YouTube Tuesday!!

I just thought this was funny, especially the baseball scene. Be sure to watch until the end.

Smile Pretty!

Alright, I'm not a fan of going to the dentist, but seriously, who is? In fact, I hadn't been in over five years, but finally went about two weeks ago. I think it's weird when I say that and some people go "ew." Um, it's not like I quit brushing five years ago. :oP I haven't been to my eye doctor for even longer than that, so my vision is probably really horrible since I closed my eyes and haven't seen a thing since in order to preserve them.

Anyway, I digress. I've never had a cavity in my life. Honestly, I probably should have, but I was blessed with lovely teeth and I sure hope my kids inherited that same gene. As the dentist was reviewing my x-rays he kept looking for some kind of work and made the comment that it didn't appear that I'd ever really had anything done. Gave me all kinds of warm fuzzies to hear what a pretty smile and teeth I have. Then came the inevitable. I knew I couldn't dodge the bullet forever, but he said it. "You have two really small cavities between a couple of teeth. I don't want them to get any bigger so we should probably fill them."

Really? Can't we just slap them on the wrist and tell them to behave and stunt their growth somehow? While I'm not really worried about any pain, since I hear they numb you up pretty good, but it's the drilling sound I'm not looking forward to. And I hope that since he said they're so small, it won't take long. I have to leave in about a half hour for this dreaded appointment. But perhaps I should look on the bright side. I've been cavity free for nearly 30 years, so kudos for that, and I get at least an hour of child-free time. Perhaps that will be my mantra during the drilling, "The kids aren't here, the kids aren't here, woo hoo, the kids aren't here!"

I guess sometimes we just need to take those child-free moments no matter how they come. Wish me luck!

Feature Friday - Babushka Jewellery

Q: Tell us a little about yourself; what makes you so special…
I’m just a girl with a passion who wants just that little bit extra out of life. I live in the UK with my 2 beautiful children and my blue Persian cat. The great loves of my life are laughter, family, friends, individuality and of course, jewellery. All of these passions are now embodied in the inspiration that is Babushka Jewellery Design.

Q: What do you make/create?
I create unique and exclusive handcrafted artisan jewellery using semi-precious gemstones, sterling silver, Hill Tribe silver, glass & art glass. I also love recycling jewellery so you will often find me in charity shops looking for forgotten treasures to revamp into new designs.

Now onto the really important questions…

Q: If you were an appliance, what kind of appliance would you be? Why?
Now this is a tricky one and I had to ask my boyfriend’s opinion. He said a juicer – as I get the best out of everything. I’ll take his word for that.

Q: Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
My gorgeous boyfriend.

Q: What’s your most embarrassing moment?
Oh definitely falling down whilst crossing the road one day in a very very busy street on my way to the station in London. I was wearing trousers with turn-ups and high heels. Yes what a good combination. I stepped down into the road from the pavement and one of my heels got caught and I went flying. I was in such a rush too and nearly got hit by a black cab! It definitely was a spectacular fall!

Q: Movie star crush?
Jonathan Rhys Myers – he is just gorgeous!

Q: Black and white or a hazy grey?
I don’t think anything in life is black or white – so definitely hazy grey

Q: Who’s on your iPod?
Regina Spektor, Julee Cruise, Massive Attack, Ting Tings, Snow Patrol, Prodigy, Tori Amos… to name just a few…

Q: If Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter dueled, who would win? Why?
Hmmm, difficult – I reckon Luke Skywalker because he has a bigger stick.

Q: Best advice you ever received?
Never regret anything and learn from everything.

Check out more of Babushka's Jewellery here!

Don't Judge an iPod by It's Cover

I've been trying to be really good about going to the gym on a regular basis. Especially since I'm planning to make my "hotter at 30 than 29" goal. Hey, I still have a few more months. :oP
You'll usually find me in a couple of the group classes, spinning anyone, or I'll be movin' and groovin' on the elliptical machine.

I HATE exercising. I love the way I feel afterward, but finding the motivation to even go to the gym is hard, let alone keeping the momentum once I'm there. For me, it's all about the tunes. Please distract me from the repetitious rotations of the bikes and machines and also the gross sweaty guy next to me, who always seems to be in front of a breeze that makes icky smells travel. Ew.

Just close my eyes. Close my eyes and tune into my iPod. I often wonder if people ever look at me and wonder what kind of music I'm bobbing and moving to. I suspect that they might take a gander at my Winnie-the-Pooh cell phone case, that's holding my iPod, and perhaps think I'm listening to Disney's Greatest Hits. Truth is, I don't have a case for my iPod and I don't use the cell phone case, so voila'. I probably look kinda preppy too in my super cute coordinating Nike outfit, so maybe they think I'm a pop princess fan.

