Monday Evening Wondering

I wonder if Joe Flacco is a little worried seeing how well Matt Schaub is playing in his absence.

Along the same lines, I wonder if John Harbaugh has given up hope this season.  Perhaps he's just biding his time until next season...That's what I'd do if I were him.

I wonder why the stars of Bones who are already millionaires, are suing the studio responsible for making them their millions, for millions more.

I wonder why my package from Studio Calico, that contained items that would have all fit inside a 4x6" box, was sent in a giant 12x12 inch 3 inch deep box.

I wonder if it will ever stop raining this week.

I wonder how long my lovingly re-organized scrap room, that took 4 hours to re-arrange yesterday, will stay lovely and organized. 

I wonder why Kobe Bryant retiring is such a big deal.

I wonder why on earth, the Governor of MD who just beat cancer, is crowd-sourcing whether or not he should grow his hair out again. (Though based on how cold it is in MD during the winter - I'd vote hair!)

I wonder if I could get away with taking a half day on Wednesday just because I want to and because there's NOTHING happening at work.

I wonder if the Ravens have done something to tick off the Football gods.

And above all else, I wonder if I should bother watching the end of this game, or should I just go to bed?

All of these thoughts have gone through my head in the last hour alone.  My brain's a busy thoroughfare this evening : )

Reason #452

There are about a million reasons why I love to craft and create.  Some people just don't get it.  They'd much rather go out and buy an item as a gift - it is afterall, much simpler. However, you don't get the same response when you do that. Gifts are so much more personal when you create them.  You get to really express yourself and let that person know you really care.  

I discovered that today and it's truly the best feeling in the world. 

A few months ago, I started making little memory games like this one:

It's basically some cardstock circles with punched flower cut outs in different colors, then laminated.  I liked the look of them and thought they would be fun for kids to use at quiet time. They're very girly and I suppose I could make one with boy colors, but pink is far superior to blue (in my opinion anyway...)

Anyway, when a friend gave birth to a little boy this week, I decided to create a name sign for the baby.  But there was a 3 year old big sister to think about too.  I'm sure the baby is getting all sorts of presents but big sister was probably not receiving many.  Such is life as a big sister I suppose.  But since I was crafting the baby's sign anyway, it wouldn't be too difficult to whip up one of these little memory games as well.  

Well, I'm super glad I did, because I've been getting picture updates of her playing with it all day. Her smile goes from ear to ear and she's super excited to have a new toy to play with - a new toy that isn't the new baby of course!

That. That is reason #452 why I craft!  In about an hour, I was able to make a little girl super happy.  What's your superpower? : )

Kennedy Krieger Festival of Trees

Each year Kennedy Krieger holds their Festival of Trees.  Hundreds of businesses, and regular people come together to sponsor and/or design great Christmas trees and donate them.  Then attendees can buy the trees for their own homes and all of the money goes to Kennedy Krieger.  It's a fabulous fundraiser, and is one that's been going on for years and years.  Somehow, I just started attending a few years ago.  Now I'm super excited for it each year.

The creativity and time that goes into creating these trees blows me away.  Some people just have the cutest and the best ideas.  While the trees are super expensive, and while I'd never spend hundreds of dollars on a pre-decorated tree, I do love getting to see them up close.  If nothing else, it gives me all sorts of crafty ideas, for future Christmas projects.  So fun!

 Minions are quite popular...

 This one is my favorite!  It's all about Baltimore but all the ornaments were hand painted.  So crafty!

 Hate Star Wars.  Love that his light saber is made of red Christmas balls....

Big surprise the English Teacher's favorite was all about Jane Austen

 Snowhead!

 Another favorite - A Crafty Christmas created by my friend the English Teacher and her NHS students. 

 Book Tree!!!

 My other favorite - All Harry Potter.  So cute!

As well as the trees, they also have vendors selling Christmasy things like the super adorable, cutest Santa hat ever I'm sporting! Seriously, does it get any cuter?

Friday Six: Thankful Edition

1. I'm most thankful for these two.  I have no idea what I'd do without them and can't imagine my life without them.  They are fun, funny, loving, and have giant hearts.  I love them dearly and can only hope they know just how crazy I am about them!

