The wiggles ... in my head!!!!

After you watch this ... you will be either be:

a.) confused  or 

b.) scared 

At first I was totally creeped out by little Ella's (my 2-year-old niece) obsession with the "Wiggles." She calls them the wee-wees....I think I already mentioned that.

Anyway, after 2 solid days of singing, dancing and watching everything "wiggle-related" I am starting to see the obsession.

The songs are catchy! You have to admit. After our big family dinner, Rich sang "the monkey song" on the way home! hahahahaaa BUSTED.

SO...consider this your exposure to the world of the wiggles... aren't you glad you aren't a 2-year-old?

OMG the ribbon outlet....

SOOOOoooo.... Amanda, my big sis, and her little girl, Ella (my niece!) were in town for the weekend! Ella has gotten SO big! She loves "The Wiggles" (think: Richard Simmons on acid.) She calls them the "wee wees." aww!

Our big trip to the Ribbon Outlet in Hagerstown, Md., was a huge success! Amanda and I each got like $50 worth of cheap-o ribbon!! (Mom sat with a napping Ella in the car.)

Here I am with a MONSTER ROLL of red ribbon. This whole thing was like $3.00. NO WAY! I tried to stay with a more manageable size and amount though :)

Here's sweetie pie Ella, by the way :)

And LOOK! She is modeling my new line of "BabyGoose" accessories!!! More to come :) :)

My sister has an Etsy shop!!

Check it out!

My big sis, Amanda,  (who lives in Seattle) has finally opened an Etsy shop! She is the queen of thrift-shopping and has a great eye for styling duds :)

This is her with my little niece Ella!! ( a while ago!)

But her friend is the model (I forget her name ... ?... I know I met her once though)

Here is her shop: ROGUERETRO. 

I think I might buy this sweater, but it would be lame if her first sale was from me I think :)

all in the family

My sister, Amanda, niece, Ella and bro-in-law, Max's visit came and went way too soon!!! But we had a quality two days of playing outside, inside, driving around places and even eating out! Fun fun fun! But boy, am I tired.

I am really in awe of how my sister is able to do it. I was having to take a break on the couch after just a few hours of playing. But she is on all the time! Ella is a lucky little girl!!

When they first arrived, we all met up with my parents and Rich (he was sooo nervous!!) near my apartment for dinner at this Italian place..then they all came back to see inside my "studio" (aka one-room) apartment. It was a tight squeeze and a big cockroach crawled across the floor right in front of everyone's feet!  Lots of screaming, and it was squashed. How embarassing!

Oh, and the girls went to this ribbon outlet! I will have to make a new post just about that. It was a-may-ziinnng.

Alright, I am off to catch up with my Etsy....I think she is feeling jealous :) hehehee

gobble gobble.

Happy Turkey Day!

I know, it's not today. It's tomorrow. But I work today AND tomorrow, so I've got to get in my holiday greetings while I can!!!

The plans for this year are as follows:

--Potluck dinner at work on Thursday. I am bringing twice-baked potatoes.

--Potluck dinner/party at my fella's on Friday. I am bringing more twice-baked potatoes.

--Real dinner at my parent's on Saturday. I am bringing my fella to meet them (!!!)

--Sunday and Monday: Rest.

I know you are wondering...so here is my recipe for twice-baked potatoes (off the top of my head, as it always is).

-----

Bake about 6 large baking potatoes.

Cut them in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the centers with a spoon. Save the insides in a bowl.

Take the skins and line them in a lightly greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

To the insides: Add a splash of milk, a GOOD AMOUNT of butter and sour cream, plus some chopped green onions, cheddar cheese and bacon (optional.)

Take this mixture and put it BACK INTO the skins. You can then add some more cheese and goodies to garnish, if you'd like.

Next, put the whole dish in the oven--350 for about 20-30 minutes, or until the tops get just a bit golden.

