Thought of the Day #302 - Tiger

So, Tiger Woods dinged up his car on a fire hydrant and then a tree. He
got some lacerations on his face, probably from airbags, I would guess.
All this is headline news because...??
1. It's a slow news day. 2. Tiger is a wealthy, famous golf pro. 3.
Tiger has a squeaky clean public image. 4. All of the above. Are any of
these valid reasons for me to need to know about this? Nope. The news
media often sucketh.

Thought of the Day #301 - Haircut

I think my hair might be getting a bit too long. When shaving my underarms, I accidentally cut off some of my hair...from my head, you see? It made it's way to my pits with the flow of water...and blammo...my shaver was covered with a severed pile of inch long hair.

Thought of the Day #300 - Giving Thanks

I'm thankful for so many things. Family and friends primarily and even
online pals with whom I've shared correspondence and notes. I
appreciate and am thankful for all of the love, laughter and positive
influence from my family and friends.

I am also thankful for the basics....food, clothing, and shelter. I
have more than I really need in all of the basics. So many people in the
world are lacking the basics and even millions more don't have luxury
items that are common in our westernized culture. We're very lucky and
that fact doesn't fall upon overindulged blindness.

Thought of the Day #299 - Hosting Thanksgiving

I wish I was hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, but alas, I will be
traveling a few hours south to dine elsewhere. I prefer to host because
I like the challenge of getting all of the foods cooked and ready at the
same time. I also looooove the smell of baked pies and turkey and well,
all of the other fabulous scents of the day. I also like doing the
traditonal foods, but also throwing in something new each year. Some
awesome dishes have been discovered -- corn casserole being one of my
favs from several years ago. Oh, there was a really yummy spinach puff a
couple of years ago. While I lurved it, it hasn't received a lot of
familial requests. Ya win some and lose some, I guess.

So, this year, I'm just making and bringing rolls...but to make it a
little hazardous, I made and formed the rolls tonight. I popped them in
the freezer so that they will thaw/rise on the drive. Now, this could be
a complete disaster, but I thought it would be a safer bet than
par-baking them. Oh, and the reason for this? The rolls are so much
better when served fresh from the oven. There really is no comparison.
Oh, and the smell of baking bread *and* turkey? Delovely!

Thought of the Day #298 - Hoarders

I watched an episode of "Hoarders" on A&E tonight. I knew it was about
people hoarding junk in their houses, but I wasn't expecting it to be so
very sad. They did an excellent job of showing the effects of hoarding
on the families. What was very disappointing was that the situations
weren't resolved...which made it even more sad. I can't help but wonder
if our retail economy isn't to blame for some of these situations?

Thought of the Day #297 - Grandma

My step-daughter had a wee baby girl tonight (7lbs 14ozs, 20" long)
which makes me a grandma! I'm so excited to see her. She's three hours
south of here, so I won't see her until Thursday. From what I can see
from photos, she's pretty much perfect. The baby will have four grandmas
-- Let the spoiling begin!

Thought of the Day #296 - Awesome!

Dexter's Thanksgiving episode was awesome tonight. Stressfilled, and
full of sweet surprises. Episodes like this one make me happy. :-)

A little Crippy Craft Action

 

These are the stockings that I created for a friend of mine. The designs were loosely (very loosely!) inspired by a sample stocking that she had from when she was a kid.

A couple of things I would do differently if I were to do these again -- make sure that the writing on the cuff was consistently lined up. The two boys' names don't look too bad, but "Dad" is very askew. One of the reasons behind this -- I had to create several cuffs to try to get the names to look right. I wrote the names before they were attached to the rest of the stocking. What's the saying? "Measure once, cut twice"...err..."Measure Twice, cut once". That would have helped me. :-) Since I was on a really tight deadline (they had to be in her hot little fist by Thanksgiving!), I didn't have time to rewrite and redo the cuffs.

Second thing I would do differently -- the faces! Ideally, they would be painted on, rather than made out of felt. I would also muck around with them a bit more to get them a bit less creepy.

Oh, and since someone will probably mention this, the reason "Mrs. Claus" is dressed a little crazier than the typical Mrs. Claus, was by request of my friend -- shorter skirt and high heels. I hope she wasn't joking!

Thought of the Day #295 - Irritating

Not much is more consistantly irritating than a canker sore on the
crease between your cheek and gums. Grrr.

Thought of the Day #294 - Tap Water

The best part about winter? Cooooold tasty tap water. Soooo good.

Thought of the Day #293 - Meteor

Last night about 12:15ish, I was heading to bed. With fresh underwear in my hand, sitting on the edge of the bed in a dark room, I was trying to figure out which side of the undies was front or back. The front is narrower than the back, you know. I was feeling the seamlines when all of a sudden I could see them...plain as day. Literally as plain as day -- the light streamed through my window like a gently pulsing electric explosion. I looked behind me to see the house next door lit up brilliantly. As soon as it began, it was over.

I got up and exclaimed, "Oh my god, what was that?! Did you see that?!"

Ivan jumps out of his slumber and we look out the window. Nothing. No sound. No traffic on the street. Nothing. I told him I wasn't sleeping. (There are times I *see* things while sleeping. *ahem*) We continue to look out the window and nothing is on fire, and there are no little green men wandering around -- both of which were definite possibilities at that point. Ivan heads back to sleep and I continue to look out..."What was that?! Maybe a cop car shining his light on the house? I mean it was brighter than anything I've seen from them...I really thought electrical explosion, but there was no sound...It was a really cool toned light...but with red...maybe it was..."

