Dear Olive Garden

Yes I visited you last night at Utica Square- the fancy area of Tulsa because my 16 year old was missing you. Me- I never missed you but I wanted to make her happy.
Your hostess was kind enough to send 3 tables to the same waiter at the same time instead of spreading us out. Looking at your menu I couldn't find anything that interested me but I settled for ravioli in marinara sauce.
I patiently awaited the salad and bread sticks which arrived after about 10 minutes of ordering our food. Your service was quite slow and the food was mediocre. The only redeeming quality was desert.
Do not be sad- the waiter managed the best he could and didn't get the shaft on the tip. I really wanted to tell the huge line that had materialized when we exited to go somewhere else but I bit my tongue. Hopefully I will not see you again any time soon...

Murphy's Craft Laws

If you drop something will glue on it there is a 100% chance it will land with the glue side down.

Holiday Madness

I am happy to report that I have completely taken over and trashed the garage,the laundry room,and spare bedroom- now If I could find my brain somewhere in all that mess.

I am an Esme- I'm cool with that...

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Murphy's Craft Laws

The minute you destash something you will need it for a project.

Weekend Kids Craft

Another weekend craft with my daughter. This time we made some ghosts for the front yard trees. It would have been easier to just buy some at the store but not as fun.

I had some leftover white fleece so that seemed like a good place to start. I took some empty 2 liter soda bottles and poked a hole in the bottom then put some floral wire through it for a hanger. I left my 5 year old paint faces on the fleece then draped the material over the soda bottle. The wire went through the fabric easy as pie and a ghost was born. I used a little spray adhesive to get the material in the right place and we hung them up.

We had fun and it didn't cost a dime.

Game 7 People!!

Ah the joys of being a Red Sox fan! I must confess that I have only been a fan since 1996 when I met my husband who is from Boston. Before that I was an Atlanta Braves freak. However I am a fan now for better or worse.
I always expect my boys to win but I must admit being down 3-1 was not a good feeling. I don't remember feeling that way with the Yanks or Indians but I might have. I feel good about game 7 now and will be expecting a win.
So I have made this observation about Kevin Youkilis that he really looks like Youkon Cornelious. It cracks me up every time I think about it!

Twilight

My daughter is a total Twilight freak and I have finally come around. I am reading the book now and have jumped on the bandwagon.
I have made her lots of necklaces but for her 16th birthday I made her this Twilight bracelet.

Undecided Vote

Yep, I am still an undecide voter at this point. I will be voting for one of these 4 guys though.

Scooby Doo ~ Where are you?

Scooby Doo and the Goblin King is on so I thought I would ask everyone to post their favorite character.
I am a fan of Shaggy myself with Scooby comming in a close second.

Weekend Kids Craft

My 5 year old loves journaling, drawing, coloring, etc. She is always stealing my Diet Dr. Pepper notepad I got on Etsy.

We did a little DIY version for her this weekend. I cut up various cereal boxes, added some paper inside and stapled them. She now has about 4 of these cereal box journals and loves them.

Etsy Quotes

onegarnetgirl says:
I think the biggest problem is that we can't turn that blame finger back around where it belongs more often than not. Sometimes it's them, yes. But ultimately it's a series of choices we make that get us where we are.

This has to be one of the most intelligent comments I have seen on Etsy.

An unusual source of amusement

Last week I took down a birdhouse from one of the trees. My friend Mary gave it to me about 20 years ago and we have dragged it from house to house and state to state. Living in Oklahoma some birds actually took up residence in it and had babies in the springs.

I set it on the ground and went about my business only to hear the dog barking soon after. He was completely curious about it and was pawing and barking at it. Then he pawed at it and the bird house flipped back towards him and scared him half to death! The house is his favorite toy now and maybe it has something to do with the smell. He flips it around, lays on it,runs around with it, and generally loves it. So much for *dog* toys.

Potato Pancakes

Thanks to Dan Quayle I always spell Potato correctly! So someone on Etsy mentioned Potato Pancakes and it sounded like a good dinner plan. I don't think I have ever made them before but I know my FIL loves them.

Recipe was simple:

POTATO PANCAKES (Latkes) FOR HANNUKAH

4 med. potatoes 1 sm. onion 1/2 c. pancake mix1/2 c. oil 1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. sour cream2 eggs1/2 tsp. pepper
Peel potatoes and grate into a bowl. Pour off extra liquid. Peel onion and grate into potatoes.

Add eggs, pancake mix, sour cream, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Heat oil until it sizzles. Drop a tbsp. at a time of batter into hot oil. Flatten with a pancake turner. When bottoms are brown turn them over. When done remove and drain on paper towel lined plate. Serve with applesauce, sour cream or just plain.