Anyway, I'm willing to bet they have no idea that this body is being built on rock n' roll! That's a Jefferson Starship reference in case you didn't catch it. :oP But I digress, not just rock but classic rock. Oh yeah! Here's my secret motivation, feel free to use it for your own inspiration or just to have some great music to listen to.

The Best Classic Rock Songs to Workout to
(with a couple of other great rock songs thrown in)

1. "The Joker" Steve Miller Band (warm up)
   
2. "Come Together" Aerosmith (warm up)
3. "Are You Gonna Go My Way" Lenny Kravitz
4. "Barracuda" Heart
5. "Immigrant Song" Led Zeppelin
6. "Foxy Lady" Jimi Hendrix (how is this not inspiring?)
7. "T.N.T." AC/DC (who doesn't want to be dynamite?)
8. "Rock You Like a Hurricane" Scorpions
9. "Carry On Wayward Son" Kansas
10. "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" Hendrix (yeah I know, but they're both good)
11. "More Than a Feeling" Boston
12. "Crazy Train" Ozzy Osbourne (I LOVE this one)
13. "Learning to Fly" Pink Floyd (cool down)
14. "Silent Lucidity" Queensryche (cool down)

That's about an hours worth of music for your exercising enjoyment. And hey, if you can't be skinny, at least you can have great musical taste. That's what I keep telling myself anyway.

Rock on my friends, rock on.

YouTube Tuesday!!

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE the original of this song done by Aerosmith, but I'm groovin' on this redone version too, by Kelly Sweet. If Enya sang rock ballads, she'd be Kelly Sweet, especially during the chorus.

Sit back, relax and enjoy. :o) PS, sorry the video is out of sync, but there weren't any other copies.

Dear Liz,... crap.

Though I'm sure I'll never have the "pleasure" of meeting Ms. Elizabeth Becton, hers is not a name I'll likely forget anytime soon; in any form.

I am not into politics; I find it boring and honestly, I got a C in Government and Local Politics in college. I have the hardest time focusing on any of it and I couldn't even tell you if I'm red or blue. I guess when I'm pissed off I turn red and when I'm sad.... All I know is that when election time rolls around, I can either vote for Elmo or Grover, but either way a puppet will take office with a Congressional hand up their ---.

However, I was emailed this link to a series of email exchanges between Congressman Jim McDermott's secretary Elizabeth Becton and an unknown executive assistant at McBee Strategic.

Extra Extra: Glorified Secretary With Too Much Ego and Not Enough Tact

It has absolutely nothing to do with politics. Wait, that's not true. Some pompous over-blown ego takes liberties and justice into their own hands then beats down the little guy. And leaves us the train wreck for our reading and laughing pleasure. At least there's some justice in it. Miss LIZ, you'll never live this one down and if you're still working for Congressman McDermott, he's an even bigger idiot than you are. :oP

This might explain everything!

PS - While "taking liberties" with nicknames is a faux pas, it in no way excuses Elizabeth's less than professional behavior. And for someone making $90K/year, anger management will be an affordable and wise investment during the job interim.

Feature Friday - Pins and Thimbles

Q: Tell us a little about yourself; what makes you so special…
*blushes*... Well,
-- I love anything involving coffee, bicycles, sunflowers, bright colours, Muppet songs, mangoes, or chilli peppers.
-- I'm waaay overeducated for someone whose favourite activity is sorting differently coloured buttons into jars.
-- I've recently started changing my life to focus on these things I love -- my etsy shop is part of that change. I've become engaged to the sexiest, smartest, most supportive man on the planet, I'm working on a business making things that people can use and that can make them happy, and I'm spending more time with my garden and my dog.
-- I wish it hadn't taken me so long to get here!

Q: What do you make/create?
That's an easier question! I play with fabric and vintage buttons. My wrist wallets, which use both, were created almost by accident. I was going dancing with friends and had no pockets in my dress. I was annoyed because I didn't want to take a purse -- I hate worrying about where a purse is or carrying it while I dance. I folded my bar money into a piece of red satin, sewed a snap on, left my coat at the check, and felt free as a bird all night.

The design I now use in my shop has gone through many, many reworkings and every time I go out someone makes a new suggestion. I've also heard weird and wonderful ideas for how to use them: to hold money, house keys, (ahem) protection, kids' lunch money. One lady at my local sewing store even wanted one for her Mum who's in a nursing home and has to have her room key on her at all times (but tends to lose it). I custom make these for people who want to match their wallet to a special outfit.

