Art Thou Dealing With It?

Yes, I know.  I haven't posted anything in forever.

The past month and a half has been pretty eventful, but not, if that makes sense.  Despite a couple of setbacks and emotional sucker punches, things haven't been bad.  Biggest news: I'm totally employed now.  Going from not being employed to working part time has been quite a transition and I'm still getting used to it.  I definitely owe it to God, my family, and the lovely people at my new workplace for making it possible.  I get to wear an apron and a name tag and I have a clock in/clock out card.  I feel so grown up.  Working has also given me a sense of responsibility and purpose, and I enjoy my free time even more.

In other news, everything else has been pretty much the same.  Well, except for the fact that the cat now likes to lounge on the porch in the sun and then sleeps in my bed all night long.  That's kind of new.  I've taken a few small breaks from writing here and there, but that's still going well, too.  Other than that, it's been the same ol' stuff, laundry and keeping things neat and whatnot.

My stepmom recently started some infusions that will hopefully knock her MS down a couple notches.  I say it a lot, but I really am so proud of  her and I love her dearly.  It makes me happy to see her and Dad happy.  She's still got a ways to go, but our prayers are being answered.  <3

This is more or less just a mini update because I was feeling pretty guilty about not posting anything for so long.  Now, with my burgeoning collection of retail anecdotes and weather to frolic in, maybe I can start posting some more interesting stuff.  Until then, I guess you can just sit there.

Beware the Carbonated Beverage

So, it's been quite a while since my last post.  I'm cool like that.

Thankfully, most things that have happened in the past month or so have been great.  Sometimes, I have the blahs or there's stress due to my writing and my new publishing venture.  And by "publishing venture," I mean that I completed my first book for kids.  Thanks to the fabulous people at Secret Fort Press, HOW TO BE RUDE! went live on Amazon earlier this month and can be found here.  Don't forget to check out my author page on Facebook as well as my personal writing blog.

Other areas of my life have been tranquil and uneventful.  My boyfriend visited his family over spring break and brought me back a sweet Cirque du Soleil metal water bottle thingy.  We hung out with a friend for her birthday last Friday and lots of baby carrots and pea pods were consumed.  At one point, someone opened a bottle of Dr.  Pepper and it proceeded to explode and spew all over the counter.  Good times.  Oh, and my boyfriend can also pull off a pinstripe suit/t-shirt/sneaker ensemble better than Neil Patrick Harris.

So, my stepmom's been getting better health-wise and that makes both Dad and I very happy.  Every day for the past week or so, she's been able to eat, move around, work on her Zazzle shop stuff, and generally enjoy things more.  I love her dearly and she deserves to be well.  <3  God has been so very good to her lately and it's most definitely something to get excited about.

I guess this is just a little update for now.  Between writing and helping out around the house, I've been getting some craft designs together to sell.  I'm also working on a totally mean cross-stitch picture.  Photos to follow.

Fling That Box

Although I've had no major complains as of late, I still sometimes struggle with problems relating to writing or crafting.  More specifically, I go through (thankfully short) periods when I feel completely uninspired.  Along with this usually comes a feeling of fatigue.  I have ideas, but I just can't get them out and I'm suddenly very sleepy.  It doesn't matter how much I plan, how many outlines I jot down, how many craft patterns I look over.  I sit down to work and everything just putters out like a dying engine.

As I said, these periods are brief but I hate them.  As one can imagine, I can get pretty anxious if I can't write.  Since, you know, it's what I do.  But the way I see it, at least I have something to be anxious about.  I have a loving family, more friends than I deserve, and the beautiful God-given ability to do stuff involving my brain and my hands.  Sometimes both.  I guess writing is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent watching PBS while eating a chicken sandwich and crying.  I digress.

Last weekend was great.  I got to spend time with a special someone and I played Apples to Apples for the first time.  I also learned the definition of "dudebro."  The only thing that didn't really jive was the strained shoulder and arm I got from He-Manning a box up the back stairs a few days prior.  Despite this, I woke up Monday morning with a sense of being recharged.  Isn't that what defines a great weekend?

This week has shaped up to be productive, despite the semi-block I've had.  On another note, I'm really beginning to enjoy having long hair again.  There are times I miss having short hair, but I can do so much more with my hair now.  A side ponytail being one example.  There are lots of things in the works right now (not involving hair).  I'll dish about those later.  Meanwhile, I'm going to get busy writing and quoting Miles Jai at the most inopportune times.

No Envelopes but Plenty of Kiwi

It's kind of hard to believe that February's almost over.  January always seems so long, though, so maybe February kind of picks up the pace a bit.  Either way, it's been a great month and I'm already looking forward to March.  A new month, new writing ventures, new craft projects, new places and people.  I can dig it.