2. On top of my awesome parents, I have other awesome family members!  They're fun and funny and always there when I need them.  Thank goodness for email and text messages.  Living in the future makes it easy to stay in touch.

3. This group of friends.  We're all a little weird but we have fun and we laugh and that's all that matters. Love getting to see them each week at Trivia!

4. The chance to travel to my most favorite place in the world and explore some more.  I'm still completely head over heels in love with England.  It's still on the top of my list for future living - if only.  For now, I'm just happy to be able to afford the travel there every few years.  

5. #SPNFamily: It's sort of just a show.  I realize that.  But the fandom itself is like anything I've ever seen.  Between the cast supporting so many causes, to the fans helping each other, it's astounding the good they do.  The cast is super close in a way you can tell it's not fake. And at least once a day one of them or just one of the fans makes me laugh out loud with a tweet or some sort of post.  It's unbelievable and super awesome to just be a little part of it.  I'm extremely happy to say that I am.

6. My 3 favorite things - Books, Craftiness and Food.  Simple pleasures for sure, but my life would be very boring without them ; )

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you holiday is full of family, friends and fun.  And may your bellies be full of all sorts of yumminess!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Life Lately...

Reading...There's been absolutely no reading in the last month.  I have a stack of Christmas books calling my name and yet I can't seem to focus on anything long enough to start them. Thank goodness for Christmas vacation - I foresee loads of reading in my future.

Obsessing Over...Strangely enough, scrapbook organization products.  I literally went out at lunch earlier today just because I had found a great way to store stickers and embellishments on Pinterest and I wanted to see if Michael's had the containers I was coveting.  Score! They not only had them, but all the storage pieces were 40% off.  Now that's what I call a good deal.

Perusing...Loads of Project Life centered blogs and sites.  The internet is such a rabbit hole. One amazing blogger links to another amazing blogger and then so on and so forth.  Before you know it, I'm following 50 different scrappers on Instagram and have 452 thousand new ideas for projects. 

Socializing...I'm still a Twitter girl (reading hardly ever tweeting) but I'm finding myself on Instagram more and more.  So many fun things to find!

Buying...Even though it's Christmas time and even though I've asked for crafty things for Christmas, I can't resist the pull of Black Friday Sales.  StudioCalico.com has been my downfall this week.  I can hardly contain my excitement for my package to arrive. You have no idea the steals they're offering!

Feeling...Super ready for the Holiday Fun to begin.  Christmas is always stressful but it really is the most wonderful time of the year!

Pondering...A new fun feature/blog thing that could be awesome if I could get my bestie to take the bait.  Also, is it possible to survive solely by crafting all day.  I don't really need a job.  I can quit my boring 9-5 for greener pastures of crafting, travel and reading and just assume I'll win the lottery to support myself, right?

Talking Trivia (&Turkey)

~ Due to the travel restriction around the world, it would seem everyone in Maryland decided to drive rather than fly to their holiday destinations.  Therefore, the traffic on MD roads increased 10 fold which is just what you want to deal with 2 days before Thanksgiving. 

~ Sitting with an entire team of teachers that have off tomorrow, stinks.  It just has to be said.  

~  According to the Trivia Master, in regards to Turkey Day:
           - People eat 13 pounds of turkey in a year 
           - There are 24 NFL teams that were created after the tradition of a Thanksgiving day                   game hosted by the Lions was enacted
           - Swanson overshot the number of turkeys they'd sell in the 50s by 26 tons, so they                     created the TV dinner so as to not waste all that turkey. 
None of these facts are particularly exciting but at least you'll have a chance to feel smart at the dinner table on Thursday.  

~ There's currently a song called "Ex's and O's" on the Billboard Chart.  Seeing as I've been listening to Christmas music for the better part of November, I've not heard this song even once. 

~ My Disney knowledge is sorely lacking, something my team judged me for quite a bit.  (Why on earth would I think that the movie Mulan - about a female soldier - would have included the song "I'll make a man out of you?" Wouldn't that make more sense if it were in Tarzan?  Unfortunately I didn't help my case when explaining I'd never seen either movie...

~ In a Clockwork Orange, someone drinks poisoned milk.  Yet another reason to not watch this movie or read the book.  I don't even want to think about people drugging one of my most favorite drinks (also, the answer to this question was most definitely milk and not absinthe like we guessed...)

