An Earing Holder with a Bloody Past!

My Mom had been wondering how to better store her earrings as they were all muddled in a box in her drawer. She saw an earring holder that I had and decided that's the kind she wanted. Next thing I know she's taking me to the store and asking me what I think would work. What I thought would work is going online and buying one ready made, but I went along with the idea and was left with a couple different kinds of beads, some wire and a picture frame.

After wrestling with it for awhile, I decided I would have to string each strand separately and attach them as I go, one long strand would have worked, but she wanted different colors every third strand or so! Thoroughly poked, discouraged and bleeding I put it away after the first 4 strands.


I picked it up again today and after the break of a few days found that it was going much better this time! I finished in about an hour and hot glued some bias tape over the picky ends on the back to protect the wall and fingers from being scratched! As easy as it was I was still happy to see it over and done with. I head back to work after I'm done and come home to some news.......


My oldest sister was sent this picture of it and immediately wanted to know where we got it, because she wanted one as well! When she was told I made it she was sad that she couldn't buy one for herself. But, miracles of miracles guess who had a B~Day later this month? Sigh...........oh well. I guess that's what sisters(and band aids!) are for!=)

Christmas dresses and other yummy treats!

For Christmas dessert this year I made red velvet cupcakes. Who knew that adding an entire bottle of red food coloring would make something this red?=)

They are not only one of the most tasty kinds of cake but are so pretty too!

My sister Beccas gingerbread house, isn't it awesome?=)

My adorable little bro Jacob and his house, aren't they cute?=)

The back of my house.................I think it's looking at me!

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I made this Christmas dress last year and just now got around to taking some decent pictures of it! It's an old 80's pattern of my Moms' that I love and have made countless times!=)

Smile!

Waiting for snow, though it was foggy. I love the fog, it's so magical and mysterious!=)

I love circle skirts! They shrink up funny at the side seams but I love em' any way!

Two Questions and a Give Away!

What do a record from the local library's book sale

and a GIANT safety pin have in common?

Together they made for the inspiration for the perfect winter outfit!

The giant saftey pin is a kilt pin by the way! In thinking back to what I had written and realized it may not be obvious what they giant safety pin had to do with anything!=)

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What is this strange object?
Here is a closer look, be the first to correctly identify it and win.........
.....a pair of Tea for Two earrings! Leave your guesses as a comment here on Blogger or back on the Sensibility thread!

It's All in How You Say It!

"Don't tell anyone, but on the pagan day of the sun god Ra, I kneel at the foot of an ancient instrument of torture and consume ritualistic symbols of blood and flesh."

Reading that statement what kind of crazy stuff would you think the guy who wrote it was into? I also do this, not every week of course, but about once a month, sometimes more if it's a special occasion. Ra, torture, eating blood and flesh? Hold on a sec, before you judge me, here is the rest of that quote:

"And if any of you care to join me, come to the Harvard chapel on Sunday, kneel beneath the crucifix, and take Holy Communion."

This is from the new Dan Brown book "The Lost Symbol". He is using it as an example of how even the most regular events or odd ones can be made to sound very different just by using different words to describe them. Dan Brown is an amazing author, though one that I have to be very careful when I read. I'm one of those suckers who believe most everything they read(especially if there is an ;all the facts in this book are true, type disclaimer at the beginning of the book)

A few years ago I powered through The Da Vinci Code in about a day. I started at about 8 in the morning and finished at about 12:30 that night. I could not sleep because my world had been shaken! Was all that stuff true? I googled(gotta love the Internet!) all of the pictures he used as examples and look! There is the hand with the knife and the guy next to Jesus does look like a girl.

Luckily I have a parents who aren't as easily freaked out and we talked through it and I was back were I needed to be. Reading that book opened my eyes though, I started looking at the way people said things and saw the true power of words. That kind of persuasive power was amazing to me. So, now I read books with a more open mind knowing that I should check out things before I freak out and double check on facts. I still read Dan Browns books(obviously!) but now I take what he says worth a grain of salt. If I have questions I can ask my parents or research it myself. There really is breathable liquid, not quite as advanced as in the book, they are having success in that area. But, the whole happy ice crystals thing is a load of hooey!

Really knowing how words can be used as helped me cement what I know and believe. I'm trying to shore up my convictions, getting them firm so that there is no doubt that I meant what I said and I said what I meant!(I love that elephant!)

