Friday, November 27, 2009

Friday Fill In

1. Wait! Wait, don't forget to save the date. (I felt the need to rhyme with this one.)
2. One large iced vanilla coffee followed at once by one extremely wired Kara. Yep, that's me today!
3. The trouble is Mom doesn't know how to make good mashed potatoes, but was too impatient to wait for me. I honestly don't know how she possibly messed them up as bad as she did, but they were a gluey paste. Yuck!
4. All of my best friends live many miles away.
5. With a faint pop the transformer blew and the entire island was out of power for nearly 24 hours- true story. Actually last Saturday night, it was more of a loud boom and light show.
6. After that, it was quiet, dark, shadowy and ominous.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to driving to Orlando, tomorrow my plans include Magic Kingdom with my family and Sunday, I want to be on time for work!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have been feeling bitter and ungrateful lately (even more than normal- hard to believe, I know), but in a time of reflection this morning on my way to work I decided to compose a list of things I am thanful for.* Anyone who knows me, knows I love lists almost as much as I love crossing things off of them. Sometimes, I write a list after I've already completed the tasks just to cross them off, but I digress...

Things I am thankful for this week:
~ A free latte this morning at Starbucks! Thanks Shandella!
~ Setting selling goals and beating them
~ Nice customers
~ Papa was released from the hospital on Saturday and seems to be in great spirits- not his normal grumpy self!
~ Kate is healing nicely. She is still swollen, but able to talk. I had a nice phone conversation with her on Tuesday and she was pleasant and laughing a lot.
~ Pete and his family are at the Happiest Place in the World for Thanksgiving (Walt Disney World)
~ I get to join them tomorrow night and spend Saturday at one of the parks
~ My Disney pass is valid thru Saturday. Yay for fate!
~ My trip will be virtually free (just have to pay for fuel and maybe a meal or two)
~ My sister who spoils me- feeds me and gives me a free place to crash
~ My store is closing two hours early today
~ It's quiet enough right now for me to compose this post while at work (well over the course of an hour or so)
~ Not having to contribute much to our Thanksgiving feast except for the Quorn "Turkey Breast" and the mashed potatoes
~ MASHED POTATOES!!!
~ I am getting up before the crack of dawn to go shopping tomorrow with Keri
~ This is possible because my store doesn't open until 10am
~ Shandella works again Friday morning (fingers crossed for another free latte- I'm going to need it to survive my Friday!)
~ Having internet at work
~ Itunes shuffle...this morning my iPod delievered a great mix of 90s alternative rock with a bit of Death Cab, Anberlin, and Jack's Mannequin. That makes for a great commute!

What are you thankful for?


*So cliche, but whatever!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Friday Fill In

ffi
1. We need to have a dance party.
2. I received an email from my boss today that said, "Send the bad hats to the Basement" and it made me smile. *
3. If you want it done right, you have to do it yourself.
4. I now have to work on Black Friday because Mark is being pulled to work in another department.
5. Massachusetts has a proposed 5% sales tax on elective cosmetic surgery; I think it should be even higher than that.
6. Having the day off makes for a happy holiday.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to opening a swap package full of craft supplies, tomorrow my plans include work and then painting snowmen at Kelley's house with the Paint Misbehavin' crew and Sunday, I want to not deal with inventory and transfers at work! **

*My store is now being called "The South Seas Basement". We are the clearance center/outlet store for the resort. The hats in question were embroidered with the wrong color thread. The way the sentence was written made me think that the hats were being punished and sent to the basement and that made me laugh.
** Not likely.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Maybe if I act like a five year old...

I won't have to deal with adult responsibilities and hardships?!

Nope, doesn't work.

Why is it that things always seem to go wrong around the holidays?

Just in the last week three people who are very dear to me have had some sort of surgery or medical procedure.
Kate had her jaw surgery yesterday. I haven't talked to her yet, but heard she is doing well from Annie.
Pete (my older brother) had another larger biopsy last week to *hopefully* find out if he really has cancer or not. I believe he goes back in next week for the results and they may schedule surgery then.
I also found out last night that Papa (my mother's father) has to have a blood transfusion which if I understand correctly is an all day event today. He has about half of the amount of blood he should have, but they don't know where the missing blood has gone. So after the transfusion, more tests will be run to see where the internal bleeding is.
What am I doing about all of this? Escaping into a fantasy world and pretending to be a child again. Oh and praying...lots of praying.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Weekend Update

Yes, I understand that it is Wednesday. Better late than never, right?
As planned, I drove across the state to Rachel's house on Friday night. I was thrilled because the drive lasted 2 hrs. 59 mins. I could have sworn it usually takes me 3 1/2 hours to get there. Shortly after I arrived Kate showed up. I hadn't seen either of them in over five months. It was great catching up on life.
Saturday we headed over to the Sebastian Municipal Airport for a little geocaching. Roslyn came along and enjoy her first adventure in geocaching.

Roslyn even found the second cache of the day.

In it was a pony that she begged me to take home.

But the highlight of the weekend was when we drove to Melbourne to see Donald Miller and Susan Isaacs on their Million Miles book tour. They were both amazing!

Here's Kate and I with Don.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Friday Fill In

I have been reading Sara's blog, Lazy Knits and Purls for a few months and each Friday she participates in Friday Fill-Ins. I love reading what she has to say and have been inspired to do write my own Friday Fill-in each week. Plus, if I actually remember to do it each week, it may help me to compose other posts throughout the week...maybe...

On to the Fill In:

1. The last band I saw live was Jack’s Mannequin. **



2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is mashed potatoes. Pretty pathetic, I know.
3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is spent with Keri.
4. Thoughts of escaping fill my head.
5. I wish I could wear the clothes I wore in college.
6. Bagpipes and kilts.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to driving to Sebastian to have a “big girl” slumber party with Rachel and Kate, tomorrow my plans include geocaching and meeting the man of my dreams (Donald Miller book tour!!) and Sunday, I want to go to Rachel’s church and not rush home.


**The picture is of Jack's Mannequin in West Palm Beach at the Blue Martini on Sept. 26. I actually saw them (Well, only Andy) again on Sept. 28 at Icabod's in Fort Myers. Sorry for the poor photo quality!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Introducing Roslyn


Pretty Girl
Originally uploaded by imafundork

I have been enamored with Blythe dolls for quite awhile now, but never seem to have the money to purchase one. Those who know me, know that I am horrible at saving money and shop on impulse frequently. My lust for Blythe grew so strongly that a couple of months ago, I decided that I would begin saving for her. It also helped that I worked one day a week at the Marina during October. The marina staff make tips...all of my tip money went into the Blythe jar! After countless hours of research, I decided I wanted Urban Cowgirl Blythe as my first. She'll be released at the end of this month. Of course my impatience got the best of me and I went ahead an ordered an ADG Aztec Arrival instead. She was considerably more reasonably priced than Urban Cowgirl and I had just enough saved to get her.

So that is the backstory and now I introduced to you, Roslyn. Isn't she beautiful?! Roslyn also has her own set over at Flickr.

I knit her hat and dress. Both the hat and dress were free patterns and are on Ravelry as well. I do believe an entire knit wardobe is in her future and maybe she'll even inspire me to put my sewing machine to work again.

Roslyn is named for my late grandmother, Rosalinda. In my research of names I discovered that Roslin means "Red Haired" and Roslyn is Spanish derived and means "Beautiful; pretty rose". It's perfect and a lovely way to honor my Nana.

I'm hoping Roslyn will give me the push I need to update my blog more frequently as well as to learn how to take amazing photographs!