I also make purses that you can store your notebooks and pens in, because I'm one of those people who can never be without my to-do lists.

Now onto the really important questions…

Q: If you were an appliance, what kind of appliance would you be? Why?
I'd be an Mp3 player, and I'd only play songs that make people happy. That would be my contribution to world peace.

Q: Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
My best friend -- soon to be my maid of honour -- Claire. She's a historian and currently burning the candle at both ends to get her Museum Studies coursework done, whilst working full time. We miss each other a lot now that we live and work in different cities.

Q: What’s your most embarrassing moment?
Well, the MOST embarrassing moment will go with me to the grave! The second most embarrassing: when I was about sixteen I had a huge crush on a Goth boy and I pretended to like his taste in music. Hint: if you're going to say that the Cure is your favourite band, have some idea who Robert Smith is before going to a Goth party.

Cruel twist of fate: I love the Cure. I just didn't know it then.

Q: Movie star crush?
Nobody wears a coat like Nathan Fillion! Then again, there's David Boreanaz... (Director) Joss Whedon call really pick 'em.

Q: Black and white or a hazy grey?
Wow, am I ever the wrong person to answer that question. I'm all about tangerine and silver and violet and watermelon and if possible, all at the same time ... even my engagement ring is a deep green emerald. That goes for philosophy as well as buttons!

Q: Who’s on your iPod?
Anything and everything that can put a spring in my step. There's Cat Stevens, Van Morrison, a heck of a lot of silly 80s and 90s pop, the Juno soundtrack, a touch of the Jackson Five, some Roy Orbison, some random ska... I'm not very cool (see embarrassing story above) but I'm usually perky!

Q: If Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter dueled, who would win? Why?
Harry Potter, but only because the two of them would both stand around moaning about their adolescent angst long enough for Hermione Granger to cast some awesome spell. She's the real star, isn't she?

Q: Best advice you ever received?
Be brave in spite of yourself. I recently stepped out of the academic career path, and it was the hardest decision I've ever made.

My fiance Dan spent the better part of two years telling me to take this risk. He was right, but I was too afraid to admit it. I was worried about our finances, worried about having wasted years of work, worried that I would make a giant fool of myself... and that's just for starters. But I think it's going to work out. I've made a number of sales and, though I've not yet sold from my new Etsy store, I have put some of my favourite items up there and I'm confident of them.

It's scary taking this risk while we're just starting out in our lives together. But I think it would have been even harder if I'd put it off until we had a mortgage and little ones to care for. And if and when we do have kids, I'm looking forward to being a creative mum who can show them, not just tell them, how to be brave.

Totally nifty huh? Check out more in Pins shop!

Dr.'s Orders

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life, is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable).

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO, cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

In short, eat and drink what you like. Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "Woo hoo, what a ride!"

YouTube Tuesday!!

I highly recommend doing the angry dance when you're upset. You'll save a lot of money on alcohol and get a great workout at the same time. :o)

*tag* I'm It.

Miss April over at http://appleblossomfl.blogspot.com has tagged me with a super fun interview and I feel like accepting so now you're stuck reading about me today. Mwahahahaha. So here are some things you may not have known and some things you could have done without knowing but I'm going to tell you anyway.

What is your current obsession?
Treasuries on Etsy. It's a total high to curate one that makes the front page.

What are you wearing today?
Right now I'm in my pjs. Heading to bed soon.

What's for dinner?
Hot pot over at my friend Danny's house. No, not stolen weed, but a boiling pot of water in the middle of the table where you cook whatever foods you like. Very tasty and fun!

What would you eat for your last meal?
My homemade lasagna, a whole loaf of hot French bread and a Marie Callender Chocolate Satin Pie. Ah, heck just give me the pie and I'll die happy.

What's the last thing you bought?
Technically hair gel, headbands and steam cleaner solution, but more fun, was before that!
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=16848540
Cute huh?!

What are you listening to right now?
Jim's watching National Treasure Book of Secrets. So I'm listening to a car chase and sirens.

What is your favorite ice-cream flavor?
Cookie Dough or love love love Tillamook's Mudslide. Oh yum!

What do you think of the person who tagged you?
I think April must be bored to have tagged me. Just kidding! Love April, she's a sweetie. She also has beautiful photography!

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
Greece, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea or any of the other 3 seas, I'm not picky.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
To my home in Greece, silly!

Which language do you want to learn?
I'm thinking Greek, so that I can tell everyone how the root of every word comes from a Greek word. And so I can talk to my neighbor about the gorgeous weather we're having... again.