~ When the mid game question is on literary characters and the novels they appeared in, it's quite helpful to have an English teacher on your team. 

~ Along with my lack of Disney knowledge, I also have no recollection of the famous poem "Casey at the Bat." What the heck was I reading and watching when I was little?

No More Tears!

In the last few days at least 3 shows that I'm aware of, have decided to take the opportunity just before Thanksgiving, to hit the audience right in the feels.  They did this by killing characters, or giving them a health scare or just breaking up lovely couples for the heck of it. To these writers, I ask you one question: WHY!?

Why in the world would you choose the time right before family time, when things are supposed to be happy and sparkly, to start shredding your way through your cast of characters.  Don't you know that, we the audience, are sort of attached to these people? Plus the holidays can be rough.  Why would you attack our already fragile feelings by killing someone we all love?  It's just wrong, people!

Now, I understand drama is good television.  And I'm willing to chalk up some explosive storylines to dramatic effect.  I understand that's part of the writing a good story.  But Holiday episodes are supposed to be funny, and family-ish.  Let me give you exhibit A: See every single Friends Thanksgiving episode.  They're all perfect!  And newsflash, no one died, had a health emergency or broke up.  It was lovely!  Another prime example: The West Wing.  Even a show that prided itself on writing compelling stories that were at times heartbreaking (RIP Mrs. Landingham), managed to write a Thanksgiving story about the President wanting to call the Butterball Hotline.  No one but the turkey died in that story. It's obviously possible; writers, take note!

Just a little bit of happy during the holidays when even a silly Christmas-themed Hallmark ad can make me tear up. That's all I'm asking.  

Anatomy of a Sunday

Ravens Game: The Ravens managed to win after a ridiculously losing last week.  But unfortunately even when they win they manage to lose.  This week it was in the season ending injuries to Justin Forsett (Running Back) and Joe Flacco (QB.)  If we didn't have enough injuries already, now we've lost Joe for the first time in his career.  Ugh!

Christmas Decorations Are Up!: While it may seem odd to have a turkey sitting amongst the snowmen and reindeer, I'm ok with it.  I've been wanting to put up everything all week and have been holding myself back since it's sort of against my not before Thanksgiving rule. But today I finally said, the heck with it.  Now all that's left to put up is the Christmas Tree - that is most definitely waiting for after Thanksgiving - but not too far after.  It's on the agenda for next Saturday. 

A relative sample of what my friends deem "creepy snowheads..."

Kids Christmas Cards are made!: Yet another thing off the Christmas creation list.  I'm so proud of myself this year, even if I do say so myself.  If I could just stop adding things to that list, I'd be a very happy camper...

Target & AC Moore Runs were completed successfully!:  Made a list and actually managed to buy everything on the list.  That deserves some sort of award, right?

Wine Not?

I'm not a wine drinker.  Truth be told I'm not an alcohol drinker - unless it's in Margaritas. However I was roped into attending a wine tasting at Elk Run Winery today.  My friend won a few passes and I'm always up for any activity that may entail food (there were cheese and crackers), so of course I went.  

After being slightly grumpy about the fact my Saturday was being ruined by wine, and after being given the mandate of trying them all in hopes of me finding one I could tolerate, I have to admit I had a lovely time.  I hated most of the wine. It's just awful and I have no idea why people drink that stuff for fun.  

But I did find one that I could sip without making the "this is awful, please just serve me some iced tea" face.  Some sort of super sweet dessert wine that tasted like apple juice - so you know, I'm still screwed when it comes to finding it on a menu.  But I'm still counting that as a win in my book.  Plus I got to meet Moo the ever so sleepy, very well fed winery cat and spend a great afternoon laughing and eating with wonderful friends (thankfully it involved lunch afterwards - cheese and crackers don't get me too far.)  All in all, what could have been rotten was a fabulous time!  

Friday Five

1. Jessica Jones on Netflix: This may seem redundant since everyone and their brother is saying how awesome the show is, but I must say that I concur.  It's amazing!  Quite honestly, I only watched because David Tennant was cast.  However, after the first episode, where he doesn't even actually appear, I'm already hooked.  Such great acting and such great suspense.  I sort of want to see David Tennant and not wat to see David Tennant.  I want to see him because I love David Tennant.  But they've really built up what a nasty bad guy he is, so I think I might already be a bit creeped out by his character...

