Tropic Thunder, My Baby's Movin' on Up, More Art, Maddy's Masterpiece and a Plea for Recipes!

It's been a hectic weekend. I'm on another one of my "gotta get organized" kicks so naturally, everything in the house is a total mess. lol What I wouldn't give for more storage in this house!! Geez. Seems like I'm constantly shifting stuff from one pile to another and not making any progress whatsoever. But that's a whole other story. I'd just as soon not think about it right now so I'll move along, okay? :)
Randey and I saw Tropic Thunder Friday evening. It was offensive on so many levels, it was stupid, it was gross, it was sometimes over-the-top bizarre...and man, did we love it! I haven't laughed so hard in a theater since we saw Blades of Glory. Robert Downey, Jr. is pure genius. I'm normally not too impressed with anyone who makes their living in Hollywood, but this guy is an exception. I loved him in Ironman, I loved him in Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang and I totally and completely adored him in this movie. Nobody plays a character better and nobody pokes fun at himself better, either. Genius, I tell you, genius. Another stand out performance in this movie was that of Tom Cruise. Yeah, I know. I stopped diggin' Tom Cruise right about the time he kicked Nicole to the curb and started couch jumping over Katie. But his performance in this movie almost made me like him again. Almost. (He played a great role, but afterwards, well - he's still Tom Cruise - couch-pounding maniac.) If you can enjoy a whole lot of un-politically correct humor, this movie is for you. If you're easily offended, skip it. And there you have it. Another movie review from me. Woo-hoo! lol
Check out Jacob, my baby. He was headed to a job interview so he broke down and dressed in something other than a t-shirt and plaid shorts. It worked for him, too. He got the job and has gone from working fast food to working in retail sales. He's already planning on how to spend the big bucks he'll be making. lol
Remember our fetish for cheap art? Well, check this out:
It's a watercolor painting of an actual windmill. It's the Berney Arms Mill in Norfolk, U.K. It actually has a sticker on the back with the name of the artist and the artist's contact information. I googled the name of the mill and found several webpages with information regarding the origin and the current use of the mill. I think it's a beautiful little watercolor and, at $3 (sorry, Kat, I can't help myself - I have to tell how little we paid! lol), an absolute steal.

When Maddy Moose (our oldest granddaughter) was visiting earlier this month, she and I went to Granbury and painted ceramics together. As you can see, Maddy's granny (moi) has not found her calling when it comes to painting these things. Who knew the brush strokes would show up so much??? Here's the front of my piece:
And here's the back:
Now here's Maddy's. This kid is so creative and so free-spirited, it was a given that I would love her piece. Here's the front of hers:
And here's the back:
I am kicking my own butt for not having her do two pieces so that I could keep one. What was I thinking??? Well, now I know better. Next time around, Moose will be painting something for herself and something for her granny. lol

One more thing. I haven't received many recipes yet for the "Finding a Weigh Out of Fat" post coming up this Wednesday. You only have a day or two to get those to me!! If you have one, please e-mail me with it ASAP (or type it into a comment). Come on, guys! Share what you've got and help the rest of us out! If we're going to lose weight together, we need to do it all together. Including helping each other out in the kitchen (metaphorically, anyway. You'll have to find your own helpers to do the dishes. lol).

What's Your Favorite Hobby?

Mine? Well, mine's usually the "flavor of the month". I can't seem to stick with any particular hobby for very long, although I've done scrapbooking for a couple of years now. (That's probably a record for me. lol) Way back in the early '90's, I had a booth at the local craft mall. I made things like these baskets: And these hats (were sunflowers really that big back then or what??):
And these wreaths:
'Course, looking at these things now, I'm kind of squirming in embarrassment. They look so...old fashioned and out-of-date. Which I guess they are, considering they were made about a decade and a half ago. (Geez, I'm getting old.)*smile* I did okay at it, meaning I always sold more than my booth rental. The problem was, I usually spent any profits shopping in other people's booths. Oh the talent those people had. I bought lots of rag dolls and ceramics and candles and wooden signs, etc. All the stuff I couldn't make myself. I still have quite a few of those things, come to think of it. I also did cross-stitching back in the day. Never to sell though. Cross-stitching is entirely too much work to try and make a profit at! I did this deer "head" for Randey's sister and her husband:
Then I did a stitching of 4 babies that represented my 4 babies (in the photo below). The original pattern actually had 7 babies and the words to this nursery rhyme:

Monday's child is fair of face.
Tuesday's child is full of grace.
Wednesday's child is full of woe.
Thursday's child has far to go.
Friday's child is loving and giving.
Saturday's child works hard for a
living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and
blithe and good and gay.