I'm still a sucker who will believe some pretty silly stuff, but it's worked for me too. I know lots of things that I probably never would have learned because I ask questions. If you know me at all I've probably annoyed you with all my questions. Please, don't get to annoyed, it's for for a good cause.=)

I'll leave you with two things, read Dan Browns books, they are really good. They are helpful in getting to know how the world twists what we Christians say and never, ever, ever underestimate the power of words. After all the pen is mightier than the sword!

Change, does anyone really like it?

I've never met a word that makes more people shudder when they hear it then change.(Besides maybe enema!hehe) It can be good, yet it still makes us feel queasy! Maybe it's because we don't notice it as much when it's a good change, like everything else we remember the bad more then the good.

My family has gone through a lot of change this year as have many of our friends families. We've had job losses, church switching, marriages, new jobs, moving, new friends, old friends divorcing us, when I think back over this past year my head spins! My life was always changing up until I was about 19. Then after FB planted Antioch that was it for major changes in my life. I didn't have any friends, go to any groups and my job was very secure. I watched the same families kids in my house till just a few months ago.

No big changes at church, no new siblings, nothing going in the man department for either me or my older sister, so life was pretty even keel. Then we started going to the collage group at our church and suddenly we wanted to stay out until 11pm and had social lives. That threw my Mom for a loop! She'd never had to deal with her older kids having things to do before. She's still a little offended whenever I go out and don't want to involve the kids(Yes, I even count the 16 year old as a kid. I'm allowed to have my own friends, aren't I?)

Then in January my dad lost his job and Megan and Shawn finally hooked up. Well, they started texting each other, way more then they ever talked when he lived here, go figure! A prominent family in the church left for good reasons, but that was still not very nice happening. Megan and Shawn got engaged, our collage group was slowly dwindling one by one. I finally became licenced driver, Megan got married, I switched jobs, my dad got a contract job in NY and that's where we are right now. So, a few good changes, Megan's been itching to get married since she was 16, it's nice to not have a driving test hanging over my head and my dad's job is a huge blessing. Yes, it would have been even nicer to have him near us, but hey a job is a job!!

What does this next year have in store for me? Will my Dad finish up the contract job and then once again be jobless? Or, will he find a job closer to home, or maybe this company will hire him full time and we'll move to NY! Will I be an Aunt soon? Will we ever get more people in collage group or will it dwindle and fade away. Will I ever manage to elicit any attention from a guy? Or, will I slowly begin to collect cats and become the crazy cat lady.

What this next year has in store is a mystery, it's like a big present that I can only unwrap a little at a time. It may turn out to be what I've always wanted or it may end up being the worst present I've ever been given. You know what? I don't care what this year holds for me, I just can't wait to find out!

To quote a wise old turtle, the past is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift thats why they call it the present!=)

Christmas at the Pillsbury house!

This years Christmas is going to be quite different for my family. My older sister got married and we just found out today that she and her husband will not be coming here for Christmas. My Dad has been out of work since January and just got a job in NY. It's a contract job so not a permanent thing, but since travel is so expensive during the holidays he isn't going to be here for Christmas either. Many changes some good some not so good and some a little of both!

We just got done decorating our tree. At first when I found out we weren't going to get a real one I fliped! But then deciding to act my age I encouraged my Mom to get the light tree that's in the picture. It's not traditional but it put my Moms mind at ease. I'm very sad, but hey it's just a tree, right? My Dad was on the phone tlaking with us so that's why my Moms holding the phone, he wanted to be in the picture too!

My scary giant siblings, this picture just makes me smile!

I was feeling pictury today so I went around and took some pictures of our Christmas decorations. Totally useless I know, they'll sit on my hard drive for years until I finally delete them, but useless as they are it makes me feel happy to take them!=)

Pretties!

Life has been super busy lately and I was despairing of ever getting the time to sit and make these earrings. Some are presents and some are for me! As always happens when I make things is now I have to make two more pairs of each I have a Mom and sister who always want copies of whatever I make!

Not only am I making these for my friend, but my Mom wanted a pair and she wants me to make a a pair for her to give to her friend for Christmas!

I love the detail on these!

For a tea loving friend!
I have become fascinated with amber lately after having seen a pair similar to this in a catalog for $65.00! I decided to make my own total cost? About $3.00, boo-yah!

I love these with denim, they just go so well!

This picture caught my fancy, so I'm sharing it here with you!