I'm Baaack!

It's been a long time since I've posted any updates, but I've been busy!

My six months at the ARTgarage ended in June. It was a neat experience to have work in a gallery. Now I'm hoping to develop my website sales more.

I've been exploring all sorts of new creative things, especially since I got my new camera equipment and Cricut machine for my birthday. I also spent several weeks perfecting the art of digital scrapbooking as I created our adoption portfolio. I'm excited to try making custom digital designs! Please let me know if you need anything made: invites, cards, photo books/albums, annoucements, etc.

Our vacation out west in June/July was absolutely amazing! I returned with great photos and unforgetable memories! Lots of inspiration too! I promise to post photos to FB soon.

Today I listed individual items for sale on chimpstrash.com and started setting up a shop on etsy.com. I feel like it's all coming together! Now, I just need some sales under my belt...

I'll post more info with links for viewing (and buying) my creations soon!!

Cheers!

Recently I’ve learned that…

*There’s nothing like using an old-fashioned desktop computer.
*An apple IS as good as _________. (Fill in the blank with any sweet, unhealthy snack.)
*Your bad day brings out the best in your spouse.
*It’s okay to be overflowing with creativity and have no place to put it.
*BLURGHleehooble! (Oops- some spilled out!)
*Cell phone cameras can give you the same experience as the fancy ones.
*It’s okay to only read half of the book from the library (or a quarter)… you still get something out of it.
*Dave Matthew’s lyric about naked “looking good on you” still amuses me every time I hear it.
*Internet coupons aren’t widely accepted.
*Breakfast for dinner can be the best dinner you’ve had in months.
*Nothing makes me feel as happy & girly as getting a new purse.
*Good friends should be visited more often!
*Traveling a rough road with your best friend is better than sailing the smoothest sea by yourself. (Cliché, I know – but it’s true, especially when the ends totally justify the means.)
*Doing something that lets you know you’ve “still got it” is amazing!
*If it’s ‘broke,’ even if it still works, your husband will fix it! (iHappy)

Oscar Nominated Movies

The Oscar nominees were annouced this morning, and I think for the first time, there are 10 (instead of 5) movies in the running for the top spot. Each year when I watch the Oscars and/or hear about the awards, I feel like I'm missing something because I haven't seen most of the movies. This year, I'm going to try to see them all! That means I have 32 days to see nine movies (already seen one.)

Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds (check!)
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Think I can do it? I've never been a real dedicated movie watcher, but I'm really going to try!

Strange Memories

Here's how my brain just worked:

1) Saw a posting for an event called "Scribble Cookies" (children's art class at the De Pere Community Center)
2) Remembered the first time I used a "Paint"-type program on a computer. I think I was 7. It was winter and I was at Notre Dame elementary school, which I never attended!??
3) I was watching Mr. Belvedere the first time my legs ever fell asleep.
4) In the summer, I was playing under the willow tree in the front yard and then went inside to watch The Cosby Show before bed. I remember having a Jell-O pop while I watched it. (I'm sure it's not a coincidence that Bill Cosby advertised them! - They were SOOO good!!)
5) I better take the dog out and head back to work.

Our brains must hold pieces of information together through some type of common bond, so I'm guessing all of these events happened in the same year of my life. How strange.

Ah yes, another Tuesday.

When I have a day that's not so great, I like to focus on the things that made me smile...

*This morning, Riley was playing with a plastic-wrapped toothpick. I took it away. About 15 minutes later, Riley was playing with a plastic-wrapped toothpick. I took it away. I sent a text to John asking if he knew where these toothpicks were coming from. He said, "They're in my guitar parts case" (or something like that). Regardless, they were coming from an upstairs room Riley had no access to. As I was going up the stairs to investigate, I discovered Java carrying yet another toothpick in his mouth down the stairs. What a tricky cat! He was feeding sharp objects to his sister! Those two and their shenanigans!!

