Grabbing things through serendipity...

...yep, I'm always on the lookout for things that can be analogies, or speak to my situation, running them through the filter of discernment (hopefully!) along the way.

Today I saw a TV show (documentary) where an alcoholic took an entire bottle of tranquilizers. The person did it on camera. Days later in the hospital, after nearly dying, the person vehemently denied they took the pills, and blamed their mother, quite vociferously. Basically they said, "my mom must have slipped them into my drink." Yeah, right. Gee, remember your mom was thirty minutes away from your house? Gosh, musta been telekinesis from a remote location...;-P

The distraught mother, in a hospital waiting room, was told by another family member:

"She doesn't want to take responsibility for what she has done, so she needs to dump it on you instead."

Precisely. A moment of supreme clarity for my particular situation.

Always interesting

Who doesn't like to learn more about themselves, or have things confirmed that they already deduced? Thanks to Mel over at Praise in the Storm
http://praiseinthestorm-mel.blogspot.com , I went to Personal DNA and checked myself out. Here's their take on ole nashbabe...



You are an inventor.

• Your imagination, self-reliance, openness to new things, and appreciation for utility combine to make you an INVENTOR.
• You have the confidence to make your visions into reality, and you are willing to consider many alternatives to get that done.
• The full spectrum of possibilities in the world intrigues you—you're not limited by pre-conceived notions of how things should be.
• Problem-solving is a specialty of yours, owing to your persistence, curiosity, and understanding of how things work.

You are advocating.

• Being social, empathic, and understanding makes you ADVOCATING.
• Some people find being around others exhausting—but not you! You are energized by spending time with friends, and you are good at meeting new people.
• One of the reasons you enjoy conversation as much as you do is that you often learn about yourself while talking things out with a friend; you realize things about your own beliefs while discussing them with others.
• You have insight into what others are thinking and feeling. This ability allows you to be happy for others, and to commiserate when something has gone wrong for them.


They even gave me some recommendations...:-)

• While it's important to think about others, don't forget to take some time for yourself, and occassionally to put yourself first.
• Take some time to spend with a few close friends; although it's difficult to find people to trust, it's worth the effort.
• When you have great ideas, it can be hard to relinquish control, but it can also feel good to take the pressure off and enjoy someone else leading the way.

Today was market...

...and it was slow.

There was a lot more good stuff to it, however. My vendor friends and I had an important and helpful conversation that really helped us both, I think.

Hubs and kiddo were very helpful setting up and tearing down. Kiddo even said the night before "Do we need more time to set up in the morning? I can get up earlier if you want." Never mind that the kid is already getting up at 5:30 on Saturday mornings to help. I was deeply touched and said "thank you, that is so kind of you, but no, please don't get up any earlier."

Plus, I got an order for a custom apron from a regular customer. That's always fun.

I need a lot more stock for the booth, for wholesale, and for upcoming events. I also have a special project that needs a bunch of attention too.

Lots of work in the fall as usual...my challenge is to actually get some rest and realize that I DESERVE rest. Yes, that's not what the adults in my life told me when I was a kid, and it is deeply ingrained in me. But I DO deserve rest, darnit! Just need to learn that...

A dead giveaway

You know your life is too frantic and stressful when you put your shirt on backwards and don't notice for two hours. What a putz I am! ;-P

Commemmorating 200,000 Miles...

...our little green import (affectionately nicknamed "Kermit") has now reached its 200,000 mile mark.

We bought it from a pastor friend at 135,000, so I guess that means 65,000 miles have been piled on the thing in the last few years.

The major problem with it when we bought it was that it was the car of a fan of a vile NFL team. We exorcised that problem by applying an insignia of the correct NFL team ;-) which was meant to exorcise the demons of that vile team. *L* Oh, yeah, and we had to fix the AC. Compared to the first item of business, that was not a big deal... ;-)

The view out the front windshield is the most constant thing of my day...many miles...Kermit, I salute you! ;-) Could ya give me 50,000 more? Pretty please???

Ya can't argue...

with someone who's insane.

This is my problem. Hopefully I will be able to stay safe and secure both physically and emotionally. I have learned from some other situations that there's "no negotiations with terrorists."

'Nuff said. But what if they have hostages? I don't wanna be one, and I don't want anyone else to be one either...certainly not a largely defenseless person.

God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Even more apron patterns...

Skully flames, oilcloth, leather, knitted, log cabin patchwork, you name it.