Valentine's Day was great.  I got a very sweet card in the mail from my Valentine.  I gave him a handmade card with a cross-stitched picture of Wolverine from X-Men on it.  I didn't mail it, since I wanted to see his face when I handed it to him.  That, and we were out of envelopes.  C'est la vie.  The following weekend, I had the opportunity to meet his parents.  I was nervous as all get out, but things went well.  They're really nice, wonderful people.  I wasn't a stuttering mess and the evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Other than that, not much else has been happening.  I've just been writing and working on my handmade stuff business.  I've been keeping up with the whole "fitness" thing and that's actually going really well.  Lots of water and tea and fruit.

Just a quick update for now.  :)

Dance, puppet!

Writing can take quite a lot out of me and it's been doing just that for the past couple of weeks.  It's a wonderful feeling, though, since for months I had a terrible blockage thing going on.  Now, I can write and write and write until I have to force myself to do something else.  Definitely a double-edged sword.  I've been exercising for about an hour a day for about three weeks now and it feels great.  Kicking the soda habit feels even better.  Perhaps some running is in my future?

The weather's been pretty nice here lately.  I went for a walk earlier this evening and it was a bit cool for just a sweater, but a bit warm for a coat.  I got some coffee and walked around the neighborhood a while.  Most of the shops were closed, so I ventured into New Seasons and just browsed.  They have quite a selection of finger puppets and regular puppets in their kids' stuff aisle.  Call me childish, but I love seeing all the cute and weird little stuffed animals and whatnot they have in stock.  One of the puppets was a blue three-headed dragon and I had way too much fun with it.

So, my dad told me about this site called Polyvore.  It's a site where you make collages of stuff you like.  Most people use it to put together outfits, but it also has stuff for interior design and other forms of artistic expression.  It's a great mental palate cleanser, like when you have to stop what you're doing or else you'll completely burn out on it.  In my spare time, I'll put together a little outfit inspired by Batman, random famous people, or a certain color scheme.  It's a neat distraction, I guess.  It keeps my inner eccentric fashion designer in line.  Here's my profile.

Valentine's is the day after tomorrow.  Honestly, I'm looking forward to it.  It makes me sad when I read about other people totally hating it.  A Valentine doesn't have to be for a specific kind of relationship.  Remember the good old days when everyone would buy a pack of twenty or so little cards and your whole elementary school class got to swap them, even with the kids they didn't get along with, and eat heart-shaped candy all day?  So awesome.  As for me, though, I'm making something for a certain someone.

Could I possibly be any more vague?

Rolling in Polyester and Silk

For the past year or so, crafting has been hard.  Like, darn near impossible.  I just didn't have the energy and even if I came up with a neat idea, the motivation just wasn't there.  Fortunately, the spark is back and I've been making several things at once.  That's both good and bad since I'm getting things done but it's kind of bottle-necking, if you get what I mean.  I've been working on yet another iPod cover, a set of decorated hair ties, and a booklet of applique patterns (all for sale, of course).  I've gone from a terrible period of creative stagnation to...  This.  I'm enjoying it.  Writing has come easier, too.

So, last weekend was great.  I went out to dinner and to a little get together with Matt (boyfriend; I rather like him and stuff).  We had dinner at this cute little place that had the best house hot sauce and interesting produce.  The party was fun, too.  I hadn't danced in forever (senior prom to be exact) but it all worked out.  Saturday and Sunday I spent at home, finally getting around to organizing my closet and getting things in order for February.  I feel like it's going to be a good month.

In other news, I got two more boxes from back east.  They contained some shoes and makeup I left behind, a few skeins of yarn, a bunch of trinkets, and the rest of my scarf collection.  Call me easily amused, but the idea of more squares of cloth to tie around my head or neck makes me happy.  Simple pleasures for simple minds?  Maybe so, but this particular girl's noggin is doing to be nicely decorated.

Thinking, Drinking, and Doing

It's times like this, really early or late at night, when I tend to think very deeply.  Anyone else do that, too?  Times like these can be nice.  Time to just think, listen to music, and write.  Everyone's asleep and it's so very quiet.  I was just sitting here, trying to do my best Faulkner or Ellison impressions, and drinking tea.  Nothing fancy, just the Nestea powder that comes in a jar.  I've had much, much worse.  How bad can you screw up tea?

I just let my mind wonder for a few minutes.  I came to realize that, had someone told me a year ago that I'd be living a writer's life in a ridiculously beautiful city, I probably would have laughed.  Sometimes, I kick myself a little for not moving here sooner.  But things happen as they are supposed to, no sooner or later.  Packing up everything and moving any distance isn't exactly something you just do, but once the decision was made the weight vanished.  I feel so much better about things.  I don't want to sound like I'm bragging about my life, though.  I still get sad and frustrated sometimes.  The usual ups and downs.  Just the fact that I'm going through that, something deliciously normal, is more than reassuring.  Can you tell I want to major in psychology?

So, I've been organizing my craft stuff, too.  I've got a few things in production for Le Petit Aubergine and I'll most definitely post pictures when I'm done.  Oh, and I finally gained one Tumblr follower.  Huzzah.  That's about it for right now.  Today should be a good day and I'm totally going to relax and let it be.  :)