(new pet pics taken today)

*Glitter seemed to cover the earth early this morning. I'm not sure if it was frozen fog or what, but it sure was b-e-a-utiful!

*Did anyone else have fun playing with the Target coupon flip book that came in the mail?! I think I had waaay more fun than one was intended to with such an item. John can verify- I was laughing out loud at the stupid faces I was creating!

First Mandatory Music Monday of 2010

Well, for the first time ever, it was a success! Last year, John and I decided to have Mandatory Music Mondays, where we watch no TV and only listen to and appreciate music.
Since we both got home from work, we have done the following:
-I listened to Sirius while making dinner and putting away xmas decorations.
-John played the banjo for several hours (which he is still doing as I write this).
-We unintentionally talked about music while we ate dinner in silence.
-We went to a bar for a bday and played darts while listening to some kind of obnoxious tunes.
ALL without watching TV!! Feels great, except I kind of missed watching Jeopardy while we ate and I know I'll feel like I'm missing something without watching the news before I go to bed. All in all, I enjoyed it. Great way to spend a kind-of anniversary with my husband. (We started dating 12 years ago today!)

One other note about today...
I witnessed a serious car accident and got to know a little 4-year old as she kept warm in my car while her mother was taken in an ambulance. It's a long story, but those are the important details. I'm glad I was there to help!

Thoughts of the day

-I discovered the beauty of mixing applesauce with the awful wheatgrass. I don't think I could have gone on with that terrible taste for 2 months.
-Heat wave today! Loving the backyard & the plants & trees. I'm sitting in the sun on my deck right now as a matter of fact!
-Stef had a baby girl today! Happy birthday baby and congrats Stef & Bob!
-Used the awesome field guides on enature.com to figure out that the red bird we saw while camping at Buckhorn State Park was a Scarlet Tanager and the cool tree Josh liked is a Tamarack. Now on to creating a scavenger hunt for me and Jenny for this weekend in MI.
-Can't wait for DMB's new album to come out. I'm thinking we might have to go see them this summer after all.

I'm Digging...

This week I'm digging...
-Budding flowers & trees. Finally, Spring is here!!
-Planning camping trips
-Reading & researching
-Lots of real estate activity!
-"Funny the Way it is" - new DMB single
-Adam Lambert on American Idol
-Bananas

25 INTERESTING Things About Me

1 I've eaten at a fancy restaurant where a dog had a place setting at the table.
2 I've ridden on the autobahn in a very old VW bus.
3 I've snorkeled in the deepest bay in the world.
4 I saw Stevie Ray Vaughn perform his last concert before he died.
5 I would've been a 4.0 student in high school, if it weren't for that one B in chemistry (guess what's not my favorite subject?)
6 I met my husband when I was 16 years old.
7 My two grandfathers died a week apart when I was 6 years old.
8 I have 31 cousins and 0 siblings.
9 I have color blindness - rare for a female!
10 I have been obsessed with the sky & celestial bodies since I was a young child.
11 I have an uncanny ability to remember dates & days of the week. (Ex: we were doing this or that exactly one year ago today!)
12 I enjoy talking to strangers & soaking up their stories!
13 I believe in karma.
14 I'm an awesome bubble gum blower.
15 I believe that I have amazing instinct.
16 My biggest triumph to date was overcoming debilitating panic attacks.
17 Most of my knowledge has been gained by asking questions - so don't hate when I inquire!
18 I toured Europe as a student ambassador when I was 17.
19 I've had just 3 jobs in my life.
20 I've never technically owned a car.
21 I honestly don't know the color of my eyes (blue, green, grey, hazel - whatever)
22 I'm named after a county in Ireland.
23 I believe in astrology & the meaning of birth dates & birth orders
24 I basically can do nothing with my left hand - very un-ambidextrious
25 I am accident-prone: once lost a toenail from dropping a huge rock on it, have a rock in my knee, fractured a bone bowling, have no gallbladder, jet ski burn ;), etc...