It was so unusual that it sent me into full-on chatterbox mode. After a few minutes I quieted down, jumped into bed and continued to think of the possibilities. I seriously thought that *it must be* something someone else had seen.

I'm happy to report this morning...that it was. From KSL.com: (http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=8714738)

SALT LAKE CITY -- A fast moving meteor lit up the night skies over most of Utah just after midnight Wednesday. KSL News has been receiving hundreds of calls from southern Utah to southern Idaho. There also are reports of people seeing it from Wyoming, Las Vegas and areas of California. People are reporting a flash so bright it lit up the entire sky for a couple of seconds. Some people are also reporting a slight rumbling sound a few seconds after the flash. One caller told us it knocked a few items off her shelf. One resident who lives in Cedar City said she could see the mountains and her grass for a few seconds. Another resident in Bountiful said the sky was so bright, it shut off the light-sensored street lights for a few seconds. Patrick Wiggins, who is a NASA ambassador living in Tooele County, says the bright light is most likely a bolide meteor.

I'm happy I wasn't alone in seeing this. :-)

Thought of the Day #292 - Stockings

I'm in the middle of a Christmas stocking project for a friend of mine.
Four stockings with different festive motifs that need to get to her by
Thanksgiving. The pressure is on and I'm finding my glitter glue skills
are sorely lacking!

Thought of the Day #291 - Good News for 40-something Breasts

From CNN.com:

"Women in their 40s should not get routine mammograms for early
detection of breast cancer, according to updated guidelines set forth by
the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force."

Breasts around the country were heard breathing loud sighs of relief.

Thought of the Day #290 - Patience

People lacking patience drive me batshit crazy.

Thought of the Day #289 - Whale Mating Calls

Just listened to a new Mariah Carey song. It was soft, melodic and quite
pretty until she broke out in those "whale" calls. It ruined the whole
feel of the song. Someone needs to harpoon the whales so that she can
sing!

Thought of the Day #288 - Personal Definitions

What defines who you are?

What you do? What you think? What you feel? What you believe? Who you
love? Who you hate? What you know? What you don't know? What you look
like? How much money you have? The car you drive? The clothes you wear?
Where you live?

Thought of the Day #287 - Sparkly Sweaters

'tis the season for the onslaught of sparkly sweaters. You know the ones
-- you wouldn't be caught dead wearing them anytime aside from December
15 to January 2. They're acrylic, itchy and have more reflective
properties than a 80s discoteque. Yeah, so you know the ones you need to
avoid. DO NOT buy these. If someone buys one for you during the
holidays, slap them and immediately melt it in the microwave. DO NOT
donate them to a shelter, Goodwill or any other sort of non-profit.
Improverished people do not deserve such inhumane treatment.

Thought of the Day #286 - Thought Free

Some days it seems that my thoughts are poorly supported by any passion.
Today is one of those days. Eh. Yeah, like that.

Petroglyph Photos

These shots are from the petroglyphs near Cedar City, Utah. Truly ancient graffiti or new graffiti or a mix?

 

 

 

 

Thought of the Day #285 - Health Care Reform Passes House

Withholding comment until I find out more beyond sound bytes....

Thought of the Day #284 - Ghost Towning

Spent much of the day at a ghost town in Utah. I love seeing and finding
remnants of the past. I also like photographing the remaining buildings
and surrounding environment. What's a little bit disturbing is that each
time we go back to this ghost town, the buildings degrade more and
more...some due to vandals and the rest due to natural erosion. It won't
be long before all of the remnants are wiped clean. But, not to worry
too much, there will be some current cities that will be ghost towns for
future generations to discover.

Thought of the Day #283 - Petroglyphs

The petroglyphs that I saw today bear a strong resemblance to the ones
that I saw at Capitol Reef that are hundreds of miles away. It makes me
wonder if the people were nomadic across hundreds of miles or if they
had common culture that was communicated over the miles on transportable
objects? I'll post pictures when I get back home.

Thought of the Day #282 - Summer Extension

I've been enjoying some unseasonably warm weather the last several
days. I even had lunch outside today. With the flurry of Christmas ads
on television and online, it's nice to forget all of the marketing that
early winter brings and embrace a little warmth.

Thought of the Day #281 - Darkness Falls

With the daylight saving's time change, it's really hard to get used to
the darkness in the early evening. It's such an energy drain. The good
thing is that it brings fond memories of playing in the snow after
school, and staying outside until darkness falls. It seemed sooo late
because of the dark. Another plus of this memory...coming inside and
getting fresh hot cocoa that Mom had been brewing on the stove. Yum!

Thought of the Day #280 - A Mighty Fine Quote

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Actually finishing some Quilts!

I started and finished the baby quilt last week and finally, after probably a year and a half, finished the queen size quilt shown below. Yeah, sometimes, they're quick and easy...sometimes I have brain blockages. The baby quilt was my first attempt at "machine quilting". Turned out okie, I think. The queen size quilt is hand tied and quilted along the edge for a little extra stability. It's good to finally get that one done.

 

 

 

Thought of the Day #279 - Wii Active

After a several week hiatus, I'm back doing the Wii Active workouts.
It's crazy how it seems so much harder after not doing it for a long
while. *pooped*

Thought of the Day #278 - Pumpkin Feeders

I watched a documentary about growers of massive pumpkins/gourds...the
ones that are 1000 pounds and more. I couldn't help but see similaties
between pumpkin growers and feeders who fantasize about 1000+ size
women. There was one scene with the farmer massaging and caressing his
600+ pumpkin, much like I've seen feeders do in videos with their feedee
partners. In honor of Halloween, the similarities were "spooky!"