I got Twilight Sparkle !

Current Mood : Mildly frustrated, but oddly happy...

This always happens when I get all wound up about making something for someone, especially when I'm on a self-imposed deadline. About all I got done today was cleaning the bedroom and making Friend H's zipper bag, as promised. Problem is, every single element, from her name, to the Monster High logo, down to the tag inside, is off center. So annoying. I'll probably make her another one later. FIL didn't see it as such a bad thing, but it looks awful to me. Sad part is, it's one of the better-constructed ones. It'll probably last forever !

Ah, well. For now, I can forgive m'self and move on. Friend H wasn't able to visit today, she stayed over-late yesterday against her Mom's orders. I'd asked if she had a certain time I could remind her about, but she said she could stay until her Mom yelled. I'm just glad she wasn't mad at me !

After today's sewing flop, I wasn't in a mood to work on my project, the MH shoe box, and I really didn't have time to, either. So hopefully I'll get to it tomorrow. And tomorrow will be a better day.

Uncle is planning on packing up his Garpartment belongings this weekend and heading west Monday or Tuesday. We'll miss him, but he'll be much happier where he's going, I can guarantee it. Dearest Son blurted out that he was moving in there when Uncle is gone, but his new bedroom would always remind him of Uncle T. I can't say I'm any less selfish, as I'm sort of looking forward to some more room, too. My Arena and Beloved Hubby's study desks (yes, he has several) will go in Dearest's old room, which will free up more kitchen and bedroom space. M & FIL don't want the space at all. We've asked, numerous times. I think FIL's planning on putting a recliner where the Arena is now, for some personal space of his own. But I'm just pasting a happy face on it, we'll all miss Uncle quite a lot.

I would say we went to McD's for a snack, but we actually went to get more My Little Pony Happy Meal toys. Turned out, our local store has a box with darn near all the Pony toys in it, so we could request any of 'em. Our cashier even knew them by name ! A fellow Brony !! Beloved wanted - and got ! - his favorite, Pinkie Pie, and I got the Twilight Sparkle I've been secretly wanting. Since the Transformer toys were still uninspiring to him, Dearest opted for a Rainbow Dash, because he liked her colors. It's fun. While I can't really see m'self haunting TRU for Hasbro Ponies, I like having Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle on my windowsill, for whatever strange reason I have. I kind of want a Rarity, too.

Yeah, it gets real silly around here... Just wait 'til next week. It's Spring Break !

Now I wanna sew something in purple...

Current Mood : Worried

Must've been 'Clawdeen Day' today !

Finally cracked open the Clawdeen 'Fashion Entrepreneur's Club' outfit this morning. I confess, a good chunk of the appeal of this was the shoes. I put them on Ghoulia, to go with the 'Galactic' dress, just as I intended as soon as I noticed them on the peg at Mal-Wart. Beloved Hubby commented that they certainly looked futuristic. I said they reminded me of something Barbarella might wear, and he agreed.

And if my memory can be trusted, Mattel's only used three of the MH shoe molds more than once. Prototype photos show Clawdeen sporting a pair of the same 'Barbarella' (giggle) shoes in yellow for the upcoming two-pack Target exclusive with Howleen. Ghoulia's '#1 Fan' sneakers from the TRU-exclusive Fearleader set got repainted for her 'Comic Club' clothes, and the white snowboots under basic Abbey's fur legwarmers also got a recolor for her 'Snowboarding Club' outfit.

It was a bit difficult to get Clawdeen's boots on Ghoulia. Either the doll's big toe or little toe gets caught between the straps. I held them in my hands a bit, to warm them, then sort of pushed down at the middle while sliding them on Ghoulia's feet. That helped. Other notes - the 'claw' mark on the purple briefcase isn't repeated on the other side (yaay !), the 'Trapper Keeper'-like file folder is paper, and only shows pockets drawn on the inside, and it fits neatly inside the briefcase. My particular outfit was really hard to remove from the paper doll, as the tiny white plastic t-thingies were so short, I had to use embroidery scissors to cut them. One left a hole in the sleeve. I hate those t-thingies.

