Drama queen?

Drama queen

Two definitions from UrbanDictionary.com:

- An overly dramatic person.
- Someone who turns something unimportant into a major deal. Someone who blows things way out of proportion when ever the chance is given.

Is this a word I would use to describe myself? Most days no. Lately, perhaps. It's not that I purposely attempt to see the world through overly analytical eyes or that I want to make every single thing that bothers me seem like it's the next coming of the antichrist, but sometimes, I just can't help myself.

Co Co's cooking!

I woke up pretty early today (not as early as I usually have to for work) and I decided I wanted to make something delicious for supper. Unfortunately, my kitchen was pretty bare and lacking in anything promising besides the staples, so I had to go to the grocery store. While at the grocery store, I came across some interesting ingredients in the ethnic food aisle: coconut milk, curry paste and basmati rice, vindaloo sauce. The wheels started turning in my head and I knew right away that I was craving beef vindaloo. Now, I'm not partial to buying pre-made sauces in jars for ethnic dishes, I would much rather try to create the dish from scratch. I bought the things I went to the grocery store for, and also picked up: thinly sliced steak, a vidalia onion, red and green peppers, basmati rice, coconut milk, mild curry paste, cilantro, and naan bread. When I got home I put all my ingredients on the top of my counter and began to get to work. The final product was amazing. Here's the recipe and some photos of the process. Yum yum!

All the ingredients:


The recipe:

You will need the following:

* 1 tbsp (or to taste) Patak's Hot Curry Paste (or similar other brand. My fiance is a bit of a spice wimp so I used Mild paste)
* 1 medium onion
* 1/2 (each) green pepper and red pepper
* Coconut milk
* 1 tbsp minced garlic
* 1 tbsp minced ginger
* 1-2 tbsp EVOO
* Thinly sliced beef steak
* Cream
* Yogurt
* Naan bread (I like the garlic naan from Zhers/PC)
* Butter
* Curry Powder
* Cooked basmati rice

Recipe

1. Pre-cook beef. Thinly slice all the veggies (onion/peppers) and set aside.
2. In a frying pan or wok, heat the oil and add the garlic and ginger. Cook on med-medium/low heat. Drizzle coconut milk on top.
3. Add beef to the pan, allow to heat through.
4. Add the veggies you cut and put in a bowl earlier. Stir-fry with the meat for about 2 minutes.
5. Take curry paste and add it to the pan. Stir to coat the meat and vegetables.
6. Slowly add creamer or more coconut milk to the pan until a sauce forms. This really is a matter of preference. If you add too much cream, don't worry - it will thicken.
7. Spoon mixture over basmati rice and drizzle yogurt or more coconut milk over the rice. Helps to tone down the spice.

If desired, serve with naan bread. Heat in the oven for a few minutes, put a bit of butter on the hot naan bread, cut into quarters and serve alongside vindaloo.

Enjoy!

The curry simmering away on the stove:


The final product:

I'm back....

Hello again to everyone...

So I kind of took a two and a half month hiatus from blogging. I was finding that I just didn't have enough time in the day to keep up with things. Since March, numerous things have gone down in my life.

I've moved back in with my fiance and we're trying to get back into the swing of things. My dog Louie is getting along peachy with his new home. We've been taking him to puppy classes at Petsmart and he's really doing well in terms of his fears and shady shyness.


I had a falling out with my step-mother because I have chosen to continue me relationship with my fiance. This has been very hard on me and I'm not sure how to go about rectifying the damage that has been done. My cat escaped the safe confines of our home and was impregnated..two days ago she delivered 3 kittens. Now we need to find happy homes for three little fuzz balls. They are super cute! A god friend of mine had a lovely little bundle of joy named Aryana! We've taken to calling her "Squeaks" because she always seems to be making sqeauky noises.


The best thing that happened to be is in terms of work! I was the successful applicant for a full-time contract position out in the county,but now I am finding that I have too much time on my hands. On a good day in this rural little village, our truck is lucky enough to get called out to one standby for a nearby busier town. Most days I find myself twidling my fingers, reading books (I've recently become a crazed fanatic of the Sookie Stackhouse Series [LOVE LOVE LOVE!! And I've already read all 10 novels currently in circulation]), scrapbooking my life away, playing Bejewelled Blitz on Facebook or downloading and then using applications on my new iPhone (LOVE IT!!!). I absolutely LOVE knowing my scedule and being able to plan things in advance without worrying about whether I am going to be called into work. The contract is only supposed to be about 7 months, but 7 months is better than nothing at all, and I can't really complain because I haven't been working for a year yet and I already have this position so...GO ME!


