doing aerobics will become like that.

In 1 to 2 years I will run a 5KM race. I will have learned to run and will be healthy enough to run that distance for that length of time.

As a long term goal I will run a half marathon.

These goals need to be re-evaluated every month I think. I need to stay focused, I need to be checking in to ensure I am still on track and breaking large goals down into smaller, more manageable ones. If I accomplish a goal early, I also need to remember to set another goal to fill it's place! I don't want to not have a path to walk.

I need to recognize and appreciate the fact that things will change and my goals might change as well. Life is fluid. Nothing is set in stone.

Jehovah Shalom.

I blogged about de-cluttering a few weeks back. I have been working on it slowly, but surely. I get such a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment when I make something nice and orderly.

Here is my list and what i've accomplished:

THE PLAN OF ATTACK -- Update (green being a good update and red being a not so good update)

* KITCHEN - CUTLERY DRAWER: somehow all the cutlery that i had in a box stored in the basement got unpacked by a certain husband and dumped into the cutlery drawer. now it's overflowing and nothing fits. i need to get rid of about 100 spoons. Update: Cutlery drawer is good to go. It is so nice not having it overflow and become a huge pile. Pleased to say, this was a success.

* LIVING ROOM - ENTERTAINMENT UNIT: our movies and tv shows are out of control. nothing has cases and there's CDs mixed up everywhere. got to get a system of some kind. Updated: Discs are organized! They are in cases with labels and not piled everywhere. Music is with music, movies with movies, tv shows with tv shows, and andrew's stuff all in one case.

* BATHROOOM - UNDER THE SINK: just needs to be cleaned out and the old stuff thrown out and maybe a nice basket for everything to sit in. Update: I started this and there really wasn't all that much under the sink...it was just thrown haphazardly made to look like a junk pile. i have now identified that I don't need to buy tampons for about a year because I found 5 boxes. Everything is in a basket now.

* 3RD BEDROOM - COMPUTER DESK: is a crazy mess of tiny little pieces of receipts. 'nuff said. Updated: I cheated on this one and got the hubster to clean it off. He did a good job.

* ANDREWS BEDROOM - HIS CLOTHES: we sort through them every couple months and still somehow they end up all crazy again days later. i hate little kid clothes. seriously. Update: Haven't even started. :( Although we are working on containing his clothes to his bedroom.

* MASTER BEDROOM - OUR CLOTHES: need to take out old and not worn clothes. same as always. Update: Negatory on this one too. Although we are working very hard at putting the clothes away after laundering them... This is helping...

* BASEMENT - SHELVING UNIT: it's a zoo down there. i think the animals rearranged when i wasn't looking. *sigh* Update: Even zooier. It's crazy down there.

* ANDREWS TOYS - these are strewn about the house and really we need to get rid of his infant toys and only have the ones he plays with. Updated: we started this. All his cars have been put in a bucket and put away for the minute. I put a bunch of toys that he's too old for and have them in a box ready to go to church to be donated to the nursery. There is still much to do though.

So, I figure it's not such a bad update. I've done five of the eight areas. I'll keep plugging away and probably identifying new areas that need help (ie. craft area).

So many decisions and so little time. 4Star wasn't cutting it. One of the lovely Hitched ladies used some cleverness and came up with Cucumber (cucumber being cool, upcycled, crocheted, unique, made with love, bargain, earth friendly & reused--fashionplanner is indeed a genius!). Pazzo, yet another fantastic Hitched poster even devised the best tagline ever! Green. Fresh. Crunchy.

I was inspired. I was driven. I was excited. I was making plans. I even made a whole post about all the steps to take to open the etsy store. And then whammo! Glitch.

What's the glitch you ask? Cucumber, is of course taken. I should have seen it coming. So is Cucumber Designs and Cucumbersome. Now, it's back to the drawing board.

I sat and thought about this last & today. I started to think of other things that were green and fresh and crunchy and not taken up as a name in Etsy. The hubster and I went through every green veggie we could think of...broccoli, zucchini (both vetoed due to spelling difficulties), celery, peppers, and on and on. In the end I could be made to love and appreciate celery as a name. i like the eeeee sound at the ending and I really like celery.

So far, I've thought of the following solutions:

• Sliced Cucumbers
• Cool as a Cuucumber
• Celery
• Celery Stalks
  

I've been saying this since...oh...last Christmas but I'm going to make it a reality. I am going to open an Etsy Store by taking the following steps:

• Research the Etsy Forums for steps to follow & ask on H and CA
  
• Make a banner
• Make a logo
• Write a shop announcement/description
• Write a shop profile
• Write shop policies
• register as a business with PayPal
• Improve Photography Skills
• Take Killer Photos
• Write Description of Listing
• Add Listing

Today was session 2 of my Portfolio Course. As with the last session I left feeling inspired and driven to do something--anything--to make a change in my life. I need to keep this sense of urgency outside of that course. Among other things we discussed values and value statements. A statement of values is essentially a mission statement as well as a personal philosophy. & while it is easy to say that I have values and strong ideas surrounding what is important to me, it is another thing to identify them as quantifiable and then to put them into words. I find it even harder to put them into words knowing that others and potential employers will be reading these and gaining insight into the depths of, well, me.

but here goes nothing,


I strive to maintain a healthy balance between my work and home life and value the importance of sustaining familial, community, and spiritual responsibilities

I work best when it is work I believe strongly in and provides me with moral fulfillment.

I seek an ethical workplace that recognizes the need for job security, respects diversity, and honors promotion from within by offering staff the opportunity to grow in responsibility, in part by ensuring supportive supervisors participate in information sharing and appropriate guidance.

I am committed to continuous learning and to being part of a harmonious work environment where all involved work effectively together.


& phew that was hard. That was a good hours worth of work to get those 4 statements. I think it is a good start. I'll let it sit for a few days and return to review.

Today I realized I am tired of separating all the parts of Carrie. There's so many boxes I keep. Church, friends, work, family, home, volunteer work. Being computer savvy, being well written (I hope), being spiritual, being crafty--why can't they all go together. Why do I keep them apart and far apart from each other?

Bah, maybe those statements are too righteous.