Hilarious

So I was looking up the meaning of the phrase "damn skippy" because I've heard it a ton lately but had no idea what it meant. I came across a very funny website: urbandictionary.com. The site has tons & tons of words and phrases - very helpful for your average everyday out-of-touch dork like myself. The definitions and examples they give are laugh-out-loud funny! I would definitely check it out. Damn skippy!

Here are some that I thought were quite humorous - the last is my favorite:

1. Social Notworking

The practice of spending time unproductively on social-networking websites, especially when one should be working.

Joe - Hey, Mark is constantly updating his Facebook status, does he not have any work to do?

John - His company obviously doesnt realize how much Social Notworking he is doing!

----------
1. Textagram

Two or more words that are spelled out using the same series of keys in a text message.

Guy is a textagram of Ivy. Anna is a textagram of Bomb.

2. Textagram

The very reason we can't spell fuck you on phones that don't have keyboards.

DUAL YOU!

WTF does that mean?

Oh it's a textagram of fuck. but since I don't have a keyboard it spells dual

3. Textagram

A word invented by morons that don't know how to change their text setting on their phone from "T9" to "Alpha" therefore rendering them incapable of spelling the correct words. Anna: Dude, what the hell did you call me "Bomb" for in that text message earlier? Moron: Oh sorry, it's a textagram my phone pulls up when I try to spell your name. It won't let me spell your name! It's like it has a mind of its own! Anna: Moron. ---------- 1. bad economy An all-purpose excuse that people use during a recession to justify doing things that are below their usual standard. Often these things in reality have little or nothing to do with the economic circumstances. Harry: "You took your girlfriend to Applebee's on Valentine's Day? Pretty weak." Larry: "Whatever man, I didn't have a choice. Bad economy." Senator: "Mr. Paulson, you really want to give the greedy, soulless bankers who caused this mess $700 billion with no strings attached?" Henry Paulson: "Hey guys, bad economy. Just do it." Senator: "Good point. I vote yes." Fred: "Dude, tell me you didn't go home with that broke down 300-pound whale I saw you with at O'Shea's last night." Brendan: "Dude, it's a bad economy. I'll take what I can get." Fred: "Yeah, I guess you have to." 2. bad economy The biggest excuse lazy people use to not go out and look for a job--and then they solicit money from you so they wont have to. A bad economy is the best exuse unidustrious people use to suck you dry.

This week I'm digging...

bubble gum
classic novels on my ipod
Jason Mraz /Colbie Caillat song Lucky
time travel
smoothies
getback.com
list-making
Kaboom! Atari game
sunshine

Christmas gifts - 2008

I said I was going to post these a long time ago, but here they finally are. I had a lot of fun making these gifts. I didn't take photos of all of them, but most are here.

Swallow necklace

Decorative magnet sets

Real heart necklace

Duck stamp coasters

Sock-monkey keychain

Loteria necklaces

Dog tags

I'm digging...

1) The sunny sunshine that hits my eyelids as I stir to turn off my alarm clock. It helps me remember that the days are getting longer and summer is getting closer.

2) My pants that are falling off of me today. As annoying as it is, it means I'm losing weight!

3) Big Love. The HBO show has really gotten it right this season, which I believe is the 3rd. The characters are really starting to develop and get interesting- and the plot, or should I say plots , continue to thicken.

I'm digging...

1. The way my car feels after sitting in the sun all day when it's 53 degrees out.
2. Man Vs. Wild can we say obsessed?!
3. Winter color - finally got the chance last weekend to take lots of pics.
4. The fact that I ran out of printer paper and am having to use bright, florescent-colored papers.