Tonight I am starting an 8-week fitness challenge. I joined a bootcamp!!! It's called Booty Camp Fitness and is offered only to women. With 93 locations all over Canada, I'm seriously hoping that this is going to be (1) uber fun, and (2) give me results!!! A girl I went to highschool joined the classes and has been talking about it a lot on Facebook and I had to look into it. The 8-week course costs $300, has two 1-hour classes and week (I picked the Tuesday/Thursday option) and has many additional bonuses (check the website if you're interested). I'm going to post pictures soon of me now (the dreaded BEFORE shot..dun dun dahhhhhh!!!) and we'll see how I change over the next 8 weeks. Here's hoping the course lives up to its motto: "Fun, friendly, fitness!"

More to follow! I hope all in well with everyone else in the blogging world!

- Co Co

Ouch

And so...my first running blister...


What did I learn? Wear socks that fit! As soon as I put my socks on today I thought..these feel a little small. Sure enough, they fell down, but I didn't stop running and ta-da..the blister arrived.

Running

(here)

So I've decided to try running. That's not to say that I have never ran a day in my life...I've ran..I just haven't ever enjoyed it. The other day I was at my local Goodlife Fitness Club when I noticed a posting for a "learn to run" program being offered by a woman named Laurie. I have been saying for several years now that I am envious of people who love running. When I see random people out on the street running, I can tell by looking at them the level of intensity and passion they have for the run. I can only hope that one day I can understand that passion and partake in it. Laurie has promised to make me love running and eventually be able to easily take down a 5k run. The program only costs $85 for 16-1 hour classes, something I feel is quite reasonable. I signed up. Today I got a phone call from Laurie, giving me the run down on what to expect from the program. I've got to admit, I am pretty scared to try this out. The fear of failure I guess. 2 days a week, 2 hours a week isn't too intense, but getting this to coincide with my work schedule could be a problem. Laurie says she will be sending us home with "homework" after class...wonder what that will be.

(here)

Before I started this thing I needed to verbalize or formulate some goals. (I'm kind of goal oriented...it's the sports psyhcologist in me [LOVED that in university])

1. To feel comfortable running on my own
2. To be able to run 5k non-stop
3. To willingly decide to "go for a run" because I love it
4. To meet friends I can go for runs with
5. To attend at least 1 class a week

Having formulated some goals and decided to join this group, I realized that I did not have appropriate footwear to do nice running. I've only recently discovered that you should only keep a pair of running shoes for 300-500 miles...who knew! I needed to go out and purchase a good set of running shoes. I went to the Running Room only to find out what I already knew was true - I have wide, long feet. There were several amazing pairs of shoes, but the store only had 2 pairs that really fit decent. Neither made me feel great. I ended up leaving the store, after a 1/2 hour shopping time, empty handed. I trekked it over to Sportcheck and saw an even larger selection of running shoes. The clerk brought out several boxes of shoes that were good for wide, long and high arch feet that have tendencies to evert. I tried on 2 terrible pairs and then...the magical pair and I met. Immediately as soon as I put my feet into the shoes I felt it. The cushiony softness of the gel insert, the sheer width of the shoe, the way the shoes breathed (I mean the way air flew through them),the roominess...I knew they were the ones for me. The Asics Gel 310 fit the bill. While I can't say I love the colour immensely, they were amazingly comfortable. I can't wait to try them out at the gym tomorrow to see if they treat me nicely on the treadmill. Here they are:


(here)

Wish me luck. I'll try to post about how I am doing with my running goals and how my opinion changes about running.

p.s. update on my 30 before 30 list:

- I am learning German and can carry on a very basic conversation in terms of whether I understand, or know, something, how I feel, where a certain street or place is, whether I am hungry/thirsty and how to ask someone if they are. Woot woot

P.S........

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY (even if I had to stay sober because I work first thing tomorrow. Hope the rest of the world is having a hay-day!)

I love my friends!

Right now I am living roughly 1.5/2.5 hours away from my closest bunch of friends, roughly 21 hours from my BEST girl friend and roughly 17 hours from my BEST guy friend. I relish every chance I get to spend time with these people, although it seems more and more often that I am being forced to choose taking shifts at work over spending time with my friends - a fact that is really starting to get to me sometimes.

