big brother

I've never been one for conspiracy theories or whining about the government's invasion of privacy, but I'm beginning to rethink my naivety.  Maybe they know more about me than I thought. . .

While registering to apply for state jobs, this was my captcha:

All DP?  As in All Dr Pepper?   That's me alright.







Then I ran into this:

 

Excuse me?  First of all, why can't  it contain a dictionary word?  Its called a password, not a passnonsensestringofcharacters.

Second, "julio" simply cannot be a common password, let's be honest.  So it must violate the dictionary rule, right?  But what dictionary are they using?

2 hours later: I've finally registered but my password is more complex than a DNA double helix.

And here's a picture of my dad putting a skirt on Julio to calm everyone's nerves:

Finally finished...

really, it does...

The shadow really does prove the sunshine...

things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys

So, uh, February...
I want my money back.

I won't say it was all bad; my physical health is improving, I'm more nocturnal than narcoleptic lately, which isn't "normal," but really, it is. But while my physical health was improving, my mental/emotional health took a nose-dive. I didn't really admit it until after I'd taken inventory of my medicine cabinet and spent awhile pondering if the various remainders in those seven or eight bottles would be enough or if I'd just end up stuck with a ridiculous hospital bill (that possibility was more of a deterrent than anything else).

Life is hard enough when I'm doing well, but when things get dark and life gets complicated, its nearly impossible. Its during these times that Romans 8:26 becomes so real:

We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

I haven't been a fun person to be around in awhile, but I now know who my wheat is. And even though I'm disappointed to discover that some are more like chaff, I'm also more aware of my own tendency to let relationships drift when they aren't fun or personally beneficial to me. Community comes through action, refusing to settle into the passive "out of sight, out of mind" attitude that comes naturally. I'm learning that this thing we call Christianity isn't a before-and-after deal, but thats how we want to portray it. "Oh, I have Jesus, everything is fine now." That's such a lie, completely denying the need for a continuous relationship with the One who gives the grace. This journey, the process of becoming, that is where we live.

"I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us."
-Anne Lamott

"We will mess up, we will hold on when we should have let go. We will walk when we should have ran, We will go when we should have stayed. We will hurt others when we should have loved, but God forgives, He forgets and best of all, He restores.”

Not Yet

This life is therefore,
not righteousness,
but growth in righteousness,
not health, but healing,
not being, but becoming,
not rest, but exercise.
we are not yet what we shall be,
but we are growing toward it,
the process is not yet finished
but it is going on,
this is not the end,
but it is the road.
all does not yet gleam in glory,
but all is being purified.
-Martin Luther

And more snow...

throwback

They made me.  They are my forever favorites.

i made this

Last December I was invited to an ornament exchange.  Fun right?  And really, there are some cute ornaments out there.  But in an all to frequent moment of insanity, I decided that I needed to make my ornament.  Like, from scratch.  This was decided on December 1st, four days before the event.  Obviously I'm really an idealist just pretending to be a pessimist, because there was no way this was going to work...

So now, two months later, I give you the finished product [it morphed into something non-christmas-ornamenty at some point]:

The inspiration:

This bench sits across the street from Epoch.  Created by Eric Freeman, it was part of last year's Places, Spaces, Chairs and I absolutely adore it. 

nut house

Before I became humpty dumpty the other day I took this picture




















Yep, its an attic.


But, when you play with the light a little...tada!

Like magic, its the devil's furry friend.

See, I'm not making this up.

christmas photos, featuring Jax

Harleigh likes "helping" Jax open presents.

 

 He's easily amused.  Must get that from his aunt.

 

He likes to put things on his head.  He really likes when I put things on his head.

(I got worried he hadn't out-grown the whole baby's soft spot head thing, but word on the street says he's fine)

 

Jax and Lily, their family's new Weimeriener.  I thought my sister Santa was crazy for getting another dog but this one's  like a doggy prodify compared to her other two flunkies.

shadowbox your ears

My parents are fairly anti-stuff, especially stuff I can afford, so finding good Christmas presents is difficult.  This year my dad got a Weird Al cd and bumpons.  Awesome, right?

My mom's present was a few days late but turned out pretty nice.  When I was home for Thanksgiving I found a box of my grandpa's medals from his time in the Army Air Corp, so I borrowed those and a few pictures and arranged them in a shadowbox for her.

Here's a close-up of the inside:






































I tried a few different mounting techniques with a mat board background but ended up using some heavy scrap fabric and painting it black.  Its not perfect and as I continue to learn more about framing I may steal it back and re-work some parts.  But for now, voila.

i paint unoriginal things

I'm seeing more and more of these posters, but (a) this one's hand painted, and (2) its not copy-written.

I still find myself collecting unfinished pieces, but I hope to soon have a better set-up to photograph them, and maybe that will motivate me to complete some.  Or perhaps this attempted new set-up will only result in another project abandoned half-way through...

little DIYs

My ghetto kitchen has no cabinet space, so I decided to add a small shelf about where I normally keep a small table. The table is in the process of being painted, I'll add a picture when its done (look for it May 2012 at the rate I'm going).



I kinda punched a hole in my wall, so my dad helped me replace the sheet rock and I've been adding coats of "mud" to seal it in.

bunny ears and miley at the park

My niece is six.
We partied hard. . .



The birthday girl and "Pa." Typical shenanigans.






I made this inspired by the party theme.
Copyright laws? What?






Baby Jax et moi. J'adore.

creative recycling

record + clock =

somewhat recent creations

Gift 1 for Deanna on her wedding day




Gift 2 for Deanna on her wedding day






Concept taken from a patch I saw at work. I redid the border after the photo was taken.






Mother's day collage.
Reprinted hymn, flowers from cut from a book then painted over, works added with permopaque pen, edged in ribbon. Ignore the dark splotch over the work "lily."

Detail:







Ellen's birthday present, in honor of Frank.






Clumsy kids need a lot of bandaids, etc. Rather than having things scattered all over my apartment, I decided to make a fun box.






Perhaps the start of a series, and perhaps the motivation I need to start my etsy...

The only progenitors my family's gonna see for awhile...

Jax (Jaxon)




Harleigh



Yep, they're the cutest...

A good friend is cheaper than therapy.

I have a bad memory. . . short-term, long-term, really-really-short term, whatever. There are holes.
I tend to block out bad memories especially, which is why I have little-to no recollection of seventh and eighth grade.

But sometimes I get caught up in the good memories, and its like a slideshow rolling through my mind, accompanied by a certain Cinderella song that makes me all the more nostalgic.

I'm quick to call myself a loner (even "hermit," if you will). . . and I am. I'm also an introvert, and usually content to be by myself.
But if I'm honest (which is hardest in the mirror), sometimes I get really, really lonely.

I miss my friends. Especially these kids tonight:












I think its ok to be sad and to miss people. I recognize that the reason I'm alone as much as I am is primarily due to choices I have made (and continue to make). But even if I enjoy being alone, I still can get lonely sometimes.

lately

The birthday boy...




The present...(aka, my latest)




The friends that I miss...




The meat cleaver...

no words

I haven't felt very bloggy lately.


Here's a photo instead
courtesy of mr andre jordan