The stuff looked like barf in the bowl so I figured I was on the right track.

They were quite tasty as well. Mr.Keys put sour cream on his and I opted for a bit of salt.

Even a fussy 5 year old said 2 thumbs up!

It's the playoffs baby!

Fall means baseball playoffs! Well it only means playoffs if my beloved Red Sox are in there and they are! Tonite is Game 1 of the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

I am always optomistic when it comes to the Sox. If they are playing a better team I don't care- I always know they will win- I mean I really hope they make it to the world series. I would love to see the Sox and Dodgers make it.

I am a team fan but also get attached to certain players as well. I was really mad that Johnny Damon left but I have gotten over that now. I am still upset about Manny. I liked *Manny being Manny* and wasn't looking at the bigger picture. I have decided I like Jason Bay as a replacement so it is all good.

My favorite player is Jacoby Ellsbury ( I even named a foster puppy after him) and love watching him play.

Can't wait to watch the game tonite.

Front Page

My friend DottyRal always has my back when it comes to letting me know I was on the front page. Her convo tore me away from Puffcorn and YouTube Videos. I have been pretty lazy today.... and I got rewarded-hee hee

My letter W charm is featured.

Going,Going,Gone....

Sometimes you spend a lot of time on something and it sells before you can blink!
Case in point is this bracelet I made. I have been thinking about this idea for several months and slowly making my way towards it.
I liked the spoon bracelet idea but not just any spoon bracelet- I wanted it to be unique and I think I achieved that. Even with the tools I had I did practice alot and wasn't happy with the results until this past week.
Making this was a 2 fold process- the actual work and then some thoughts. Lots of people make spoon bracelets but I couldn't really find any info on HOW to make them as I ran into some specific issues. Hmmmmmm.... it sure would be easy if someone just spilled the beans on the specifics but I wasn't going to ask, besides I need to practice what I preach, which is "grab some tools and experiment- it will make you a better crafter" that statement seemd to be biting me in the ass now!
All in all I got through it,learned a lot,and am ready to make another one.

Just call me Handy Manny

My Maytag washer has been a workhorse for 12 years and I am a bit attached to it. Lately it has been on the fritz and not advancing to the next cycle. I have been coaxing it along until I realized I need to do something a bit more.

*More* could mean several things. The idea of starting to scrub clothes by hand with a washboard just sounded archaic and time consuming. So I browsed some ads and saw that you can spend a pretty penny on the new washers. They are very energy efficient these days and the idea of a front loader reminds me of grandma (which is always a good thing) but I really didn't want to shell out for something if I didn't have to.

Plan C (which really should be plan A because it was my first choice) was to see if I could figure out what was wrong. I love to tinker with things so I got some tools and started taking the panel apart. I knew the problem was with the timer so I unhooked that area and had a look-see. behind the panel was a big metal box that was the timer. After removing a small plastic cover I could see the cams and realized one was not firing properly ( which could be deduced by the spark when it did catch)

Now to see about ordering a part- but trying to figure out a model number wasn't working as there are tons of numbers all over the machine. I hit the website AppliancePartsPros which told me exactly where to find the model number. The part was available for about $75 including shipping and arrived today.

Now for the big test! Was this the problem? Could I install it? Could I not break anything WHILE installing it? How in the world was I going to install it? I couldn't see anyway to remove the metal box. After thinking about it I decided to see if access was available through the front nob and after popping the cap off- voila I was in business. It took me about 15 minutes to remove and replace and then for the big test!

My 5 year old new the washer was acting up so I made it a fun game for her- we fill it up with water,clothes,soap,and fabric softener and then voted if we thought it would start agitating when I closed the lid. She voted that I had repaired it correctly ( Thanks Gracie) I made it a big deal for her to shut the lid and see what happened and it worked!!!

I am pretty proud of myself :)

Tulsa State Fair

I love the fair. I haven't figured out why they call it the Tulsa State Fair but no matter.

The Tulsa fair is heavy on livestock, trucks,farming,and animals.

One of the big draws is the birthing center where you can watch pigs give birth- standing room only with grandstand seats! My favorite part is the petting zoo. I could spend all day there.

We hit the fair early and did lots of rides before the crowds showed up. Compared to Phoenix the crowds are light though.

This year I sampled Corn Dogs and Frozen Chocolate covered Cheesecake- Yummy

I did have a taste of a frozen Margarita, barbeque chicken and beef, and steak dinner.

We all kind of shared whatever we got so no one really got too much of anything.