Unfortunately in my profession new hires are considered the bottom of the food chain. We are the last ones to get called for available shifts, given the crappy shifts with other medics who are grumpy bumps and forced to fight amongst each other for seniority ranking in order to have a chance to one day successfully and skillfully acquire a contract. Most often it is only a couple of hours that separate one person from another on the seniority list, but those few hours really make a difference. Currently I am 5 from the bottom. There are many full-time contracts coming up within the next couple of months due to maternity leaves. Ideally, I should be eligible for one of these contracts...but I can't take time off or turn down shifts. I always have to have my cellphone handy in case I receive a phone call from one of the supervisors asking me to come into work. Now, this can be really annoying because these calls come at all hours of the day and night. I have been called in at 2am, 4am, half an hour after a shift has started....it never ceases to amaze me. This joyous factoid has made getting together with my friends and making plans extremely difficult. How am I supposed to be able to drive 1.5 hours to visit my friends, think about consuming alcoholic beverages, or make plans if at a moment's notice I have to come running back to work. I have had to back out of some really amazing plans at the last minute due to these wonderful call-ins. Whenever this happens I have to think to myself, "at least the money is amazing!"

Well, back to the "friends" topic. I have always considered my friends to be the family that I choose for myself and I don't let just anyone into my family. Being in a newish place without this circle of comfort and joy is very hard. I find myself without the time or opportunities to venture out on the town to try and make friends. Sure, there are work friends here, but no one who I have actually clicked on a deep spiritual level or even slightly considered including in my so-called "family." This past weekend I decided to book some time off work to spend an evening of bliss with my friends. I missed them all terribly and I was willing to take any repercussions by marking myself unavailable (it ended up being an okay thing though. Shifts have been few and far between lately).

My good friend Amy recently bought a home and joined the 1/4 century group on Saturday. We all went to her house for a house-warming and birthday get-together. It was great to see my friends. We did shots, laughed hysterically, ate delicious snacks and spent quality time together. It's times like these that keep me going. I was lucky enough to not get called into work on Sunday, so I took a road trip to Waterloo and spent some more quality time with two of my other great friends. I love my friends!

Here's some shots from the weekend.

The joy of alterations

I'm not sure whether this is something to be proud of but, I have never had to have any article of clothing altered. That was...until now. When I first got hired for my paramedic service, I was sized for my uniform. The pants were supposed to be specifically tailored to suit only me. The man who did the sizing was not only creepy, but clearly a little kooky as well. Comments like "spread 'em," without a hint of laughter or comedy, and "nope, you're a 41 - the tape doesn't lie," left me feeling like this man was clearly out of his mind. More about the whole "you're a 41" thing. This man measures my waist and decides that I am a 41 incher. Now, I don't know about the rest of the world, but to me, 41 inches is an astronomically huge waist size for a woman of 5'7.5", especially seeing how in jeans I am between a 32 and 33. At first I was shocked. I thought, "NO WAY!" Then I verbalized my concern to this man - "I am not a 41." He said, "the tape don't lie."

Sure enough, when my pants came in almost 3 months later (which by the way I also feel was a really long time to wait for pants) they were ginormous. My fellow medics were telling me this is the norm for this man and I should just deal with it or get my pants altered. My supervisor told me to go to a cleaner and have them done and then to forward the bill to the county to cover - doesn't sound too shabby to me! I finally got around to taking them to a cleaner today to get them altered. I switched from my comfy jeans into these large baggy pants so the seamstress could begin her magic. She started poking and prodding me in various regions, assessing the amount of "taking in" she had to do. She sadly told me that the bagginess in the leg region was pretty much unalterable due to the crazy pockets, reflective tape and ugly creasing down the front of my pants, which look like this.


(link can be found here)

She accidentally poked me with pins several times but didn't seem to notice. As I was disrobing to switch back into my jeans I loss my balance and stepped quite heavily on the hem of my paramedic pants and landed on several of these pins again. In total I counted 5 pin prick marks on my body following this joyous ordeal. I can only hope that this is the last time I will ever have to worry about having an item of clothing altered. It was not a pleasant experience.

