by Sarah | Dec 31, 2009 | All About Home, All About Me
I told you I was busy this month with crafts, decorating the house and just in general being internet lazy (except for twitter, which I think I OD’d on at times…but I digress). So, here’s some pictures of the decorations I was working on…you’ll have to wait to see the sewing I did for my girls 😉
First item on this list is not actually something I made this year, I made it last year…but I’m proud of it so I’m showing it off again. It’s my tree topper. The ribbons went down the tree and wove through he branches and ornaments (will be shown later).
Next is my forest. I previewed it a couple months ago when I had my first two completed, but I expanded on it…I actually made several more than the forest seen here, but they were given away (to my Mom and Archie took 2 to work)…I apologize for the cruddy picture. My camera did not like the forest and I failed all season to get good pictures of it at all.
Then a series of dirt cheap decorations that were my absolute favorite for the year! Seriously, everything you’re about to see was $5 or under to create…
First, my wreath. All supplies bought at the dollar store. Total cost: $5 (4 rolls of ribbon, 1 styrofoam wreath).
Next, my garland. Six pieces of felt and sewing thread…total cost: about $1.50
Nothing more than a simple pleasure. Metal bowl I already had, filled w/ dollar store ornaments, about 3 tubes. Total cost: $3
My snow, one of my absolute favorite parts of my decorations. Realy made it feel festive for a simple decoration. Sparkle felt glued onto cardstock and stuck on my shelves. Total cost: approx. $5
And another super simple one that was just about my favorite besides the snow. Simple dollar store ribbon with bells tied on put on the curtain rod I usually have my quilt on. Total cost: $2.50
And those are my crafts from around the house. Part of what kept me so busy at home!! I was very happy to actually HAVE Christmas decorations this year…and all better that I made them myself…and for cheap!
Now that those, and the Christmas presents (to be shown later) are done…I’m working on something for myself. Something I’ve been wanting to make for many many many years…but I’ll share that later!
Coming soon, a giveaway to help with your New Years resolutions! I just got it via FedEx today and hope to have it posted up over the weekend once I’ve had a chance to look it over!!
by Sarah | Dec 30, 2009 | All About Me, Crap
Wow it’s been such a long time since I posted! An entire month, actually! I’ve been so very busy doing stuff around this house prepping for christmas and actually taking part in it. That I just havne’t posted.
Sad thing is, I’ve been online…I just have not been motivated or inspired to post. There are some things I have simply NOT been able to post about, and everything else seemed trivial, to trivial to post.
Excuses aside, I’m starting to come out of my hole again, I think. I hope. I just paid for another year of my URL, and it would be a shame to waste it as much as I did in 2009. My amount of posting really dropped off and died for a long time…think I can revive it again? Gosh, I hope so.
I have a lot of little (and big) projects going on. I have pictures of my massive crafting expidition and resulting Christmas day to post. I have a lot going on, and hopefully I’ll be sharing a lot more of it with you again! And yes, this involves visiting your blogs as well!
~~~~~
*Paraphrased quote from Slap Shot.
by Sarah | Nov 21, 2009 | All About Me, Crap
There is nothing I can write.
Not at the moment.
There is too much.
It can’t be said here. It can’t be said there.
I am on a trip. I’m visiting my best friend Jess. We are meeting for the first time and that is wonderful…but the reasons behind it are too heavy to divulge right now.
I will be back. Soon. I will be posting.
Eventually it will come out, but for now when I return the posts will focus on the joy of this trip and my children.
The rest will wait until I am in a better place to explain my absence.
I have not forgotten you. I just cannot put into words where I am. Or I could, but I won’t. This isn’t the place for it. It isn’t the time for it.
Please forgive me this brief break of posting that I had this week. The events were coming for a while, but hit suddenly as all things do.
I hope to return by Monday if I’m recovered from my long drive home on Sunday. If not, Tuesday. Then you will be able to see and hear of the joy I have felt in being here in this place, surrounded by the love of a dear friend that I have known online for six years – but have just now met face to face this week.
Until then.
by Sarah | Sep 11, 2009 | All About Family, All About Me
I know what today is. I know what it means to our country. I remember every detail of 2001 in vivid detail…but since before 2001, this date has been difficult for me, for my family…in 1996 my family’s core was lost, the heart of us…my grandfather…so my post on 9/11 is for him. Perhaps tomorrow I will put up my other 9/11 reminder. Oh, and at surface glance I hate this picture of me, but then I see the pure joy on my face dancing with my grandfather and aesthetics be damned, it’s my favorite picture.
It was his birthday. I was young and such a very short kid…and he was TALL. I remember watching him put our coats in the closet and staring up, up, up at him and asking, “How tall are you?” With his sparkling eyes and laugh he informed me that he was over 6′. My eyes grew wide, and all I could say was, “But you’re so close to the ceiling! If you have ANY more birthdays you’ll go right through!”
