It is not often in this crazy world that you find yourself in a truly satisfying friendship. It seems that the days of fast and true long term friendships are rather prehistoric. So, when you recognize you indeed have one, its a very good thing. Its comforting to know that regardless of the ups and downs and in betweens, there is still a shoulder, a set of ears and a pair of loving arms to hold you close or a smile and a whoop and holler to celebrate your victories and accomplishments. Its satisfying to know that though the distance may be long, and sometimes the opinions differed, you still have that connection, that common ground that bonds you through thick and thin. The ability to overlook ones imperfections, to lovingly remind you to get your head out of your ass, or to just be on the receiving end of a well deserved vent session are not something you can just stumble upon anymore.

Of all the relationships I’ve had, Michael and I had the most insane one, in every way. From the explosive way it started, to the wild and crazy adventures and even the tough times in the middle, to the sad and heart breaking way that particular chapter ended. We definately exlpored every spectrum and angle of a great deal of emotions. Now that the relationship has moved to a deep and true friendship, I find myself marvelling even more at the depth of our connection. Regardless of where we started and came from, and where we are now, I know that I will “have” him for a lifetime. I couldn’t be more happy to have such a relization, nor such a wonderful man in my life.

There are many things I have him to thank him for. My increased love of Country music, a really good double jack and coke and “Swamp Water”, long drives that spring up out of nowhere and with no particular plan intended, rain storms - even at the hurricane level, perseverence when all seems lost, the joys of completing a “quest”, the Atlantic Ocean, staying up till all hours of the night in a local Denny’s telling stories and drinking insane amounts of sweet tea, the joys of attending concerts, the beauty of touch, Iron Chef (the original!!), video games, slow dancing and Winnie the Pooh. Sure, I might have known and enjoyed some of these things before I knew him, but these are just a FEW of the things that have been greatly enhanced, explored and hold deep and true memories for me. They are the things that even today, spring up smiles and sometimes a giggle and my thoughts move to happy times when we were together.

There have been times I feared I would lose him. Not as a friend, but in a physical sense due to his ongoing medical battles. The tears I have shed, and that come to the surface even just thinking about it, scare me. The thought of not being able to talk with him, or even the mere thought that he is no longer “there”…its something I don’t know if I will ever be able to fathom. I’ve thanked the gods that I’ve not yet had to walk that path, and I am quite sure he is equally glad for that. I only bring this sad point into this ramble, to share with him the depth of my love for him, and to remind him how very much he means to me, and what an important role he plays in my life.

On this day, one of the most important people in my life, turns with the wheel, and welcomes a new year. I hate the fact that I cannot be closer, so that we can celebrate all we had, lost and have gained, to make a toast to damn good friendships, and recall things that only he and I might find funny. I am so grateful for you Michael. More than I probably express, even when we do chat nearly every day. You have stood by me, even during the worst of times. You are always there to listen, to love and to mentor. Your wisdom, your strength and your quirky sense of humor have never failed me. Ever. What this silly, compulsively illogical girl would do without you, is quite beyond me. I know that we will be like this, well…forever. Thank you for all you are, and never forget how much I love you. So have one for me, and enjoy this day. Your path might be confusing for now, but I know you have what it takes to go the distance. Make this year the one of adventure, hope and satisfying memories.

Happy Birthday, Gorgeous.

All my love,
Babydoll

The EarthPath Artisans Street Team (EAST) is having a Gypsy Design Challenge! Team members have taken their interpretation of what the word “Gypsy” conjures up for them, and created new pieces in a variety of media.

The purpose of this challenge is not to win prizes or compete with each other; rather, it’s a way to build team camaraderie and inspire us to explore new themes and stretch our creative muscles. And for the winner, it means a little extra attention from an adoring public! Winners will be posted on the blog and on Etsy.

So stop by the EAST Challenge page on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/earthpathchallenge/ to see pictures of the entries, and then go vote at the EAST blog: http://earthpathartisans.blogspot.com/
You can also see all the entries in the members’ shops by visiting the team shop’s favorite items page: http://earthpathartisans.etsy.com

What did Lucky make? *grin* Glad you asked!

Gypsy Fortune Teller - Charm Necklace

HAHAHA! I just realized that as I came here to post a picture of what I did to my hair this weekend :) Wheeeee!