30 before 30 list

So many of the blogs that I currently read have posts about "30 before 30" lists. I've decided that this is something I would like to do - seeing how I just hit the big 2-5, it would be nice to have some things to aspire towards during the next five years.

1. Have a down payment for a home (preferably 10% or more)
2. Get back to my university weight
3. Leave Canada for an official trip (doesn't have to be exotic but somewhere further than day or two's drive)
4. Trade in my Grand Prix for a Jeep YJ or something like it
5. Get a Mac book
6. Learn how to properly apply make-up
7. Successfully obtain my RN degree
8. Become a full-time paramedic or part-time paramedic/full-time nurse
9. Deliver a baby at work
10. Go hiking in a higher elevation zone (Alberta, BC?)
11. Learn how to drive a motorcycle - maybe buy one too?
12. Finish my side tattoo - how many more stars???
13. Learn how to use a sewing machine
14. Finish scrapbooking all of my extra pictures
15. Purchase a high-quality camera
16. Develop my skills at photography
17. Stand up on surf board
18. Brew my own wine
19. Write a song that actually sounds half decent
20. Learn how to play guitar
21. Go fishing in the Atlantic or Pacific ocean on a charter boat
22. Design and build a piece of wooden furniture
23. Take a cross-country trip, preferably by car
24. Learn how to make home-made dim sum
25. Do a photo shoot in downtown Toronto
26. Build up a professional wardrobe - enough of this young adult/kiddie stuff
27. Find a really nice pair of boots that fit perfectly
28. Swim in the Pacific ocean
29. Go somewhere European on vacation
30. Learn how to speak German

I'll have to post whenever I have successfully completed something on the list! Stay tuned!

Day on the town

Yesterday I took a trip up to my favourite Ontario city: Toronto! I love the little communities that make up that whole huge metropolitan zone. The ethnic food, the AMAZING little shops and the gorgeous buildings are just some reasons for my love. My mom lives there just north of an amazing Greek foodie district near the Danforth. We decided we wanted to hit up China town and then Kensington Market. No Sunday morning is complete without a stop off at a Chinese restaurant for some Dim Sum. I love dim sum! Those little delicious morsels of fried or steamed bits of food...just thinking about it makes me hungry!

Before brunch we did a little bit of shopping in some Asian stores near Dundas St. I found an amazing set of blue feathery fans to use for a remake of the "Sisters" routine from White Christmas. I was clearly ripped off because I found better fans in another store a couple down for less money, but oh well. Brunch was great, not as many dumplings as I would usually like but they had shrimp har gao and pork shu mai. Brunch was finished off with some delicious little egg tarts that were simply devine! From there we hit up some more Asian stores; my mom bought a cute little clay teapot (only to realize when she got home it was ruined...too bad).

After about an hour of Asian stores we sauntered over to Kensington market. There are so many cute vintage stores as far as the eye can see. I saw tutu's galore, amazing purses, 60's style dresses (which I am a huge fan of right now). Some examples:

1.
(This dress can be found here)

2.
(This dress can be found here)

3.
(This can be found here)

I took a couple of pictures of random things that I liked along the way or thought were humourous. This teeny tiny top hat made me burst out laughing...then I tried it on a fell in love! It was so cute. I almost bought it but came back to my senses realizing that I had no idea where I would ever wear such a thing.


There was some interesting grafitti on the buildings and interesting logos for stores. Some of my favs:




I ended up making a couple of purchases. I found a knock-off coach purse for $20 and some really cute berets for $9.



That's all for today I guess. I'll try to be a little more artistic the next time I go to Kensington market so I have better photographs to share.

Kitty likes bubbles

Does it really need an explanation? Hahaha

Sleep sleep glorious sleep

Over the past couple of weeks I have had very little sleep. I have been getting called into work non-stop, which is a good thing (who doesn't love to work?). All these night shifts really get to me because I can be a severe insomniac sometimes. Not only that I was very nauseated and vomited all day last Friday. Could the nausea be linked to a sheer lack of sleep? It only lasted Friday, but I felt pooish all weekend. I didn't eat anything shady on Friday so I'm ruling out food poisoning.