I also got an eBay win in the mail - when I was still deciding if I wanted just the 'Bee Girl' dress or nearly the whole set, I won an auction for the dress only. I forgot I bid, truthfully, and was surprised I got it with the pocket-change bid I made. I liked the vivid purple, and it was a near-perfect match for Gloom Beach Clawdeen's hair. Plus, she was already wearing those shoes, and it'd been a ridiculously long time since she scored anything new to wear. So she got it.

I'm a little disappointed with the dress, honestly. It's made from the cheapest sateen I've ever seen - it's almost like cardstock stiff - and so tight, I wondered if the Create A Monster bodies were smaller than yer standard Monster High ones. It was a real squeeze to get it over Clawdeen's hips, and the snug Mad Doll Stand 'saddle' pushed a visible poke in the skirt. That's tight ! Yet, the sewing is very good, only one loose thread (I got used to far more in Barbie clothes), and the fabric print actually goes all the way around the doll !  It's sad that I'm so excited by that, but there it is. I made sure to take today's photo so you could see it, too. I think it looks great on her.

With all that - and a buncha other housework - I didn't quite make it to the Arena to sew today. Uncle-in-law got hit in a car accident this evening, which totaled his car. Either the air-bag deployment, or possibly the crash itself, possibly both, hurt him somewhat. Not even his fault, some jerkazoid plowed into him, running a red light while Uncle was waiting to make a legal left turn, with the light on Uncle's side still green. Beloved Hubby just got home from work and had to take him from the accident site to the hospital. Wish there was something I could do.

Wish him a swift recovery, if you can. I know we'd all appreciate it !

Ponderances and carbohydrates

Current Mood : Thinkin' about stuff...

Current Image Notes : This is Beloved Hubby's 'media' contribution to his group report for college. Pretty scary, huh ? I'm really proud of his work, and the print shop did an excellent job on it, but I just can't bring m'self to hang it up.

Song You Forgot :  Doo Wop (That Thing), Lauryn Hill

Had my second of three diabetics classes this afternoon - and it was actually fun this time. Evidently the hair-splitter in our last class couldn't make it. Seriously, if the instructor said that any additional exercise above just daily routine was good, he'd posit that we should all be doing high-impact aerobics daily for it to make any real difference. Um...he was certainly not following his own advice. At least my big ole butt could be confined to one chair, 'nuff said. You'd think he'd be as glad as the rest of us, and encouraged, to exercise more with this advice, but nope. He did that several times during the last class on various points. We ended up running late 'cause the teacher'd have to carefully parse what he just said, to try to figure out what Splitter was taking issue over this time. Made for a really dreary class.

But this one was more lively, with some really engaged folks. I learned sooo much ! I can now count carbs - not calories or sugar ! - with the best of 'em, and know how much to 'spend' in a day, thanks to our teacher and a book they gave all of us, Calorie, Fat, and Carbohydrate Counter. The VA got a grant and bought hundreds of 'em. It's a big help. Only problem is, I get hungry just leafing through the pages !

And since half my carb load most days is soda, even though I'm drinking nearly equal amounts of ice water, well, it's still gotta go. Beloved and I picked out several intriguing diet sodas for me to try. So far, 7-UP Antioxidant Cherry is a bit too chemical-weird tasting for me. After the first few sips, I wanted to stand up, raise the glass, and yell, "Science !". Maybe when it's colder, it'll taste better.

Had an interesting reaction to a query today. Amid 35 other questions, a fellow LiveJournal MH group member asked us to complete this sentence : "If Monster High called it quits tomorrow, I would feel ­­­______." Without thinking, my first, gut and knee-jerk reaction was 'relieved'. I had to stop and think about it afterwards. And the birds outside stopped chirping, but I'm not sure if the two actions are related.

I love MH - I'm sure no one will ever question that ! (grin) But lately, between the constant array of new stuff, the fact that I can't ever find any of it, fans in Britain and Kuala Lumpur seem to have abundant shelves of the latest long before I ever see it anywhere but a computer screen, weighted against local economic concerns, I have to admit to being a bit weary already.

I'd love to see more of what Mattel has planned. I don't want the line to end, even if I never buy another doll. But I'd be happy with what I have, and wouldn't feel like I 'should' have this or that. Or that I have to keep funds available, in case I stumble over something I like - since it probably won't be there the nanosecond I let it go. I might actually be happier creating, when I have no clue what the manufacturer has planned. Could be that I'm simply too enmeshed to really be inspired anymore, since there's so much more out there now.