I am sooooo loving being a Red Head again! Its been quite a few years, and yeah, it’s good to be back! Hubby seems to agree as well *wink*. I ended up lopping 14″ off and donated it to Locks of Love. YAY! :) I have had shorter hair (then what it was before this) in the past, but I reckon this is the shortest it’s been since ohhhhh. Forever. :) It’s taking some getting used to - as I have to futz and style it now. But I will get that down to a science soon. Everyone at work is doing double takes and stopping at my cube to stare…..ROFL! Though the reactions are good ones, atleast its not “ZOMG WTF did you DO?!” :D

Here is what it looked like Saturday morning, before I had it cut, then dyed it at home myself.

Wheee! Hooray for purty hair and feelin’ sassy!

Come March 15th, we will be here (click on the picture to be redirected to my Flikr Album - which has a ton more pictures!):

*dances*

3 bedroom, 2 bath, TWO CAR GARAGE, LOTS of updates, appliances, hardwood floors, heat AND air conditioning, walk in closets, LOTS of nice extras…like a window seat! I think I might faint! Yes, its a rental, but its gorgeous, I am friends/co-workers with the home owner, its in a great neighborhood….and MAN are we gonna have one heck of a move in party!!!

Best Day Ever!

This is The Bug’s favorite episode, and pretty much sums up my feelings of today, as well!

As my readers will probably recall, I’ve been on a see-saw with Symantec, as regards trying to get hired on full-time, instead of working here as a Temp, as I have done for the last year and a half.

Today, when I walked into work, my Supervisor immediately pulled me into a conference room, closed the door, turned on the light and started jumping up and down, as if she had just been called down by Bob Barker as “The Next Contest on The Price is Right”! I blinked at her a couple of times, and she says, “It’s all over! The background check, the waiting, the stalling, the waiting again, I get to make you a verbal offer today!”.

Let’s just say it was a good damn thing I was already sitting down!

She joined me at the table, and proceeded to get right to it, ‘The Offer’.

She said it.

I blinked.

She smiled.

I tried REALLY hard to NOT fall out of my chair - start *gigglesnorting* in shock and awe - or lunge across the conference table to embrace her in a bear hug.

The offer is hands down more money than I have EVER made, even with commission jobs.

This is amazing.

It’s amazing to me for many reasons, but most importantly because the last few days I’ve done a good deal of vision work. That is, speaking to the Universe my hearts desire, and envisioning it come to pass.

When I started this vision work, I had literally NO CLUE what the position paid, something I’ve been trying to get out of everyone for months now. So, I just figured I would “Dream Big” and pulled a number out of the sky.

The Offer?

The same as the number from the sky.

:)

And for now, I will leave you with that, as I am still trying to peel myself off of the ceiling and get back to the work I have due by end of day!

Love and Light to All!

This past weekend was LuckyLibra Design’s second show/gig. We had a tremendous time! We spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday in lovely Silverton Oregon, amongst the trees and surrounded by great vendors and uber friendly people. I really like being at the venue. The park is SO pretty. Trees EVERYwhere. It has a small town feel, everyone knows everyone, everyone seems genuine and kind-hearted.

We did fantastic as regards sales. Our first trip up there to the Strawberry Festival was a lesson well learned. We applied what we learned and reaped the benefits this time around. Our sales came to just over $500 for the weekend. Not too shabby! As before, we gathered MANY compliments and praise - both from customers, “lookie loos” and fellow vendors. It was such a rush to see people walk up, fondle the jewelry and proclaim their like for it. “They like it, they REALLY like it!” Such an awesome feeling to have hand-crafted something from your heart and have it reach out to someone you don’t even know! We got hugs, freebies and shared laughter with the other vendors. Met some really neat people, some some really STRANGE people and just had a general blast!

As regards the subject line. This was just one of the many moments that I deemed as “blog worthy”. Sunday afternoon was pretty slow, but we still had a steady stream of customers stopping by. One couple approached, with a small dog tucked under the “Mrs.” arm. She began to look over our bracelet selection, picked up one that was covered in mini bell charms and slid it over the head of her dog….

I just stared in awe, as the woman turned to show her husband the handy work and proclaimed, “Isn’t she so cute!”. The husband retored that he had ALREADY bought the dog SEVERAL things, and wasn’t about to buy any more. So, the woman proceeded to try to pull the bracelet OFF the dog’s head. It of course was a bit more difficult to get off then on, what with ears getting bent and stuck and such. She finally managed to do so, flopped it back on the table and they left.

*blink*

*blink*

“Did that REALLY just HAPPEN?”. Broke into laughter and looked the bracelet over, to ensure there was no lingering fuzz stuck to it.

How strange.