Over this past weekend there was one day where I litereally slept almost all day...not healthy! With all the health research about the benefits of sleep, I am wondering what the long-term effects of 12-hour night shifts will be. Here's to good sleeps and if not at least enough time to get something decent...haha

Happy F*!%ing Birthday to me

I woke up this morning at work at 6:31. It was a little before my watch alarm went off. Typically, these last 30 minutes in the shift are spent cleaning the truck (giving it an external and internal bath) and gathering my belongings. At 6:55 I went to my car and started it, scraped the frost of the windows and got in to drive home. No sooner had I left the parking lot of the ambulance base when I noticed something was NOT right. The car seemed to be driving a little low on the passenger side of the vehicle and was making a weird noise. Immediately I knew, beyond shred of doubt, that I had a flat or almost flat tire. I pulled into the closest parking lot I could find, grabbed my mini portable air compressor and got out of the vehicle to inspect the damage.

With fear and reluctance, I walked to the passenger side of Pedro (my Grand Prix) and assessed the damage. The tire...definitely flat. I hooked up the air compressor and began to fill the tire. I started to see little bubbles of air beading out through the tread. Crap! I knew I would need to suck it up and buy new tires for the front end of my car. It took my tiny little pump half an hour to fill the sad, flat tire - all the while I was very thankful to have my bright, chartreuse paramedic coat on to keep out the cold air. When I got home I had already decided I needed to buy tires immediately for Pedro. I checked around for prices on line and found some cheaper ones at Active Green and Ross here in town. I called up and booked an immediate appointment.

I pulled into the parking lot for Active Green and Ross (herewith called AGR) at 9:26. I went in, chatted with the man at the counter, got a good deal on my tires and went to the pet store to wait 30 more minutes to get the tires changed. My bill was estimated at a little over $300. When I returned from the pet store, the associate behind the counter was looking at me with a sullen expression on his face. Our conversation went like this:

"How long have you had this car?" He asked.
"Since August," I replied.
"You need a tie rod."
"I just had one replaced in November to safety the car."
"It was not replaced."
"No way...how much is this going to cost me?"

He brought out the paperwork and I cringed in disgust. He told me he couldn't let me leave without the following procedures because the car was not safe - it would be against the law to let me leave there.

On the paperwork:

2 tires @ $125/tire, 1 tie rod @ $130, alignment @ $80, 3 hours of labour @ $80/hr, additional fees and taxes. Adds up to over $600. Not what I wanted to spend on my car today, not what I wanted to spend on my birthday. This sudden increase in car fees means that unfortunately, buying a Pomeranian is no longer feasible. So, the thing that I have wanted for WAY too long is not going to happen because of Pedro coming down with a tire/tie rod/alignment problem....arg arg arg!!

Pictures of Pedro for your viewing pleasure

One day until...

Tomorrow is my much dreaded 25th birthday. Not going to lie, I have a lot of anxiety about turning 25. Most say this doesn't or isn't supposed to happen until you're about to turn 30. The only thing I keep thinking about is, "WOW! You are almost officially a quarter of a century old!" I never thought that the whole "I feel old" complex would kick in for me. Every time I have had a birthday, I never really felt different. Now, with me working a "real" job and having been engaged, I am really starting to notice how fast time is passing.

I look in the mirror and for all intents and purposes I still look the same as I did last year at this time. I have a few more bags under my eyes from all the shift work, bigger muscles from working out and the stress my job places on my body, a little less weight than last year, and I'm currently a brunette (something I've tried before but never maintained for such a long time).

Picture of me from last year:


Picture of me from this year:

And then there was two

I spent most of yesterday and today with my ex because I still love him. I'm trying to help him through his problems so he can become a better person. Maybe we'll get back together when he's got his stuff in order. Here's to hope for the future!

She's got Betty Davis eyes

I woke up this morning with this song in my head. Feeling pretty good today. Still trying to love life and smile. To be frank, I'm not really having a hard time either. Quintessentially speaking, everything is as good as it could be right now and will be even better in a few days time when I have my very own living, breathing Pomeranian. As the looming prospect of turning 25 keeps creeping closer and closer, I am left to ponder about these past 25 years of my life. What have I done with myself? Can I honestly say that this is where I always imagined myself being at 25.

1 - living with my parents - not where I hoped I'd be. I kind of wanted to either own a home or be in the process of getting one.

2 - single...again, not what I foresaw but here I am. I had hoped to be married or in the process as well. I made the decision to leave my fiance...so this is 100% my fault.

3 - employed in a field of my dreams. Definitely what I wanted! I had wanted to start this a little earlier than I did and I would have loved to have full-time, but can't complain. There are so many other people who never get into their desired field immediately from college/university.