His chair sat by the front door and the minute he sat the race was on – who would get the privilige of sitting on his lap, carrying on as deep a conversation as a child was capable of. Who would get to play with his round pot belly, and listen to his laughter.
He worked for GM and he was proud of it, and so were we.
When I close my eyes I can still smell his pipe and see the pipe carousel on his dresser. I can smell the cigarettes that he and grandma smoked.
I remember that after he retired he would watch soap operas during lunch.
And I remember the weddings – when my cousin and I would trade off and share him for the dance. “Grampa” by the Judds.
I remember his smile.
I remember his belly.
I remember the strength that he always carried in his soul and body.
I remember the pain that shot through my heart at the word…”cancer”. Once it was uttered it was less than a year. 10 months.
I remember the first time I saw him in the hospital-and how I had to run from the room because it made me physically ill to see my big strong grandfather lying in a bed weak and hooked up to tubes.
I remember his fight.
I remember when it was acknowledged in our hearts that the time to fight was over.
I remember how he held on – hours past when we thought we would lose him – because he would not let go until he’d gotten to hear the good-bye of all of his grandchildren, and my brother had been in surgery for his shattered wrist. Half an hour after the final phone call, he was gone.
I remember the sound of the tennis balls scattering across the hallway when my professor’s assistant walked up asking if she knew where I was…and all I could do was run to my car to get home as soon as I could.
From there it’s a blur…a long car ride from NC to NY. The arrangements. The funeral home. The droves of people I didn’t know, but who all knew him, overflowing the room.
The pain has lessened, resorted to a memory. For the most part I remember the love, the good things, the joy. But on this day every year the pain comes back to the forefront.
We love you still, and will always love you, Grampa.
by Sarah | Aug 21, 2009 | All About Me
Time marches on, life moves forward and things change.
My first REAL job was here, at this Hardees. Yes, this exact one. I worked there with several of my friends off and on throughout high school.
Tonight I drove past and all that is left is rubble. They’re rebuilding, putting in another Hardee’s – but it will never be MY Hardee’s.
The Hardee’s where Jeffy almost broke my nose one night when I was NOT actually employed there but helping them close up.
The Hardee’s where we spent hours chatting in the parking lot while I gave, and got, back rubs…and braided the boys’ (yes, boys’) hair.
The Hardee’s that I worked at and got so much grease embedded into my hair JUST by working there, that it took 3 months after I left for good for my hair to ACTUALLY become clean.
The booth that was OUR booth. We ate there, talked there, I even had my interview there.
The booth that I sat in and laughed my BUTT off because for the first time in my life I’d seen someone literally GRAY in the face!! Kel-Kel…I swear I will NEVER forget that New Years party…and I wasn’t even there.
Our manager, Dave…who I still see and looks like a crazy mountain man now…but was a cool manager.
The tons and tons of free chicken I took home because it was leftover. That my family pigged out on at every sinle party we had…and it was GOOD.
The endless amounts of 1/4-cheese ketchup&mustard only w/ fries that I ate…I still dream about the damn fries.
And last but not least…that monster under the CIRO-D. It haunted us for years…and even after the remodel that monster was there…hiding in the fat vats. We all knew it…but the destruction of the building has taken that all away…
Hardee’s – I hated you, but I loved you. We had some hilarious times there…especially when the closing team was a group of band geeks. I’ll miss you as I knew you…filthy and disgusting as you were.
******
And no, I can’t believe that I just waxed nostalgic over Hardee’s…but it really made me sad. The building NEEDED to be demolished…but I’ll still always remember it fondly as my first place of employment…where I worked with a lot of my friends and I continued to hangout and ‘work’ at after I STOPPED collectin paychecks.
by Sarah | Aug 20, 2009 | All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, Crap, Cystic Fibrosis
I spent the better part of the weekend (from Thursday to Sunday) sleeping. I was sick, sick, sick…and have just now started feeling better. The worst part of being sick was having two sickies with me (*thing 1 and thing 2*) that were just as miserable as I was.
Riley recovered fast, but it clung to my Angel like glue. The cough lingered and she was put on antibiotics (drugs…woohoo). She recovered a bit, but continued to cough. And cough. And cough – waking up at nights. It wasn’t continuous – just lingering. So, as luck would have it we had our regularly scheduled visit to the CF clinic yesterday. Her lung functions have gone down, so the pulm has extended and increased her antibiotics….and added steroids.
So after all of this, I’m finally back. Still keeping an eye on my baby – but I’m here! Sorry I was so MIA. Whateer this summer cold was made of, it kicked my ass!
And the Rock and Roll?
Well, it’s RIGHT HERE!!
