Thanks to Princess for the cool blinkies she posted in her journal for everybody to use that I found through Mindy. I think they really ‘dress’ up the page. I had a heck of a time getting them up. ‘Hello’ only accepts jpegs, so I looked at what Mindy uses and got a photobucket account.
I want to thank Mindy for introducing me to blogging. I am really enjoying writing my posts. Sometimes people think blogs are only for kids, but us middle- agers enjoy writing too. We have ‘life experiences’. : )
I also went looking on the web and found a few more that were ‘me’ to a ‘t’.
I’ll have to try my luck at making them too.

List the 10 best things about being you.
#1. Being a mom-I’ve always have wanted to be one since I hugged my first doll (Thumbelina). I am happy to be blessed with Sean as he is my only child.
#2. Being a wife-I was lucky to find a man like Brian at an early age. He is my best friend.
#3. Being a daughter-my mom’s only daughter. I just found a note she wrote to me in 1980 that said that ‘all the pain, grief, etc. was worth it because she had me.’
#4. Being a sister to three brothers with totally different personalities and knowing how to handle them all without them getting peeved at me or their noses out of joint.
#5. Being an aunt to my three nephews and my little sweetie only niece. I called her today on her first day of kindergarten to see how she did. She was upset as it was an orientation day and they left early. She can’t wait to stay longer. I remember Sean when he started school and how my heart felt like a piece of it had broken off when he got on the bus that day. Now he is in his last year of school and I am facing him going off to college in less than a year.
#6.I am fortunate to have been able to stay home with my child through his growing up years. I never felt like I jeopardized a career or anything as you can really start a career at anytime. I’m not that old that I couldn’t work when he goes away to school.
#7. I can sing from low notes to high C.
#8. I can figure out cross stitch patterns and work them and finish them to produce beautiful pieces.
#9.I believe there is something better than this existence.
#10.I like to help people.

I guess I shouldn’t even be on the computer today. I have such a mess to sort through in this family room. I didn’t realize how many books I had until I saw them all in towering piles around this room. I am getting many of them on the old bookcase. What’s nice is I get to sort them-like all my Mary Engelbreit books are together, etc. I am also finding duplicates and books to sell on eBay. I also put up a video and some software programs. What the heck! : )
So the first thing I did was eBay listing. I had to reinstall the drivers for my digital camera because when the printer got unplugged to move, it messed the camera up too. I only have about 10 things on eBay right now, but I try for 20 a week. I did well this past week-all finds from around the house. The same with this week. The less I spend out of pocket, the more profit I see-of course!
The guys went back to work and school. They helped me a little in here with the painting, but its yours truly who will be rearranging, etc. The dust is getting to me,though it took a few days. Maybe I’m just glad to finally be doing something in here. I can’t wait for the new sofa to arrive!
I was trying to sleep a little longer since I was awake most of the night a few days ago. I kept having a dream where I was at an airport (with my family) or something and stopped to do something and the guys (or mom in another episode) went ahead of me and I lost them. Those are the worst dream as they leave you so darn confused when you wake up.
I better get off the computer. I need to eat, shower, wrap things to mail, food shop and get back to the book sorting.

Nothing too exciting today except dealing with this family room redo. I can’t get things out of my head at night and I am awake until 2 or 3 am. Sean had a disappointment earlier. My brother Ken the mechanic said the car that mom was going to give Sean needed too much work and if we did the work, it may not pass inspection in the long run (coming up in November). Sean just hates taking the bus as a senior. He’ll have to wait until the new year or until his uncle can find him a good deal like he did our mom.
Brian is cutting the lawn and I know he has stopped as he is chatting with the next door neighbor-I can hear them faintly through the family room window. The neighbor is in his 70s and has been chipping and cutting wood for about 3 days now. What’s bad about that is his wood pile is near our house and if we open the window we smell the fumes from the machine he is using.
Better get back to work here. I’m finding some books and tapes for eBay in this mess!

The Daily Dirt
1. What vegetable do you hate eating?
I was forced one time to eat wax beans, so I am not crazy about them. I also like red peppers instead of eating them in their bitter state of green.

2. Which music artist do you hate the most? Why?
I don’t want to say I hate self-expression, but rap music really bothers me as it all sounds the same. I can’t imagine listening to a rap CD more than once. I thought music was singing notes in a scale of music. Not a big fan of loud heavy metal either. I want to listen to songs I can sing along with.