We arrived tired, sore and exhilirated late Sunday night. I managed to unload the truck with Dan’s help, but most of the stuff is still piled up. I’ve never been so worn out! My goodness! I slept like a BRICK Sunday night! It was so very worth it, the tired, the sore, the long hours, all of it.

There is no denying it. We now have “the biz” in our blood, and are already looking for some Fall/Holiday events here locally to attend.

First, we have to work on replenishing all that stock….that of course means….

SHOPPING! :D

I am tellin’ ya. Its the best gig ever. Sitting outside in a beautiful venue, under a tent, beads laid out, (we did many a custom order and created many new pieces in the “spare time” during the show), people watching a plenty, and getting to play and sell jewelry all day. What more could a girl ask for?

Coffee?

Heh, we brought a pot with us - such addicts are we. ;)

Look forward to some new pieces arriving at our etsy shop this weekend.  Now that Dan is home, I can dedicate some time to getting new pieces listed. We have quite a bit to put up and quite a bit more to make! Never forget that we will happily do custom orders, so if you have need for a special piece - just give us a shout!

You push me to go the extra mile
You push me when it’s difficult to smile
You push me, a better version of myself
You push me, only you and no one else
You push me to see the other point of view
You push me when there’s nothing else to do
You push me when I think I know it all
You push me when I stumble and I fall

Keep on pushin’ like nobody

Every race I win, every mood I’m in
Everything I do, I owe it all to you
Every move I make, every step I take
Every thing I know, it’s all because you push me

You push me when I don’t appreciate
You push me not to lie and not to hate
You push me when I want it all to end
You push me when I really need a friend
You push me, all I wanna do is cry
You push me when it’s time for me to try
You push me when I do it for myself
You push me, only you and no one else

Keep on pushin’ like nobody

Every race I win, every mood I’m in
Everything I do, I owe it all to you
Every move I make, every step I take
Every thing I do, it’s all because you push me

You push me

Keep on pushin’ like nobody
Keep on, keep on

Every race I win (to go the extra mile)
Every mood I’m in (when it’s difficult to smile)
Everything I do (a better version of myself)
only you and only you and only you
Every move I make (to see the other point of view)
Every step I take (when there’s nothing else to do)
Every thing I do (I think I know it all)
only you and only you and only you

Every race I win (to go the extra mile)
Every mood I’m in (when it’s difficult to smile)
Everything I do (a better version of myself)
I owe it all to you (only you and only you and only you)
Every move I make (to see the other point of view)
Every step I take (when there’s nothing else to do)
Every thing I do (I think I know it all)
It’s all because you push me

You push me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

Yes, I know I am a wee bit touched in the head. However, this is not what the title is referring to….this time.

For Christmas I got an absolutely wonderful sewing machine. The trouble was, when we moved, I didnt have this glorious machine, and I had no decent timeline before me to think I MIGHT have one anytime soon - so I got rid of nearly all of my sewing supplies that I had been hoarding over the last few years. So, I had nothing to really….well, sew. Truth be told, I’ve not even taken it out of the box, because I just knew it was going to drive me nuts to NOT have something to work on. I DO have a pile of quilt squares to assemble…but I just…meh.

I was bouncing around good ole Craig’s List the other day, and noticed an ad that was from some lady selling ALL of her doll-making supplies. Hundreds of dollars worth of stuff (per her ad) for a mere $100. Count me in! I called her up, made an appointment to meet her last night and to see what all she had.

I don’t even know if I can do this encounter justice with mere words, but I will try. I get to the house, knock on the door and patiently wait (as the little laminated sign by the doorbell says that it takes them a few minutes to get to the door). Then, there she was. This sweet, sweet little thing. Seriously little, she had to have been about 4 foot and a half at most. Huge inviting smile, looked just like a typical sweet older grandma, greeting her favorite grandchild. She ushered me in with warmth and brimming hospitality. Their home was lit up with a cheerful fire in the fireplace, Jewish mementos of all kinds, neatly placed all around. A Menorah, pictures that I can only guess date back to the time of the depression - and beyond, home made quilts, pillows, just….cozy. She had to have been pushing 90, and was moving REALLY slow.