What's your favorite quote (for now)?
Get over yourself, everyone else has.

What is your favorite color?
Turquoise.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
A black and white tunic dress from Mark.avon.

What is your dream job?
Acting. I don't have to be famous or even make millions, I just want steady work and enough to cover living expenses.

If you could invent any useful invention, what would it be?
An Insta-Babysitter.

If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
Another session or two with a personal trainer to help me bringsexyback.

Describe your personal style?
Casual, comfy and composing of jeans and tees.

What is your favorite TV show?
Burn Notice, Bones, Supernatural and House. Yeah, can't pick just one, love 'em all!

What are you going to do after this?
Going to bed and sleeping in, woot!

What are your favorite movies?
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Phantom of the Opera, Napoleon Dynamite and Never Been Kissed. I could go on for a while; we own a lot of my favorite movies.

What's your favorite fruit?
Marionberries.

If you could swap lives with someone famous, who would it be?
Anne Hathaway. That *$&#@ gets all my roles! :oP

Your favorite books?
I really liked Tuesdays with Morie and The Last Lecture. Both are great for appreciating what you have and living in the moment.

Are you a home body or do you prefer to be out?
It depends on the day. If it's been a hellish day at home with the kids, I want to get out asap and drop in on Happy Hour. On the weekends, I like to laze around the house.

Polka Dots or checks?
Polka dots are cuter and just scream, "look at us, we're fun!"

Favorite candy?
Snickers, Twix and anything made by Cadbury from England. Lindt truffles are awesome too!

Do you collect something?
Grey hairs. Yeah, it's sort of a collection that found me, not the other way around.

I feel like sharing is caring, so I'm gonna tag:
1. ElegantBloggery
2. EnveDesigns
3. ThePeachTree
4. Wunderbug
5. AlyGatr's Everywhere


The rules :
1. Respond and rework; answer the question on your blog and replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention.
2. Tag five other people.

Feature Friday - Lovely Journey

Q: Tell us a little about yourself; what makes you so special…
Hello! My two greatest passions in life are photography and exploring. I love getting on my bicycle, with my camera, and searching for fun and beautiful things to photograph. I'm originally from Adelaide in Australia but am currently living in Bruges with my loving partner. I have just started my maternity leave and at 29 weeks pregnant, my days are spent working on my photography, rest and preparing for a new addition to the family.

Q: What do you make/create?
I create fine art photographs. I'm not limited to just one subject, as I love finding the beauty in everything. My dream is to inspire people. I want to do for people what my favourite photographers/artists have done for me. I hope my images hanging on the wall can inspire people to get out and experience all this world has to offer (and you don't need to travel to do this, be a tourist in your own hometown!) I love the thought of my images bringing a smile to someones face. There isn't a better feeling.

Now onto the really important questions…

Q: If you were an appliance, what kind of appliance would you be? Why?
Tricky...most appliances are rather noisy but I'm a bit quieter..think I'll be a camera as it is my favourite.

Q: Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
I spoke to my parents, who called from Australia, and I miss very much.

Q: What’s your most embarrassing moment?
Don't know. I imagine I have said some stupid things over the years but prefer just to have a good laugh about it than feel embarrassed.

Q: Movie star crush?
Hmmm you can't beat a nice bit of Johnny Depp.

Q: Black and white or a hazy grey?
Hazy grey.

Q: Who’s on your iPod?
Many bands including: The Pixies, Radiohead, The Cure, Bjork, Massive Attack, Portishead, Kate Bush, Dandy Warhols, Pulp.

Q: If Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter dueled, who would win? Why?
Luke Skywalker. Nothing against Harry Potter, but classic always wins in the end.

Q: Best advice you ever received?
Love what you do, if not, do something else.

For more beautiful photography, visit LovelyJourney on Etsy!

YouTube Tuesday!!

Because some birds are just all talk.....................

Kinda Trippy

I've been having fun on Facebook, keeping tabs on old schoolmates, and it's so interesting seeing what people are up to now. So many are married and have kids and others are out pursuing lifelong dreams. What's been really trippy is being able to look up a couple of my friends/classmates using The Internet Movie Database or IMDB for short. There are celebrities in my midst!

Back in seventh grade, I had the biggest crush on Levi Lieb, though I'm not sure he ever knew it at the time, that was always the case with me; I was a secret crusher. Anyway, he's doing really well and even just signed away his first script. According to IMDB, he's worked on a couple of movies and I'm willing to bet his resume will only grow from here.