3. What book do you hate?
I also love to read, but most of those tacky romance novels follow the same basic story lines-about 4 of them. My neighbor read them like eating candy. There is no substance to them at all.
4. What type of clothing do you hate? On me or in general?
On me-anything that makes my tummy stick out too much. My mom can’t pick out clothes for me at all-she likes bold patterns and I generally like a more understated look. In general-I can’t stand seeing people in dirty clothes or clothes that have holes in them, esp in public. I was watching a cable show on the ‘Style’ network last night called ‘How Do I Look?’ This good looking fellow(it was hard to see his looks at first) dressed as I described above and he also had a skirt too because he felt ‘free’ in it. He had bushy curly hair, a beard and glasses. After they got finished with he he was a different person and looked so good. His girlfriend asked him who he was! : )
5. Do you agree with “you don’t hate a person, you just hate what they’ve done (to you).”
Yes, because I had a friendship end because of the woman not being a true friend. She got to the point where I would never see her and she just wanted to use email to stay in touch. She lives about 5 miles away. I think she is a creative person with a nice family and lovely home, but treats people like they aren’t that important.

I am very bored tonight as there isn’t much I want or feel like doing.This collie dog head cross stitch isn’t showing progress at all! I only have a few more weeks to get it finished and I haven’t even flipped the book over. He/she may be losing some of his neck hair. Sorry Lassie girl. : (
I was going to post this at some time and since Sean is hogging the DVD watching ‘X Man2’ (I like Hugh Jackman as a normal person if he ever plays one!)
Anyway, I had stated somewhere on here that I have been selling on eBay for a while-5 years now. I sell practically anything! I find things I’ve had hidden away for years and if they are in good condition and are ‘sale-able’, then up they go on eBay.
Here’s what I’ve made the most moola on over the last few years:
Mary Engelbreit Premier Issue of her magazine-$50
Asia style antique bracelet-$90
A how-to book on making Dreamcatchers-$40
Wizard of Oz playset-like Polly Pockets-$61
Whale Salt and Pepper Shakers-$30
Wooden antique bear nutcracker-over $300
(Of course I am running into the woman who I bought this from all the time and in my head she is ‘the nutcracker’ lady)
All the above items were $10 and under when I purchased them and most were under $5. This is why I enjoy the thrill of eBay. I helped my one friend discover eBay and she is a powerseller now. She goes for the glassware stuff more. I’ll sell more books and name brand things. Talk about selling books-I have my own book store and I’m doing inventory right now!

Here is a sample of my charity stitching. I had fun doing this one as it was a real person and I think it looks like Judy Garland. 

Reporter –Weather (that’s all we’ve been watching is The Weather Channel)
Mythology – Greek
Wimbledon-Serena
Civilization – ancient
Punctuation-question mark
Party Games-Pin the tail on the donkey
Flawless -beauty
Unprecedented -winning the Gold
Curry -spicy
Tropical -Florida

I never seem to learn from my past mistakes, esp if I am hurting like I was all day yesterday. I kept pushing myself to the limit with the painting and book moving until I could barely lift my right arm. Last night was a bad dream. As soon as I laid down it was like a knife going into my arm between my shoulder and elbow. I had taken Tylenol and that didn’t do a thing. I was up at 3 am with an ice pack and then an hour later I took an Advil which whacks out my stomach, but I went ahead and ate a piece of bread first. That did the trick! I feel like I’ve been run over today and I can’t do anything with the books (maybe here and there). I am using the heating pad which is working too.
Three years ago I was using an ‘Ab-doer’ machine and sprained my right shoulder blade. That was terrible and took 3 weeks to heal. My joints and muscles aren’t what they use to be, esp since I had Lyme Disease back in ’98.
My brother Don called mom on his neighbor’s cellphone and he ‘weathered’ the storm in Fort Laudy. He said it was scary and he’s been without power since last night-naturally. The other tenants are all grilling their meats so they are having a big cookout between the raindrops.

Do you feel cross stitching requires patience?
Oh goodness yes! Sometimes I just want to give up (and believe me I have) on a piece. Most times if it’s for one of the sick children, I push on and usually get it completed in time. I had this project that I was making for a friend’s birthday. It was a design from a kit. I tried to work on that one but it was just to difficult. I feel bad, but maybe someday I can pick it up again, copy it so the symbols are free from the design pages (I had to flip it to look at the symbols and lost my spot all the time.).

What would you most like your favourite designer to design next?
Wow that’s a tough one. I love the Prairie Schooler designs. They have done almost every subject that I can think of. I would like to see the same kind of designs by them with a nature theme or maybe more designs with children involved in them.

If you were to stitch something to be passed on to future generations of your family as an heirloom, what would it be and why?
A family tree with names and birthdates on it. I really think anything you stitch is an heirloom as the time we live in now is reflected in our stitching.