Priorities

Things I MUST do this weekend:
-work open house Saturday

Things I SHOULD do this weekend:
-go to the gym
-clean the house
-do laundry - loads of it!
-finish removing the wallpaper from the bathroom wall

Things I WANT to do this weekend:
-take photos (winter color!)
-blog some more
-rearrange/redecorate some rooms
-bake something
-read (maybe finish Obama's book, The Audacity of Hope)
-watch a good movie or two

It's been awhile

Well I'm back and made it through the holidays. I have a lot of pics to share of gifts I made for Xmas, but those won't be posted until I feel well enough to climb the stairs and go on my real computer, not just my iPod touch. The doctors aren't really sure what's wrong with me. It might be mono or shingles, or something else entirely. Right now I just want the fever and chills to be over with. The side pain/attack that brought me to the er on Monday seems to have finally subsided. I hope to post pics later today.

How far we've come

As I was watching the election coverage Tuesday night, I was overwhelmed with emotion. The coverage showed Jesse Jackson with tears running down his face. Those tears told a story of our nation's history. This man grew up with segregation, lived through and was a part of the civil rights movement, and now, has seen a black man become president. How far we've come!

In today's world of uncertainty, it comforts me to know that our nation is a free place where any child's dream can come true.

I'm Digging...

Life on Mars, the awesome new show that premiered on ABC last night.
Time travel & crime solving?!? It doesn't get much cooler than that!
1973 -will be so back in style VERY soon.

The Hilarious Political Skits of SNL. Can't wait til tomorrow night!

The road ends where the sky begins

a quiet moment
Originally uploaded by Kerry Q

Ever since my trip to Michigan last month, I've become obsessed with the sky. I'm looking up all the time, and making comments about the clouds and the colors of the sky constantly.

I hope to create some sort of sky project or collage of photos as soon as I've accumulated some more. I'm adding to my collection every day, though.

The photo above would be nothing without the ominous sky above, threatening the peaceful moment.

the clouds are all on fire

"Bloodshot"

She walks to the mailbox each morning at nine
Every day she begins she's always one day behind
At least when it comes to the mail

She sits on the balcony paying the bills
Her letters just hashing her cigarettes onto the sill
Every breath a little more pale

And the hill's still left to climb
It's just so

High
And I'm so
Tired
Come on look me in my bloodshot eyes
The clouds are all on
Fire
It's just so
High
And I'm so
Tired
Come on look me in my bloodshot eyes
The clouds are all on

Sits in his basement from midnight 'til four
Painting pictures that nobody sees from his days in the war
The canvas is painted bright red, red
He heats up the shower, he paces the hall
He'll scrub for an hour or more but he won't get it all
The paint in his fingernail beds

The hill's still left to climb
It's just so

High
And I'm so
Tired
Come on look me in my bloodshot eyes
The clouds are all on
Fire
It's just so
High
And I'm so
Tired
Come on look up at the bloodshot sky
The clouds are all on
Fire
The clouds are all on
Fire
The clouds are all on

We wait in valleys while the clouds come in
We see no shadows, 'cause the shadow's all there is
And we climb,
And we climb

But it's just so
High
And I'm so
Tired
Come on look me in my bloodshot eyes
The clouds are all on
Fire
It's just so
High
And I'm so
Tired
Come on look up at the bloodshot sky
The clouds are all on
Fire
The clouds are all on
Fire
The clouds are all on
The clouds are all on
Fire
The clouds are all on
Fire

Andrew McMahon, of Jack's Mannequin is an amazing song writer. Besides the fact that I love the music he makes, I love his lyrics. I really enjoy the stream-of-consciousness type thoughts that run through all of the songs on his new album, The Glass Passenger, which just came out this week.

I just watched a video of the band's performance on Jay Leno Tuesday and I still cannot believe that I met them (well, three of them) - especially Andrew!

I'm Digging...