Gusset Skully/Flames Apron (they don't show skullys but specifically suggest them in the apron directions):

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_needle_arts/article/0,2025,DIY_13768_5275315,00.html
Log Cabin Patchwork Apron

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_needle_arts/article/0,2025,DIY_13768_5275213,00.html

Knitted Strawberry Apron

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/na_knitting/article/0,2025,DIY_14141_5495820,00.html

Vintage Dishtowel Apron

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_needle_arts/article/0,2025,DIY_13768_5089794,00.html
Craft Paint Apron

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_needle_arts/article/0,2025,DIY_13768_5208377,00.html
Vintage Style Apron (very easy)

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_natural_homemade/article/0,2025,DIY_13767_5527070_02,00.html
Plastic Shopping Bag Apron (this one’s on the far edge of crunchy crafty) ;-)

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_clothing/article/0,2025,DIY_13751_5404592,00.html

Oilcloth Utility Apron

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_clothing/article/0,2025,DIY_13751_5404681,00.html

Leather Apron

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_needle_arts/article/0,2025,DIY_13768_5162756,00.html
Scarf Apron

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_clothing/article/0,2025,DIY_13751_5208231,00.html

Staying overnight

Kiddo announced that they wanted to stay at our house all week. Okay with us...they are much more peaceful and easier to get along with when they do. A relative calm settles over the home. Very, very cautiously optimistic about the possibility of kiddo finally getting psychiatric care. I know, I know, don't go kickin' the dog. Lord, I thank you for this possibility...

Two more bits of apronage... :-)

http://www.robertkaufman.com/quilting/quilts_patterns/happy_homemaker/

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_sewing_other/article/0,,HGTV_3330_1369348,00.html

The first one is the "Hi Honey I'm Home" apron that you can use fat quarters for if you want.

The second one is a pillowcase apron.

I guess I'll have to try these out! :-)

Comfort food that is actually healthy...

Anyone else have a church cookbook? The Midwest is where I originally hail from, and there are lots and lots of greasy but yummy casseroles available there. My childhood church published a cookbook and I found a gem there...and altered it to some degree, of course. You can eat this without guilt! It is quite good...and you can, of course, chop your own veggies, but I made this as super easy as possible. Goes together very quickly.

Rice Casserole

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained (I use 93/7 that I get on sale and pull out of the freezer later, or the lowfat ground turkey (not all is low fat, so check your label). Also, those soy crumbles or soy breakfast sausage would probably be just great.

1 bag (10-16 oz???) chopped onions, celery and peppers...I got mine from K-Roger...;-) --throw them in with the ground beef while it's browning.

1 small bag of precooked brown rice (or just cook up a couple cups)

1 large can (i.e. around 28 oz) tomatoes--I used the aseptic pack kind with the basil, oregano, and thyme in them because they were on super cheap closeout)

Mix all together. If you like more tomatoes, add them...

Add herbs and spices (I used an all purpose herb seasoning, and the healthy salt substitute stuff, and pepper).

Put in a dish you have sprayed with vegetable oil spray. A 2-3 qt casserole dish is good. Bake at 350 for an hour.

It sounds very basic, but it is quite yummy! Hubs enjoyed it a lot...and so did I.

Market...

Whoa, nobody there. The drought has really hurt the vendors and traffic as a result, and it continues to do so. I had a decent day though, largely because a few regular customers came and bought quite a bit. I'm grateful. It's also gratifying to get nice comments about my stuff...making and selling stuff is always kind of putting yourself "out there" so to speak so to get repeat biz is always encouraging.

Prayer list...

This morning I was waiting at the physician's office to have my stitches removed, the word "benign" ringing pleasantly in my ears. Before I was called in, the door to the examination rooms opened and someone who is dear to our family emerged. I said "hi there ________" before I even stopped to think. Then I saw that person's spouse (whom we do not know) behind them. The person acknowledged me, said "nice to see you", but in their ashen face and desire to leave the offices as soon as possible, I knew that the news couldn't have been good. The last time I had seen that person they had remarked that they would be having a routine screening test similar to mine soon, and apparently that news had been unsettling to say the least.

With all due respect for this person's privacy, if you happen to stumble upon this blog now and again, please pray for this person. I may not mention their name, but God knows it full well. Please pray for their entire family. To say that I know some of what they are going through now is an understatement. It's almost like living through it all again, in a way.