I also had to hit the vendors and got myself a nice Tulsa State Fair Hoodie and a 15 minute massage. We sampled candy, looked at pianos, and I kissed Sarah Palin.

To top off the night my daughter and I rode the Skyscraper. I had ridden it it twice in Phoenix about 6 years ago and loved it. The Skyscraper is about 160 feet tall and goes 70 miles per hour.

It is funny because every year we would drive to Sand Diego we would pass throught the area of the huge windmills and I would always say "I wonder if they strapped someone on the blades what kind of ride that would be" well someone beat me to it and invented it!

Last but not least on the way out the sea lions had finished their show and were available for pictures. They were 2 females trained to put their head on your shoulder and pose. They were so cute and it was amazing to see one up close. They were very soft but sure smelled like fish!

My sweashirt was the source of a chewing episode for the dog when I got home.

Looking forward to next year!

The Mis Adventures of Raggedy Ann Part 2

I ended up finishing Raggedy Ann in time for my daughters birthday! I pulled a few late nighters and when I did work on a few pieces in front of her I told her it was a pincushion.

It isn't perfect but I am pretty happy with the way it came out.

The Misadventures of Raggedy Ann Pt 1

My daughters birthday is in a few days and she asked for a Raggedy Ann doll. No problemo- Mr Keys is going to Toys R Us to get a few things and I see they carry it. Whoops- they don't and haven't had it in the store in months. She only asked for 4 items so I thought I would see if it was at Walmart- nope!

Plan B- look for a pattern in the fabric section- they actually had one in stock! Think really hard about this. I just got a sewing machine from my Uncle after going years without one that worked. I haven't cut a pattern in at least 12 years hmmmmm.... Her wanting the doll outweighed all that.

Look at fabric choices- the pattern shows a nasty Daisy Kingdom print that is probably not even made any more. Grab some yarn for the hair- the red is just so red though so I picked a deep red. Grab red and white striped material then realize it doesn't look right with the yarn and I like the yarn.

Think outside the box and find some coordinating fabric that will match perfectly with the yarn.

Not really traditional Raggedy Ann but I think it will work. Read pattern and see a bunch of notions I need which I probably have already but I can't remember so I buy them.

As I take my fabric bolts to be cut I realize this is my last chance to ditch the project.... hand fabric to be cut. No going back now. To be continued........

Watch Movement Button Covers

Something I was working on- I like how they turned out.

Stumble Upon

Thanks to someone who shall remain nameless (because I want to feature them and give them their due) I have discovered Stumble Upon. Yay for a new time waster that I like!!! So far I have loved every site picked. These pictures are from the Hubble telescope.

I got the horse right here!

I am a big You Tube fan- especially when I can see my grandpa Charlie. He was in Guys and Dolls and comes into this clip at about 58 seconds. He is a boxing trainer and wearing a red beret.
I do happen to love this song as well.

Sugar coma in the near future...

My daughter and I made sugar cookies yesterday and of course I ate several of them and promptly slept walked through the rest of the day. I know I don't have diabetes but sugar knocks me out!
So this morning those darn cookies were looking at me calling my name again. This time I put peanut butter on them. I know I will pay for it shortly but it sure was yummy!

GASP!! A teenager is pregnant!

Where do I even start?? I rarely, if ever, post in political threads on Etsy. They all seem to end in name calling and stupidity. Some trolls just can not have a serious discussion. It is unfortunate that it has to come to threads being closed.
It is being reported that the Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin's 17 year old daughter is pregnant. Oh , the horror!! Guess what?? I don't really care if she is pregnant- really, I don't!

I don't know the Palin family so I who am I to judge?? I didn't get riled up when Obama's pastor was all over the news either! When it comes to politics- I either like the canidate or don't- that is just how I roll.



Obama- I like him but I don't know all his policies, haven't really studied that much.
McCain- meh.. I was a huge fan when I live in AZ but he just doesn't do anything for me
Biden- no opinion really
Palin- I like her, I hardly know much about her though- but I like that she fishes!

So you can see that my perspective is a bit skewed- I like someone or I don't.

The only candidate that really sparked my interest and I read all about and studied was Ron Paul and we all know how that turned out.....
I like good political or religous discussion. I tend to make my statements about how I feel on the subject and leave it at that. I ask questions in a nice way and don't attack others with differing opinions. That is just how I roll.
Whoever the next president is I hope they do a good job.

Weekend Guest

When you move somewhere and don't know a soul you have to make friends. I do have a few human friends but I do like to have my nature friends stop by as well.
This little turtle was meandering through the driveway today. He was kind enough to let me snap his picture.