Walks in the woods

Fall sights & smells

Flowers from John

autumn

autumn
Originally uploaded by Kerry Q

It's here. Rather than complain about the fact that summer is over, I'm listing the things I like about fall.

the forgotten feeling of taking socks off, the autumn smell...the beautiful crisp morning air, the amazing colors (how can dying be so pretty?), pumpkins, costumes, family feasts, apples & cider, pear crumble, using the oven again, opening the windows after work, school (even though I'm not in it...for now), the temperature inside the car after it has sat for a few hours, hay rides, leaves blanketing the sidewalk, leaves that you can't avoid kicking up as you walk through them, short-sleeved sweaters, planning winter travels, first fires, decorating for the season, the smell of leaves burning in the country, gorgeous fire-colored sumac trees, less lawn mowing, wind gusts that make you laugh because they prevent you from accomplishing simple tasks, five-finger turkey drawings, waxed paper and crayon leaf pressings, stews and chilis, the warm fuzzy feeling as you hunker down and prepare for the cold days ahead

they're just so gorgeous

they're just so gorgeous
Originally uploaded by Kerry Q

I cannot get over my beautiful backyard lately. It gives me a variety of things, which is amazing considering the fact I have given it very little. Even the earth gave it very little this summer. There was almost an entire month without rain, during which time I watered nothing, yet I have beautiful flowers and plants, as well as delicious apples and pears. Absolutely delicious - two different kinds of apples and two different kinds of pears. The Barlet pears are dropping like crazy, so I'm trying to send them off to friends and family as much as possible.
Free food that has grown completely naturally... awesome!

RED

I fell in love with red last weekend...

pluck

pluck v. 1 pick or pull out or away. 2 strip (a bird) of its feathers. n. 1 plucking movement. 2 courage.

exactly what I wanted to do to this apple - pluck it off the tree and eat it!

Macaw at the NEW Zoo - Appears to be a plucking motion to me!

grime

grime n. ingrained dirt. -v. blacken with grime. -grimy adj.

I'm pretty pleased with the subjects I found to photograph to depict my first word from the dictionary! The leftovers of two joys of summer, light beer and smoothies, don't look quite so appealing days later.

Let's try this

As I mentioned in my last blog, I'm looking for ways to channel and refine my creative energy. I know that I love photography and I know that I enjoy studying words, so I thought it might be quite interesting to take photos based off of inspiration straight out of the dictionary. When I took photography classes in high school and college, I was given daily or weekly assignments with themes, to help guide the creativity. Now, I guess I'm doing the same thing for myself. For this project though, rather than capturing images that fit themes of contrast or shapes or seasons, I will randomly select a word from my little Oxford dictionary each day and take photos that convey that word into visual awesomeness.

So here's the first word. I'll report tomorrow with my findings.

grime n. ingrained dirt. -v. blacken with grime. -grimy adj.

Day 1

I've been having a difficult time lately with self-image and things of that nature so I've finally decided to do something about it. This, then, is Day 1 of the rest of my life (which I suppose every day is.) I have made a list of things I want to do for myself, general, specific, & abstract.


1) Lose the weight...
2)...keep it off
3)Eat out no more than once a week
4)Create an awesome workout playlist
5)Do more of what's right for my body
6)Keep up on housework
7)Channel all my creativity into things that are productive
8)Cook healthy meals for myself & John
9)View exercise as time for myself
10)Concentrate on good posture more often
11)Experiment & document
12)Blog more - it's good for my brain and soul
13)Become of a collector of all things that interest me


St. Louis Arch - August 9, 2008

Hartman Creek State Park

Early morning sunlight dancing around the trees

We found yet another beautiful area of Wisconsin last weekend. We camped in the Hartman Creek State Park in Waupaca, where we were situated among towering pine trees, right on the lake. There were awesome biking & hiking trails. Che and I got lost on some really hilly bike trails in the woods and John explored the single-track trails. We also spent the better part of a day fishing from canoes on two peaceful lakes. Unfortunately, it was too sunny for many fish to be biting, but John caught one and Jenny caught a couple. Che 'caught' a leech on her foot and Ben almost caught our resident racoon with a hatchet!

We had perfect weather, beautiful scenery, great company... I couldn't have asked for a more relaxing weekend.