Hrmf. Now that I think about it, I wrote a lot more 'mental fanfics' when I couldn't see Star Wars any time of the day or night. Not having access to vast computer databases, or even many real-live fans where I lived, gave my imagination more room to play. Now I spend more time looking at fansites than I do creating, and that may be where my block is originating.

More thought is required, so be very afraid....

Do-not-a-darn-thing Sunday !

Current Mood : Hungry again, darn that rye bread !

Current Image Notes : Here's the knit stand-thingie, with the just-folded tulle and netting, complete with oxygen hose. The grey circle is the lid to a recycled jar fulla still-on-cards vintage buttons I keep meaning to put on Etsy or something. Why is it that you can find craft totes with the most delightful fabric - but you can never find the fabric itself ? I fell in love with this 'cartoon-like cats with sewing notions' print, and have never seen it anywhere else. 

Truly took today off, and barely did a thing. Decided my next project is gonna be a no-sleeve version of the NG Creations dress I keep altering - when I'm on a roll, I just don't stop ! If the non-sleeves work, I'll sew it again in a knit fabric, since I have a special project in mind for it. Wish me luck !

Mapping out my latest round of tortures to that already beleaguered pattern is about all I did. Went to look at a cheap apartment with Beloved Hubby, but even cheap as it is, we can't do it right now - deposits and such. But we will soon ! So it's good to keep our eyes open. Bought a few groceries, including a splurge for me, a tasty loaf of rye bread I can barely keep my hands off of when I'm not hungry. Problem is, food that'd last us weeks is gone in days here - last month we spent a month of rent's worth of cash on food, and yes, all of it has been consumed. (sigh)

Oh, and I did one other thing - I finally got all the tulle folded and organized in that folding knitting tote/stand-thingie. It had been in various color wads in there, like shimmery meatloaves or river rocks. Tulle and netting are not the easiest 'fabrics' to fold and organize - and most of mine came lumped like that, from yard sales and such. But I got it done, and now it's arranged by color where I can see it. Since the stand does double-duty to hold my oxygen hose away from my chair-wheels, it's nice that it looks prettier now. Still have no idea what I'll do with tulle, but it's ready whenever I need it !

And people wonder why I watch those 'Hoarding' shows. I may not have as much as I used to, but I like to see it all - and I've already proven that I will expand to fit any space allotted to me !

I also got the other loose pattern pieces stored in a document protector inside a pocket folder. They'd been fluttering around the arena for a while, and I was tired of picking them up over and over. Same for a courtesy survey - got tired of moving it out of the way, so I did it and it's awaiting mail pick-up tomorrow. And since I had no idea where to stash some other bits lurking around, I labelled various plastic drawers and boxes with Sharpie on masking tape I had sitting around. Now I know which box is Stationery, and which is Patterns - go, me !

Sewing up yesterday's dress used the last of my black thread, so I have an ongoing campaign to go to Hancock Fabrics next weekend. I know I haven't used much of my fabric stash since the move, but sometimes, ya just like to go to where there's tons of the stuff, and sort of mentally roll around in it. You know what I'm saying. Hancock Fabrics gets to be a temple of sorts, and I haven't been to one since before Halloween '11 ! Long past time for me to get some textile appreciation in, and get inspired all over again.

I'll tell you two secrets, then I gotta go - one, the two totes of fabric I 'ditched' when we moved ? They're in Starlight's trunk ! They got packed instead of put out at the yard sale. So really, all I need is thread from Hancock's...but still. Two, I'm kind of hoping my next two or three efforts go well, but I don't like the finished items. That way, I can dress a couple spare Monster High dolls in 'em and get 'em traded or whatevs. Everything I've made lately I've liked, and the semi-abandoned, damaged DracuLaura needed that 'hospital gown' dress. So I keep using the same pattern, altered a bit, in hopes that I get tired of having ten to fifteen of the 'same' dress, and decide to ditch a few.

