How to make a Joyella

Ingredients: 5 parts friendliness 5 parts self-sufficiency 5 parts leadership

Method: Add to a cocktail shaker and mix vigorously. Top it off with a sprinkle of fitness and enjoy!

Username:

Personality cocktail
From Go-Quiz.com

"Sprinkle of fitness"? Yeah, right.

Back to the blogging board

I've just updated to the newest version of blogger and now I've noticed all my custumized elements have evaporated into cyberspace. I'm tweaking and tuning, so please be patient because I'm already overloaded with other non-computerish tasks to do the next few weeks. For some odd reason I can't get my comments with Haloscan to work here, so I'm back to blogger for now...

In other news, I have recently inherited a vintage, customizable dress form. I was so eager to try it, I nearly got myself stuck inside it's metal meshlike cage. It's meant to be put on, with help, and molded to one's shape, I of course, tried it on alone and found myself in a potentially very embarrassing predicament. But with persistence (and brief panic) I was able to shrug it back off.

4 Tagged (again)

MaryKate tagged me on this one, and I do believe I've done it before, but for those of you who are new or forgetful I'll give it another go.

Things You May Not Have Known About Me:
Four jobs I've had in my life:

1. nanny/ day care
   
2. school librarian
   
3. art teacher
4. freelance seamstress/custom clothier
   

Four movies I would (and do) watch over and over:

1. Amelie
2. Anne of Green Gables
   
3. Pride and Prejudice
   
4. It's a Wonderful Life
   

Four places I have lived:

1. Baltimore, MD
2. Timonium, MD
   
3. The Philippines
   
4. Chantilly, VA
   

Four TV shows I love (or would love) to watch:

1. Gilmore Girls
   
2. Smallville
   
3. Numb3rs
4. (I don't really watch t.v. so I don't even know what the shows are anymore....the 3 listed above are favorites from the past couple years, but I'm sure there are better, more interesting programs that I'll never see since I don't have cable and will have forgotten about them by the time the roll out on dvd.)
   

Four Places I have been on Vacation:

1. Estes Park, CO
   
2. Les 7 Laux, France
   
3. The Netherlands
   
4. North Carolina beaches
   

Four of my favorite foods:

1. waffles
2. most non-pudding related desserts especially if chocolate, fruit or nuts are involved
   
3. roasted meat and potatoes
   
4. cheese fondue
   

Four of my favorite books (a bit redundant from a previous quiz, but hey):

1. The Bible, God (and others)
   
2. Lord of the Rings, Tolkein
   
3. The Chronicles of Narnia, Lewis
   
4. Harry Potter, Rowling
   

I'm not passing this one on, since it's come around quite a bit in the blogosphere. Rest easy all you blog-friends :D

*Hey, I'm really excited that the new version of Blogger has a functioning spellcheck! Okay, now I've got no excuses.

Zen Mom

Are You a Slacker Mom?

Your quiz results make you a Zen Mom

How do you do it? Even when explosions are all around, you are able to take a deep cleansing breath and chant your mantra "this too shall pass." You are a calming influence on your kids in a hectic world.

Take this free personality test by Clicking Here>> or going to www.areyouaslackermom.com


That's progress, eh?

Art Glass

We had a field trip to McFadden Art Glass Gallery and Studio today. What fun! Here are some pictures, and check out the website. There will be an open house with live demonstrations and refreshments on November 17th and 18th check out their website for more details. Tim makes all kinds of fabulous glass things. We happened to witness him make an ornament, bowl, pumpkin, flower and a fish today.

I love an opportunity to spread the word about local artists (especially if I think they are talented) and Tim McFadden is also the nephew of a good friend of mine, so I'm happy to give him a little free publicity here at snippets. Also availble, see the website, are classes, make-your-own-workshops, and lots of cool stuff for sale.

Too Much Chocolate

I guess I ate too much chocolate or possibly it's the chocolate covered espresso beans I ate that my sister sent me that are keeping me up, so I thought I'd make a post-birthday post.

I'm thirty-four now. I'll probably not have to tell anyone my age for many months and by then I will have forgotten my age and have to do math. It was a good day. I took us out for breakfast, part of my present to myself to have a hot breakfast without the dirty dishes. Afterward, I drove home the long way to admire the morning sun rays shining through the golden foliage.

This is my most very favorite time of year. Yesterday we were wearing shorts and t-shirts, today it was back to corduroys and jackets. Something about fall makes me contemplative. I've been thinking about a lot of things, feeling somewhat overwhelmed with my life and honestly kind of sad today. I haven't felt sad for months, so I guess I'm due. I fell climbing over a baby gate on Sunday at a birthday party and badly bruised both my kneecaps, and the kids keep bumping them with themselves and various toys and I have forgotten and tried kneeling a few times. Ouch! Physical pain sometimes feels good in the midst of emotional gloominess. It gives me something tangible to be sad about. In the midst of my black and blue knees, I have much that I am thankful for, and it is focusing on these things that helps me to pull out of the shadows.
Today I am thankful for:

1. text messages that say Happy Birthday
2. Supercool birthday songs on my voice mail
3. bacon and french toast
4. apple pie
5. Mom
6. Dad
7. big sis
8. big bro
9. my kids
10. trees in vibrant hues of gold, crimson, orange
11. grilled cheese sandwiches
12. chocolate
13. emails
14. birthday wishes
15. lots of phone calls at dinner time (usually I don't like that)
16. faithful friends
17. nasturtiums
18. a comfortable bed
19. things to look forward to
20. the giggles and wiggles of L

I guess I was thinking mostly of tangible blessings, and there are some that just go without saying, like Jesus' saving work on the cross and resurrection, answers to prayers never spoken, and all of God's creation. There are more things but since that's a nice even twenty, I'll stop there.

Thanks friends and loved ones, for making this birthday Happier.

What's New Pussycat?

L turned 3 on Monday, and I celebrate my 34th birthday today! So wish me a happy birthday or send me some chocolate, the kids aren't sharing their Halloween candy.