4Ever Hippie

Ben & Che in their canoe

Biggest catch of the day!

Ahhh Yes... Sweet Sweet Summer

Are there even words?

What an idiot. 180 miserable days left...

Ate there even words?

Nineties Nostalgia

I realized yesterday, as I was jamming to Sirius' Lithium station in the car, how much I miss nineties music. I'm not sure if it's the music itself or the time of my life it makes me remember, those high school years when I was too young to have much responsibility in the world, yet old enough to have the freedom to do pretty much anything I wanted.

I miss spending those carefree summers with friends watching MTV all day long (when they actually played videos!), walking to the gas station or Shopko if we needed something; when eating too much sugar or drinking too much caffiene were the worst things we did to our bodies. I guess there's a sense of innocence that I feel when I hear songs from this era of my life.

My Ultimate Nineties Nostalgia Playlist

Beck - Loser

Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun

Green Day - Longview

Smashing Pumpkins - Disarm

Nirvana - The Man Who Sold the World

Collective Soul - Shine
Lisa Loeb - Stay (I Missed You)

Blues Traveler - Run Around

Better Than Ezra - Good

No Doubt - Just a Girl

Live - Selling the Drama

Butthole Surfers - Pepper

Stone Temple Pilots - Interstate Love Song

Oh, and speaking of STP, I saw them last week - front row, baby!!!

Finally

So here I am again!

I just was just daydreaming and asked myself a question that I truly couldn't answer. It intriuged me so much that I had to put it on here...

Could I ever purchase a lottery ticket, not look at the numbers, throw it away in the gas station garbage can and walk away?

Would I freak out never knowing?? What if there was a winner who never claimed the prize? Would I forever think that I had the winning ticket and had thrown it away?

Some day I hope to be in a good enough place to follow through on this experiment confidently.

Bye Bye Birdies

All four baby birds have now left the nest outside my patio door, leaving me a very bored soul. As much as I don't like being around birds, I really enjoyed watching these little guys get big. One by one, they flew away from the nest. Now I have an empty nest to look at. And a lot of bird poop on the patio. It's pretty sad.

Friday the 13th

In the past week, I've been true to my blog title and had several odd mishaps:

Burned by someone's cigarette.

Very bad blood draw attempt.

Stung by some unknown creature on my cheekbone.

What will today, this notoriously unlucky day, bring? We can only wait and see...

Almost ready to fly

They're getting huge!! They have real wings now; not too long before they're flying!

Bird Update

We think that sitting with the mouth open like this might be a defense mechanism. Their mother does it to us all the time.

So Cute, So Ugly

Floppy necks. Their eyes are finally open.

Look at those long necks!

Friday List

Last night I was making lists of things (US Presidents & Muppets, to be exact). This inspired me to start making a list every Friday. I would love for my readers to share their lists with me!!

My Concertography -Notable Musicians I've Seen Live
U2 (1997,2001)
Bare Naked Ladies (1999)
Brian Setzer (Orchestra) (4) (1999-2007)
Stray Cats (2007)
Dave Matthews Band (2003, 2005-2, 2006, 2007)
OAR (2006)
Fall Out Boy (2007)
All-American Rejects (2007)
Jack's Mannequin (bonus points!) (2007,2008)
Ben Folds (2008)
Ben Lee (2008)
Blues Traveler (1995)
The Hush Sound (2007)
Green Day (2) (1995, 2005)
My Chemical Romance (2005)
Guster (2006)
Panic at the Disco (2006)
Kenny Wayne Shepherd (2000)
SRV (triple bonus points) (1990)
Eric Clapton (1990)
Bonnie Rait (1990)
Jeff Healy (1990)
Robert Cray (1990)
Buddy Guy
Violent Femmes (2006)
The Fray (2006)
The Proclaimers (1999)

I will add more as they come to me...

Baby Birds!

Look what just hatched right outside our patio door!

I think there are four of them.

Mom feeding babies