And ya'll wonder why I never sell anything I make. Between 'I wanna keep it !' and 'Man on fire, I do NOT want anyone to see how bad I fudged the back closure on this one !', it's a wonder I even still want to sell/trade the dolls !

Tomorrow : A third secret ! 

Too evil for gratitude...(sigh)

Current Mood : Slightly ticked.

Sorry I'm late with entries again. It's kind of hard to explain, but let me put it this way - until today, I was almost afraid to write, because I didn't want to say what was most on my mind. I still don't, it's minor stuff, I know how petty I'm being, and nothing's changed since Monday - in fact, today it got worse ! But there's not much that can be done now, I just have to deal.

(sigh) Maybe I can boil it down this way - have you ever known someone who has the least resources of all your peers, but wasted the most ? Like using three paper towels to dry a pair of glasses, when you were the one who bought the paper towels in the first place, to help out ? And then, after you'd helped out all month and felt good about doing so, thinking you'd made a difference, your impoverished buddy showed off the fresh, new Coach purse she just bought, 'cause she 'saved sooo much money this month !'. Kinda like that, but not specifically. I don't feel I can criticize, but it's still hard to keep my mouth shut sometimes. Ok, ok, it's hard for me to keep my mouth shut all the time...

And clearly, on Thanksgiving, I need to focus on gratitude, not wanting to tear my hair out !

I have to reset the MH shelf, with all the new dolls needing a place to stand, but I wanted today's image of Ghoulia, before she got moved and redressed. She looks so pretty in the light.

Met our new across-the-street neighbors this morning, since it was such a lovely day, anyone who could spent it outside if possible. We won't have too many more days like today for the rest of the year ! They're really nice, and wished Beloved luck on Starlight, which he appreciated.

Speaking of 'my' Honda Accord, Beloved successfully extracted the transmission late this morning. I was surprised to learn that, when you buy a transmission from a parts place, you have to turn one in, or pay even more. At first, I thought it was a 'core charge', like for a car battery, but it isn't. And, heck, it's good to know he can get that thing out before we buy another one to put in. Hopefully the parts yard will be open tomorrow, we can't find the hours anywhere.

If they are, it'll be the only thing we buy. I refuse to get involved in Black Friday, and I've been like that ever since some woman in a huge SUV darn near ran over me in a parking lot - she was too busy talking on the phone. When I yelled 'HEY ! Watch out !', of course she looked at me like I was the moron who'd somehow materialized outta nowhere in front of her chrome grill. When that Mal-Wart employee died by trampling a couple years ago, I knew I'd never go again.

But if you're going out, please be careful and stay warm ! I hope you had a great day today, your tummy's happy, and your mind is at rest. As for me, I have such a yen for popcorn right now...

ARggghdegarble...rrrgh. (sigh)

Current Mood :Frustrated and bored, if you can believe it. 

A lot going on, but most of it is boring ole family stuff, and kind of more of the same problems I probably shouldn't have gone on about before. Only reason I'm even vaguely interested is that I'm in the middle of it, and even then, I'm angry but not particularly involved, if that makes any sense at all. (sigh)

Busy day today, too - got dishes done, mostly because I got tired of moving them out of my way, and scrubbed the remainder of the neglected kitchen counters. Sorted through two more boxes. Culled four outgrown shirts from Dearest Son's laundry Monday and got them put away today for donation - if he sees them, he wants to wear them, no matter how tight they are, but if they simply vanish, he never asks about 'em. Suddenly, his interest in Bakugan has been rekindled, so he's digging through all his toys to get them all back in one place again.

And I got some great news - one of my books sold ! The Barbie pattern one from Mari DeWitt went for $50., one of the least expensive ones offered. I confess, it's been a while since I checked it, and someone had since lowered his/her price on the same volume, but mine was in better shape. Can you believe some sellers are asking almost $175. and (gulp) $750. for the same book ?! Amazon took its commission off the top, so there went $10., but I still made $44., minus the $9. to ship it. At least the new owner will have it quickly, we upgraded to Priority. I'll probably get the funds about the same time she gets the book, so hopefully everyone will be happy.

Beloved Hubby thinks he might be off on Friday - and if he is, we're going out together, just the three of us, for lunch. He also wants to look at apartments, which might tell more than it seems. I'm glad to have something to look forward to !