Unfortunately, about 3 1/2 "babies" into this project, I got bored so I stopped at 4, stitched my kids names and birth dates in and called it done. Which is probably an indication of how short my attention span had gotten by that point. This is probably the last "big" thing I stitched. My eyesight's not what it used to be, nor is my patience. (In other words...another hobby fell by the wayside)

When we moved here to Texas, I got a wild hair and decided to try my hand at mosaic. I had done a few small pieces before. Susan (my BFF) and I had done a birdbath each (talk about a learning experience!) when I lived in Florida. And we'd done a couple of cement blocks that I'd found in my garage (that's a whole other story!). But now I wanted to do something big. I wanted to actually design something. So I did this table top:
I was so thrilled with my work (hey, I thought it was pretty good, being my first "designed" project! lol) that I decided to do some matching flower pots. Yeeeaaaahhhh. Those are still sitting in our garage, 3 years later, half finished. It's that short attention span thing again. I want to finish them. I just don't want to have to do the work required to finish them. I keep thinking that one of these days, I'll find THE hobby. The one that will capture my attention and hold it forever. As much as I love scrapbooking, I don't think it's the hobby to end all hobbies for me. I'm not good enough at it, it doesn't come naturally enough to me and sometimes I get downright frustrated because I can't think of a single creative thing to do with it. But one of these days, I just know I'm going to come across THE hobby - the one that I am really, really good at, the one that will hold my attention. The one with which I can actually create something stunning. Yeah, I said it...stunning. I want to create stunning things. lol How about you? What do you create? What hobby holds your heart? What are you good at? What do you do that's just plain fun? What would you like to do as a hobby? And does anybody else out there have this weird compulsion to try and make things? Or am I just an odd-ball, your basic Jill of all trades, master of none. And if I am your basic Jill, is that so bad? Is it okay to go through life without some creative passion being fulfilled? So many questions, so few answers. My creative spirit, like just about everything else these days, is in a state of flux.

So what brought this whole hobby post on? They've opened a new shop in a town nearby where you can do ceramics! Yeah. I've never done ceramics. I grabbed a flier from their store and have been studying it...could this be THE hobby? Or will it be another passing fancy for me? Who knows. Thank goodness I stopped smoking, eh? At least I won't be making ginormous, multi-colored, Star Trek badge shaped ashtrays while I test my skill at this obsession. (she said with a big grin on her face!)

What Does One Do Whilst Searching for One's MOJO?

So how did I spend my time during my self-imposed exile? Well, let's see. I cleaned house. Something that, as a housewife, you'd think I would have been pretty much caught up on anyway, but alas, my housekeeping abilities are...how can I say this? ummmm, rusty? nooo, how about rudimentary? nah....more like....ummmm finely honed, yet much procrastinated upon and happily ignored as a general rule. But I broke down and did some vacuuming, bathroom cleaning, dusting, blah, blah, blah. I also fixed the 5 pillows that needed sewing. Three pillows had tassel issues and 2 had had their tufting buttons removed. Not sure how these things happened, but I put on my Caroline Ingalls hat and got the repairs done. No joy there, I can tell you that for sure. Then I made a few more Christmas cards. I've gotten a whopping 9 done now. I know, I know. I'd better pace myself or I'll have all the cards done before the next millennium. And then, in an obvious cry for help, I resorted to baking. Sorry, Sophie. I did it. I baked the chocolate chip cookies I had been threatening to bake for a while now. But, rest assured, I did not enjoy the experience. Please forgive me, Sophie. I know it was wrong to attempt this. I was desperate for anything to help me get my mojo back. Of course, I've known for most of my adult life that my mojo has never been nor never will be located anywhere near a stove and/or oven, but like I said, desperate situations call for desperate measures. I have now eliminated the kitchen as a possible source for mojo retrieval. Thank goodness.
So then I turned to fall decorating. I put this wreath, pictured below, on the front door. I found a couple of the fall decorations that I had stashed under the staircase, but the rest of it is still up in the garage rafters. Still hoping Randey or the boys will get those things down soon. If not, I guess I'll go buy a giant can of spider killer, some elbow length gloves, a beekeeper's hat (complete with face netting, of course) and attempt to get the stuff down myself. Let's hope it doesn't come to that, okay?
This bottom pictures is of a cute little figure (way over on the left) I found at Hobby Lobby a couple of weeks ago. I don't know why I like it so much, but I do. The pumpkins in the bread dough bowl are made of chenille. I found them in Weatherford at one of those little stores around the courthouse area. I think I paid something like $2.50 for all of them. Cute, huh?