Oddly, my ninth grade crush is on IMDB too and even has pictures up! My ninth grade crush was Brennan Taylor (who ended up being really good friends with Levi, later on, and the two did a movie together). I haven't talked to Brennan since I psuedo asked him out during our Junior year. I say psuedo because I really did it to prove to myself that I could, and even though he said sure, I knew he had a thing for one of the sophomores so I never followed up. But hey, I'm just proud of myself for doing it. He's living in LA now.

My friend Erik Denton is also on there. I went out with his brother Kenny a couple of times, and I was really good friends with his sister Sarah. Erik is just an all around nice guy, and though I haven't seen him in years, I have a feeling he's still a great guy. He's already had a starring role in a movie which is just awesome and I think he's working on something now in Georgia. Very cool.

I regularly search IMDB for movie/actor stuff and it's just crazy that I know people who are now searchable on there. Trippy I tell ya.

Feature Friday - IMH Designs

Q: Tell us a little about yourself; what makes you so special…
My name is Amy and I'm a wife and a mother to 3. I'm pretty much a stay-at-home mom but as of last fall I headed back to college for interior design. I live in Minnesota outside of Minneapolis. I have been sewing and designing pretty much my whole life. I love it!!

Q: What do you make/create?
I create clutch purses. I made one and instantly became hooked. Once I find a great fabric I can't wait to see the finished product. It is so exciting and rewarding. I have recently started to turn my photos into clutches which has been a lot of fun. I have other ideas for clutches that I'm toying with and hope to turn into actual clutches. I just wish that I didn't have to sleep.

Now onto the really important questions…

Q: If you were an appliance, what kind of appliance would you be? Why?
Probably a popcorn popper. For one thing it is a fun word to say, it is one of my favorite snacks and I love the popping sound.

Q: Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
My mom. We talked about our day.

Q: What’s your most embarrassing moment?
I had an ink smudge on my nose and pretty much went the whole day without knowing.

Q: Movie star crush?
What can I say, Brad Pitt is just sooo good looking.

Q: Black and white or a hazy grey?
I think hazy grey. Lately I have been drawn to greys, it is even the background on my banner.

Q: Who’s on your iPod?
Ozzy Osborne (Crazy Train) Anne Lennox, Counting Crows, John Mayer, ELO.

Q: If Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter dueled, who would win? Why?
I have to be old school on this and say Luke Skywalker mostly because I had a crush on him when Star Wars was out and Harry is just a boy.

Q: Best advice you ever received?
Do your best.

For more fabulous clutches, check out IMH's store!

Who Were You?

Back in high school, that is. I just watched the documentary "American Teen" and things haven't changed much since I was in high school; sadly. It's still as cliquey as ever, the popular girls are still biotches and the geeky kid still can't get a date. As far as stereotypes go, I related most with the "rebel," Hannah. Though I wouldn't call her or me a rebel, just not cut from the same conforming mold. We didn't fit in anywhere else.

There was a time I wanted desperately to be popular. My best friend from elementary school was one of the most popular girls in school. We'd been friends since Kindergarten, but once we got to junior high, she decided she no longer wanted to be my friend (since I wasn't popular) and sent one of her other friends over to break the news. Yeah, harsh. I cried.

I would say I was socially awkward because I was so worried about being made fun of for what I said or did. I was that shy wallflower girl who was a people pleaser. I would have done favors for any of the "in" crowd just to be "in" for that one brief moment. I had friends, but even then, I was the quiet one in the group and if my friends were absent or busy during lunch, I was the girl that was eating lunch in the bathroom so I wasn't seen alone at any of the tables. I even had girls prank me regularly and to this day, I have no idea who they were. They would call other kids from my class and pretend to be me saying who knows what. Most of the phone call recipients never talked to me about it and only two of the guys that did, wouldn't give me details. So it must have been bad. There's one thing high school kids have now that I didn't, caller id.

Hannah was a step ahead of me though, and I decided I didn't care what others thought only after I left high school, for college, my junior year. There was a program that allowed students to get high school and college credit at the same time and the high school paid the tuition. I thought, "Great! Whatever gets me out of this drama." That's when I was finally able to breathe and just be myself. All of my snarkiness is just built up from those years of repressive school angst.

My ten year high school reunion was last October and I skipped it. Most of the people I've wanted to keep in contact with I have (Facebook is awesome). After watching that documentary, it made me even happier that I didn't go. Who wants to dig up those kinds of memories? Some things are better left in the past and only dug up for blogging value. :op

YouTube Tuesday!!

Wow! Did you see that one coming?
Sorry this was the best copy I could find that had a code and I'm not sure why it won't fit, oh well. :OP