She asked me to follow her to her “doll room”, and follow I did. She began telling stories of her adventures in doll-making, explaining in great detail her favorites, her failures, and a variety of other bits of knowledge. I entered the room and was instantly amazed. This woman was not just a some-time hobbyist. She was hard-core artist. Dolls of all sorts lined the walls, hand-made stuffed animals, of every type, sat in little groups here and there, what seemed to be boxes upon boxes covered the three work tables in the room. Piles of all sorts of crafty-goodness abound! She immediately began pulling lids off of boxes and dug right into them. Rooting and pushing aside yards of fabric in order to find a “gem” to show me, only to push it back down and give a quick story about a project, or to tell me where she had gotten it. Then, it was on to the next box. I cannot count the smiles and ooh’s and “oh yes! I love this pattern” (or piece of fabric or trim, or lace…..or tulle….or fur..) that she exclaimed as we went through the boxes together.

As I was standing there, sharing with her my own fond memories of doll-making with my Mother, it hit me like a lead brick. I wasn’t just purchasing a few yards of fabric, or a bag of fiberfill. She was GIVING me her legacy. The $100 was not even a fraction of the value. There is easily $1000 worth of books, patterns, fabrics of every kind imaginable, bags of fiberfill, boxes of tulle, lace, fur, trim, binding, and goodness knows what else. Some of the patterns date WAAAAY back. I spotted some that go into the 50’s for sure, possibly a couple even earlier than that. I was lost for words. My heart was singing, I felt so uniquely chosen and blessed. We chatted for a few moments, the conversation turned to children and to how many and how old mine were. I told her and shared that I hoped to interest my oldest daughter with this lost art. Those words brought a huge smile to her sweet soul, and she exclaimed that she knew I could do it! She told me how very pleased she was that I was so excited, and how important it had been to her to find “the right one”. She shared that she cannot do this kind of crafting anymore, and in large part, doesn’t want to. I got the profound feeling that this angel of a woman is very certainly preparing for “the end”. We finished going through boxes and she laid a hand over mine and looked me deep in the eyes and thanked me. She asked me to send her pictures of my creations, and I commented that I most certainly would, and that I might even ask for some advice, because I just “had a feeling” ;) that she might know a thing or two about this sort of thing. She laughed heartily at that, and said she would love that.

Her husband helped me load up a cart of theirs with the boxes of fabric and all of the other “tools of the trade” and I pushed it out the truck where Dan was waiting with Claire. I couldn’t even express to HIM how astounded and amazed I was. We FILLED the back of the truck, gave one last wave goodbye and parted ways.

Later that evening I sat on the sofa going through patterns, looking for my first project. I made note to Dan that she had wisely used old cereal and potato chip boxes and the like to cut out templates, and that I thought this very clever, as dealing with the flimsy tissue type paper that most modern patterns are printed on, can be a royal pain in the arse, especially if you are using the same pattern for base parts over and over again. I then spotted a batch of patterns that had been cut out of standard paper, and happened to notice that they were printed on one side.

It appears that they were rough draft letters or a memoir of some sort that she had reused to cut out doll parts. I was not able to piece it all together, and won’t share it here - for it wouldn’t seem right. But, her “story” moved me to tears. This woman was and is, a true gift. As I continued to sift through the patterns, I couldn’t help but feel her there, sitting next to me, smiling and telling me about her favorite ones, the ones that perplexed her - as happens to all crafty types of people - and the ones that she wanted to “do next”. There was warmth to those stacks of patterns I cannot quite describe, and doubt I will ever be able to.

They were absolutely drenched in love. 

I cannot wait to begin my journey, and know that a part of her will be guiding and helping me as I create my own masterpieces. I will have memories, albiet brief, of her stories and advice to share with my own daughters as I show them this wonderful legacy and bring to them a whole new set of skills to cherish and enjoy for a lifetime.

Thank you Cris, and bless you, always.

I dont know which is Yin and which should be Yang….I suppose someone out there does - but I do not.

ANYWHO. Lets go with YANG being BAD. I will speak more on YANG later - since I have to head home for the night soon.

I wanted to make a brief post on YIN - which we will be going with YIN= GOOD. Annoyed yet? Heh.

I HAVE AN INTERVIEW ON FRIDAY! *squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee*

If I was not fearful of the mocking and weird looks I would LITERALLY SQUEE. However, I am. So, I will not.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

That was a bonus Squee just for you, you over there, YES you. Stop, put down the cookie and look appreciative dammit.

Ok then.

So, my first interview is Friday from 11am to Noon. I will be meeting with both my Supervisor as well as our Manager.

THEN

I have another interview via tele-conference with two of our higher ups down in Cupertino, CA. That however is not until the 22nd - due to some planning sessions they will all be involved with next week.

Gonna be a LONG ASS TWO WEEKS.

*looks at Dan*

Distract me.

*grin*