4 - financially stable. While I guess I can't complain about my current finances, I do get by. It would better to have a lot more excess, but again the whole working part-time can put a damper on this when I have so many expenditures (i.e. car payments, insurance, loans for school, etc.)

5 - own a car. Check! Pedro my 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix and I are happily in love! In a few years I will switch him for a rocking YJ but he's great for the time being.

6 - best shape of my life. Not quite. I'm fit, but maybe a little too soft in some areas. I'm working on it daily though so it will only be a problem for a wee bit longer.

7 - happy. I am happy. I could always be happier.

8 - healthy. Other than my hypothyroidism and anemia, I am as healthy as a horse and built like one too...haha

So, the areas that need to be improved: my relationship status, my part-time employment status, and my current living situation. All the rest is pretty good. Now...if I could only win the lottery too.....haha

FOUND!

1 pint-sized, gingery-russet coloured Pomeranian. Mild temperament, non-yappy, 9 months old, thick coat of fur, likes to cuddle, scared of barks. Goes by the name of Louie. Soon will be called Louis Vuitton and living with a certain Co Co.

Isn't he cute?


Louie's picture came from here and does not belong to me. Although in a few short days he will!!! :D

Rebound Pomeranian?

I have always wanted a Pomeranian! I think that they are adorable little fuzz balls and just looking at one makes me happy. Right now I am going through a really rough time emotionally and more than ever I want to go out and buy one. Now, don't get me wrong, I know that this is not a decision one goes into lightly. A puppy is not an easy thing to take on and definitely require a great deal of attention, love, training and activity. With me working 12-hour shifts on call, it would be hard to make sure that my little fuzz ball would get an adequate amount of Coco time. Would this just be a rebound Pomeranian though, or would it be something that I could and would easily love forever? More than anything I would LOVE to say with 100% certainty that I could and would.

Right now I am torn between two puppies. Both are males, I have yet to decide names. One lives 3 hours away if I drive the posted speed limit. He is very wolf-like in his colouring and the runt of the litter. This means he would potentially be a very tiny adult. He can be found on this Kijiji link - the smallest one on the right-hand side. His breeder would like $600 for him but does not specify whether he is vet checked, micro-chipped or dewormed.

The second puppy is a little over an hour away. He is red-sable in colour and VERY fluzzy (combo of fluff and fuzz). He can be found on this Kijiji link. His breeder wants $700 for him but specifies that he will come vet checked, dewormed and microchipped. I am kind of leaning towards the closer one because it sounds like he is more set up for health, but, the idea of having the weeniest little puppy is a huge draw factor for me.

Some names I was thinking on the top of my head:
- Mr. Moogles, aka the Moogler
- Higgins
- Half Pint
- Squirt
- Gucci
- Louis Vuitton, Louis for short
- Pip Squeak, Pip or Squeak for short
- Truffles
- Amaretto
- Kiku
- Kiwi
- Pickles
- Picolo

I think that seeing how I am turning the big "25" in FIVE days, that I deserve an amazing present and seeing how I am the the only person willing to get me anything, I am going to get myself this gift. Anyone have any opinions about which puppy I should get, or what name I should lean towards?

Pipecleaners?

When I was still enagaged, I went to this one bridal show at the Carlu in Toronto. It was hosted by the Wedding Co. and was simply AMAZING!!! We won a prize pack where we got to go through the show before it opened and look at all the booths. The hosts gave us pipecleaner rings and then showed us how to make them. I absolutely LOVE these rings and have continued to make them for my friends, who adore them as well. Just thought I would give a crash course via photos/instructions on how to make a stylish pipecleaner ring!


Step one:

You will need 4 pipecleaners (at least).
Three in one main colour preferrably and one in a different colour.


Step two:

Wrap three pipecleaners around the finger you plan on wearing the ring on.


Step three:

Twist the pipecleaners around the finger until it is tight enough but comfortable as well.


Step four:

Fan out the pipecleaners until they are equally spaced.


Step five:

Begin to curl the pipecleaners down. Bend the end down as small as possible - the tighter the bend the more circular the petals will end up being.



Step six:

Continue to curl each pipecleaner down. After each pipecleaner is curled, twist the petal to face in the opposite direction (i.e. if you curled the petal to the right, turn the whole petal to the left).