'Tis (Almost) the Season. Sort of.

Uhhhhhhh....how do I say this without sealing my reputation as a total nutcase Christmas freak? Guess I'll just throw it out there and see what happens. It's August (but pretty close to the end of August, right? That's gotta count for something!). It's still in the 90's here in Texas. Halloween is still in the distant future. And what have I spent my time doing this week? Blogging. But that's not the point. When I haven't been blogging, I've been....making Christmas cards. Yeah, there. I've said it. Any problems with that? Got something to say? Did you call me crazy? Huh? Did ya'? Hey! Yeah, you! The one snickering and rolling your eyeballs! You wanna piece of me? Do ya'? Bring it, Baby!

Whew. Sorry. Breathing in. Deep breaths. I'm good. Thanks. Trying to get over that whole "Blogland has declared me the Village Idiot" feeling I'm getting here. I don't care what all the world's spies tell you, people. Paranoia is NOT your friend. Trust me on that. And really and truly...does it matter if the entire community you've come to embrace as your own thinks of you as a lunatic who sits in a corner playing with your Bubble Blowing Santa while listening to Jingle Bells on a red and green Dr. Seuss discman? Nah...friends don't mind you being crazy. It makes them look that much more sane. That's my theory. And I think it's a good one. Don't disillusion me. I mean it. D.O.N.'T.

Anywho, I made a decision this year that I was going to make our Christmas cards. How hard can it be, eh? Well, actually, as it turns out...pretty flippin' hard! For me, at least. This one, pictured below, is my first attempt. The ribbon I used is sheer so it doesn't show up very well. And "inking" is not my forte', as I've come to realize.
And the card below is my second attempt. Hmmm. I think my first one is looking better and better now. I've actually completed four cards total and I just have to say...thank goodness I've started in August. At the rate I'm going, I might finish them by Thanksgiving. Of 2010. I'm bound to get faster, though, right? I mean, I know I'll get the hang of this before too much longer. Surely, I will.

But, alas...I've spent too much time blogging already this morning (I went blog surfing before I posted) so, unless I want to whittle our card list down to just 4, I'd better get crackin' on some more paper Christmas cheer. (I'm almost in tears at the thought. Who knew this would be such a challenge for me? Oh. I'm the only one who didn't know it, is that what you're saying? Fine. I'll show you. Keep making snarky comments and I'll add you to the card list. Think about that. Odds are good, it won't be pretty. Your children will suffer. Your dog will howl. Your friends will laugh. Yeah. Ugly comments now could cost you big later. Except for you Aunt Sandi. Your fate is already sealed. You're gettin' a card. Moving now won't help you. Your boys will give me your forwarding address so you may as well brace yourself. Oh, and those same boys will be checking to make sure you display said card prominently throughout the entire holiday season. Ahhhh...'tis good to have cousins you get along with, know what I mean?)

Be Careful What You Ask For!

Can anybody tell me what this is? Just kidding. I know what it is. This is the sewing machine I begged for...about 2 1/2 years ago. I just had to have it. It's nothing fancy, mind you. I knew I would probably only ever use it to sew a straight line. Maybe hem a curtain or make a tablecloth. Something very, very basic. I'm making huge progress with this machine, too! Last year (?), I took it out of the box. Woo-hoo! (Rolling right along). A few months ago, I took it out of the closet. (No stopping me now!). And, if I could only remember where I put the instruction manual, I would now probably make an attempt at threading a bobbin. Yeah, I know. I've got to learn to pace myself. I'll burn out if I keep it up like this. (wink, wink) Everytime I look at this machine and see how far I've come with it, I have to tell myself "Hey, slow down, little lady. What's your rush?".

A couple of weeks ago, I posted some pictures from last Christmas - hey, it's my blog, I can post when and what I want! - and I showed some stockings that I had "sewn" for my family. Jayne (@ http://countrycottagechic.blogspot.com/ ) commented that she thought I'd said I didn't know how to sew. Jayne! I wasn't lying. All those stockings came in a kit and the only sewing was by hand (and really, really messy up close!). Sewing on a machine is something I've only done sporadically over the years and usually with less than stellar results. But, since I've put this blasted machine out on a table where I have to look at it every day, I'm getting closer and closer to actually figuring out how to plug it in. Right now, I'm off to find the instruction manual. I know I put it somewhere safe, somewhere I wouldn't lose it, I'm pretty sure it's in a place close by....Oh well, wish me luck! If I don't sew my fingers together (provided I figure how to thread the machine first), I'll let you know how it goes.