Goodies in the mail

The mailman delivered 2 little packages but they were outstanding!
First off these hilarious cards from ScotiaMade I got cute mini notes to tuck in a lunch box or as a surprise anywhere but the BEST part was the surprise she added for being her 500th sale.
The mini notes features squirrels saying funny things- her shop says * You will laugh till you wee* and I found this to be true- I even tested them on my neighbor and she was laughing as well.

The surprise notes were for people that SUCK when they park. You know the type- hogging 2 spaces, parking right next to the corner, general rudeness. I am dying to get out and find and asshat to use them on. If you have read my posts about * What really grinds my gears* you will know my neighbors are perfect candidates for these!

Next package was from ThreeDogParty A Set of 4 hand-stamped postcards featuring a typewriter with wings- how appropriate for me! I quickly ordered some stamps for postcards and can't wait to send these out. Sometimes it seems it is all about email these days.

Come on in and pull yourself up a chair!

Not a Saturday Morning went by in the 90's that I was not glued to the TV watching Pee Wee's Playhouse and I was in my 20's! I had the whole intro memorized and this was my favorite show.

What really grinds my gears 8-28-08

Don't you just love neighbors? Especially ones that you can't figure out. These neighbors have had 9 cars in the driveway,lawn,and street at one time. I have been remiss in my car counting lately as I have been distracted by other fun things to look at on their property.

For shits and giggles I thought I would see how many days the gas cans would lay on the lawn. They must be empty or they would have been snagged long ago with the price of gas these days. Currently I am on day 22 of my gas can watch. Leaving gas cans on the lawn is no crime and it isn't a super eye sore- it just peaks my curiosity as to why the residence keep walking by them and don't pick them up.

So maybe you are tired and don't want to bring in the trash, or is it easier to leave it at the curb because all your cars block your driveway? Guess what neighbor, we live in Oklahoma and we have raccoons. Wildlife+trash=mess- duh! Haven't you seen Over The Hedge- guess that is a big NO.
I am sure the sanitation workers just love pulling up to your house! Let's see it trash day- make sure we move the cars off the lawn and onto the street so the trash guys have to block the whole road getting our trash can and spend 15 minutes picking it all up.

I have lived in neighborhoods with strict association rules and I don't care for the gestapo mentality of those associations. Just a little neighborhood pride would be nice.

Revenge of the Sith Alternate Ending

Anything Star Wars related is where I gravitate and I was intrigued by the idea of an alternate ending for Revenge of the Sith. Wasn't quite what I was imagining but I can't stop laughing.

Freebie Wednesday

Today's freebie is a scrabble tile necklace. Winner gets to choose the letter.
Contest runs through Thursday at midnight. Just post and you are entered.

Employees are allowed now right???

I can't even figure that whole employee thing out. Besides I do everything from A-Z with this business. I know some girls who get there husbands to do all the hard work
(key cutting) but not me. I am a one woman wrecking crew.

Today though I had a volunteer that seemed to want to help me!

Business Cards and Promos

Got my adorable Promos from Promos In A Snap yesterday. You choose if you would like the cards to be horizontal or vertical. The size of the card is 2 1/2 inches by 4. And there is a scratch off part that can say whatever you want.

Also tinkered with my business cards. I liked the idea of the moo cards but they are too small so I came up with some doubled sided ones of my own that are full size.

Manga Me

This is me in Manga form
You can do it too www.faceyourmanga.com

We have a winner

Winner of the Interrobang necklace this week ~ Congrats!

Freebie Wednesday

Today's freebie is an Interrobang Necklace- really wish it was on my keyboard!
Just post a comment to be entered ;)

The interrobang is a rarely used, nonstandard English-language punctuation mark intended to combine the functions of a question mark and an exclamation mark.


The symbol is a print that I inserted under the lens

of a vintage Royal typewriter key. Size is appx 1/2" or 15mm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's important to note that this item is not meant to be worn in the shower or pool. Although it has been sealed it is not fully water-proof.


The key is mounted on a silver ox lace edge setting with a split ring bail and 20" steel ball chain.

Snarkiness

Sometimes I see forum posts titles that make me want to blurt out answers.

Right now these are my responses to thread post questions starting with Site Help and retiring to the basement know as ETC

1. Yes, but If I tell you I will have to kill you
2. Are you serious-mmmuhahahahah
3. Mine are working fine thank you
4. None of your business
5. No I am not because it looks trash
6. Duh- of course
7. Let me grab some popcorn and get back to you
8. I have no clue
9. I have no idea what you are talking about
10. Depends
11. Hah- are you really asking Etsy for something
12. Stuff
13. Who cares