Garnish with some rosemary sprigs for a festive feel :)

---

Here's what I'm thankful for:

My loving, supportive parents; my super cool sister and her amazing kid, Ella; my amazingly wonderful boyfriend, who I am consistently in awe of how much I adore; my friends who put up with my lack of ability to be social; my job (hey--at least I've still got it, right?), etsy, which enables me to make my fun money and develop my art; my health, which is pretty much OK; my hopes for a happy future.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!!

Guess what you guys?? My mom, who runs A Better Time on Etsy, just opened a new PLANT SHOP! It's called A Better Place. She sells seeds and goodies for all you gardeners out there :) She is the best grower I know, and a wealth of information!

OH--and p.s. She is recovering from surgery right now, so it would be SOOOO SWEET if everyone left her a message on her etsy shop to get well soon! :) I know she would love it!! And, you could probably buy something, too! :) heheheee

OK--so, Halloween.

Here's my pumpkin, first off. I think I may have gotten it a bit too early this year. It's starting to feel a lot less "firm...." So I may not carve it. It's too pretty, anyways!

And for costumes, I think I am settled on Amy Winehouse. I am going to have to get a beehive wig still...and lots of eyeliner...and draw tattoos all over my arms! :)

I am going to a party after work Friday--so I can't get into too much trouble after 11 p.m. haha

And--top secret--there is a boy in my life!! SHHH!! I hope he doesn't read this....but he makes me smile :)

Okay--back to my life.

WHEW! wow. I have not been sick in so long --- I totally forgot how bad it sucks! And I think it was a bit worse since I was "on my own" for the first time. I had no one to complain to when I couldn't breathe out my nose and my mouth got dry!! (don't you hate that?)

But, I'm just about all better now, thanks to our friends DayQuil and Sudafed. :) I'm a little worried though, because as I'm typing this, I'm eating an old piece of pizza that MAY or MAY NOT have turned bad. So, maybe I'll be sick all again tomorrow!! ha!

BIRTHDAY:

I felt so old. I was totally bummed out. But it was a really nice day and a fun visit with the family!!

Here is sweet little Ella. She finally started to warm up to me a bit after we shared Cheerios, and I played with her in the bath (sink) and playing peek-a-boo. I love her!! And I hope she remembers who the heck I am :) 

Here is my big sis (momma) Amanda! (Do you mind me putting your pics on here??? hahah too late!!) 

She is sitting with Lucy, my parent's little dog. Lucy thinks she should always be the center of attention, so everyone oo-ing and ah-ing over the baby was torture for the poor pooch!!

Poor Etsy is suffering, too! I need to get to work on Christmas stuff. Do you think people will actually wear a Christmas/holiday crown?? I'm thinking I would for a party or New Years maybe....

my weekend

Hi all!

This weekend was pretty good. Lauren and I got lunch at Isabella's--yum. Then I went to my parent's for my Mom's birthday supper. Also, did some laundry and went stick hunting.

Today-- I am making zucchini casserole with Lauren's veggie offering, and trying to get to work on some custom work. 

And--it's SOOO nice outside!! 

Oh, and the funniest thing happened...I went to Borders to get the 3rd book in the Twilight series (I've been reading almost non-stop)....and there was some other girl who also picked up the 3rd book. Then we both looked at each other, smiled, and both picked up the 4th book!! HAHA. She goes..."I'm right there with you."

background

I feel like I need to share some personal info here (as if I haven't spilled my guts about my failed relationship already...) But--please meet:

    my parents (aren't they cool!) My mom's an antique dealer, and we go to auctions together. My dad's retired and into jazz and cars. We like old TV shows and Hunter S. Thompson.

 their doggie, Lucy. She loves me :) She likes to snuggle and sleep under the covers.

There's also my two birdies, Caesar and Mocha. They like enjoy taking baths, eating lettuce and flying around the place.

ALSO-please meet my new favorite hat. Never for sale :)

OH! So thanks to everyone who commented on IKEA! I actually got an antique wrought iron bed (or my mom got it for me) at an auction last weekend for like 20 bucks! I need to take a picture of it. It's painted white and really ornate. It'll look so much more at home.

I still think I'm gonna get a sofa at IKEA... big and plushy.