Step seven:

Take the fourth pipecleaner. Wrap this pipecleaner underneath the petals - make sure that the pointy end of the pipecleaner is adequately covered so you don't get poked by the ring when you're wearing it. Usually a couple twists around the base is good enough.


Step eight:

Take the long end of the new pipecleaner and put it through the petals. Start to curl this pipe cleaner down but instead of curling it like a petal, curl it into more of a spring or slinky-like shape.


Step nine:

Once you have curled this pipecleaner completely, squish it down into the petals. It should have a little elevation to it. If there is too much elevation, twist the pipecleaner tighter and continue to squish it together.


Finished product:

Doesn't this ring look so cute? It's a perfect thing to do at birthday parties for little girls or together with your lady friends at bridal showers. Coordinate the pipecleaners and you and your girls can wear them out together when you hit the town. I recently did this with my ladies this past Friday - the complements kept coming all night! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Points to ponder

So throughout the course of the last couple of days, certain "items" have been brought to my attention.

1 - My engagement ring - purchased on borrowed money from my ex's friend - does anyone else find that bothersome? He still owes his friend more than half of the purchase price...who gets in debt before the wedding? Big no-no!

2 - Not once, after I made my decision, was I asked by my ex, to reconsider, to try to work things out, or to stay.

3 - My ex's main priority at this time does not appear to be trying to get me to change my mind but rather, to purchase a large amount of expensive things that he does not need

4 - My ex seems to be rather amused/excited at the idea of bachelorhood. Is this what he had wanted all along? Was he purposely behaving like a grand ol' douche-bag to make me cancel the wedding and leave him?

Having mutual friends has made these factoids apparent to me. I don't know whether to be appalled or thankful that I got out of things with enough advanced notice. Who does that? I mean...SERIOUSLY!!!

Starts with Goodbye

This song pretty much sums up how I am feeling right now. Made a very difficult decision: hearts were broken, tears were cried, things were packed and moved...I guess it's all part of growing up and being a responsible adult. Sad things is: I still really love him...

Starts with Goodbye

I was sitting on my doorstep
I hung up the phone and it fell out of my hand
But I knew I had to do it
And he wouldn't understand


So hard to see myself without him
I felt a piece of my heart break
But when you're standing at a crossroad
There's a choice you gotta make


I guess it's gonna have to hurt
I guess I'm gonna have to cry
And let go of some things I've loved
To get to the other side


I guess it's gonna break me down
Like fallin' when you try to fly
Sad but sometimes
Moving on with the rest of your life
Starts with goodbye


I know there's a blue horizon
Somewhere up ahead, just waiting for me
Getting there means leaving things behind
Sometimes life's so bitter sweet


I guess it's gonna have to hurt
I guess I'm gonna have to cry
And let go of some things I've loved
To get to the other side


I guess it's gonna break me down
Like fallin' when you try to fly
It's sad but sometimes
Moving on with the rest of your life
Starts with goodbye


Time heals the wounds that you feel
Somehow, right now


I guess it's gonna have to hurt
I guess I'm gonna have to cry
And let go of some things I've loved
To get to the other side


I guess it's gonna break me down
Like fallin' when you try to fly
It's sad but sometimes
Moving on with the rest of your life
Starts with goodbye


I guess I'm gonna have to cry
And let go of some things I've loved
To get to the other side


Start to wave goodbye
Like fallin' when you try to fly
It's sad but sometimes
Moving on with the rest of your life
Starts with goodbye


Na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na, yeah


These lyrics are not my own, nor is the song - it belongs to Carrie Underwood Copyright: © GREEN WAGON MUSIC © UNIVERSAL-POLYGRAM INT'L PUB INC

Crazy idea!

So while searching online today I found a blog with the most interesting premise. The entire blog is all about pictures shot from the blogger's mobile phone. Those who know me would tell the world that I LOVE to take pictures - most of the time they aren't that good, in fact, sometimes I go a little too camera happy. I think I am going to try to incorporate my love of picture taking on this blog....don't worry - I am not going to go overboard! I will try to focus on things that are inspiring or unique. Sometimes there will be a post with just a picture and no explanation - depending on how bizarre or interesting the photo is! Stay tuned for more! Here's a couple of pictures from 2009:

Flowers I grew in my garden in the spring



A sunset on the way to work one day



Props to anyone who can guess where this was taken



A pretty summer sky scene