2. Pug in the Trash:  It's adorable! Also, exactly why I don't have a dog.
                               
3. My other favorite doggie centric funny of the week. Sending a little Christmas Spirit to dog owners : )

4. I learned this week that there's a "store" in Maryland called Book Thing.  And in this store, they give away thousands of free books every year.  That's all they do.  They don't actually sell any books.  They're all donated - which you can also do there.  Then you just choose any books your heart desires and walk on out the door without paying a dime.  How amazing is that? Also, how have I not heard of this before?

5. If you're a fan of coconut like I am, I highly recommend this recipe for Coconut Impossible Pie.  It's impossible because it creates its own crust in the oven.  It's basically the simplest recipe ever and tastes just like coconut custard pie.  So delish!  So delicious in fact, that I scarfed it down without a single pic...

Belgium on my Mind

With Brussels being in the news so heavily over the last week, I've been thinking a lot about my trip there this past summer.  It's such a beautiful city filled with such wonderful people.  I hate that they're having to go through such a terrible chapter. Everyone I met there was lovely.  The city was welcoming and friendly, and I could have spent a few more days there getting to know even more about their culture and their people.  

I think that's why the House's decision to not let Syrian refugees into the US bothers me so much.  We had a chance to be just as welcoming and open as Brussels was.  We could have kept our humanity and let these people who are desperate to flee a harsh regime (the same regime the US also has an issue with, mind you) and allowed these people to enter the US freely.  But no. We chose the lesser choice - the choice that's shameful in every way.  

I've been listening quietly - ok, not quietly, I rail to family and friends but stay out of the debates in public - for a week now.  I've seen harsh comments on Facebook that assume these refugees are terrorists.  I've heard people equate all Muslims with terrorists.  My favorite response to this is from a quote I read online - saying all Muslims are terrorists is like saying all Christians are KKK members.  It's just not true and is highly offensive. Honesty trumps ridiculousness every time.

I even heard someone at work today talk about how if we let the refugees into our country, it's "only a matter of time before they destroy the US."  How exactly are these people, who have no homes, no money and no way to support themselves, going to take down a country as giant as the United States?  This same person went on to quote some news story about an FBI chief that said the government has already lost a Syrian refugee  - they have no idea where this refugee went within the US. Ok, a college in MD lost a student this week and they also have no idea where this student went.  But we're not thinking this student is a terrorist. 

Another poster on Facebook this week wanted to know why the refugees weren't joining the military in their country.  They thought that if Americans were threatened in their own country they'd join arms and fight.  But the rationale breaks down when you think about the military of that country being the one the Syrians are fleeing.  If they were to join the military they'd be fighting among ISIS members - the ones that you're calling terrorists.  So you're angry that the Syrians are choosing not to fight along side the actual terrorists?  If they were to fight along side them, would you be more or less willing to let them in to our country?  I'm a little lost in your logic...

The fact is, if the US continues to answer the pain of terrorism with even more pain and hate, then the American people will never rise above the problem.  If we lose our humanity and our kindness in the wake of such attacks, the terrorists really have done what they were hoping to do in the first place - spread their hateful agenda around the world.

Cricut Love

Because I've been so good about getting my Christmas crafting started ahead of time, I've been so bad about coming up with other things to craft.  I just keep adding things to the list that don't actually need to be added because in my head, I'm quite far ahead of schedule.  It's a vicious cycle...

The other thing that's contributing to this fact is that I'm falling in love with my Cricut all over again.  I bought it a few years ago; used it for a couple of big projects then I really haven't touched it since.  But this month, I decided to use it for my Christmas card design and since then, there's really no stopping me.  Me and my trusty cricut have been hanging out every evening this week.  It makes a mess - there are paper scraps everywhere.  It's time consuming and it takes forever to decode the little buttons.  However, it also allows me to create the cutest little projects ever! (Even if I do say so myself.)

Thanks to the fancy machine I was able to knock out a super cute Name plate for a new baby, a memory game for someone (I told you I was adding ridiculous things to the list) and the beginnings of 3 alphabet frames for 3 little ones for Christmas (sort of like this.) Now if I can just keep up the momentum (and the love) for the next 23 letters of the alphabet...