world wide wonders: encounter (coca cola)

grab a tissue
it's a sweet one...



from tara again...
sorry
can't help it...

my favorite line:
'i've lived worse moments than this one
& in the end you'll only remember good things'

:)

peek peak peik...

i had fun fun fun
playing with the cocoa daisy april kit this month...
i will be honest
& say that when i get a kit
sometimes i am
overwhelmed
(too much great stuff!)
sometimes i am
stumped
(how am i going to put this together?)
& sometimes
i am just overflowing with ideas...
that's how it was with this kit
i just kept having ideas...
i love that!
sadly
(& predictably)
i am always right up against the deadline
for when things are due
(the 25th of each month)
& i'm up until all hours
getting things done
so i don't get to do all the things i want to...
but this month i started on the 23rd!
amazing! (read:pitiful!)
so i had a little time to do some stuff...
also my new creative space
(in the garage so i will not even try to call it a studio
though i do love it:)
has made it much easier to work on things during the day
& if you're really nice
i might show you some pictures
but you can't judge okay?
it's a garage for goodness sake
i have some things hung on the handle bars of my bike
:)

anyway...
i had fun with this one
& i'm excited to show you all my pages
on the 1st...
but for now that picture up above will have to do...

oh, who am i kidding?
i'm horrible at keeping it all hidden
so if you're interested
scoot on over to my scrap blog
emily ruth scraps
& see a few more sneaks...
:)

wondergirl...

oh my
miss m is three!
can't believe it...
she is just so funny
& sweet
& spicy

already this morning she has kissed me
& said
'you're the best mommy in this whole world'
five minutes later she screamed
& hit me with a paint brush

the very best way to describe her is:
she's really really happy
unless she's really really mad...
but
i just can't imagine not having
her sweet little self in my life...

love you miss m
you are my favorite girlie

:)

more fun stuff about miss m over here
(my brain is a little scrambled right now
from blowing up balloons)
:)

world wide wonders: sunshine cleaners

two of my favorite actresses
& a crazy plot...
sign me up

:)

also
if you live around me
(eugene/lane county/willamette valley)
there's still time to make a little money
selling your kids clothing at the itty bitty sale
follow the link & see
it's so fun
there are great deals
& you get some cash...
perfect!





:)

wonderfinds: feeling springy

okay first of all
i just need to say
great camera
+
photographer husband
+
love of pushing the shutter
doesn't always =
awesome pictures
often it =
sometimes it works
& sometimes it doesn't...
it might = awesome pictures
if my mind didn't go blank when brian starts
talking about aperture
& depth of field
so
that's my disclaimer

next
i am not a small girl
i am not even a medium girl
not even a large girl
at least extra large...
& always hoping & trying to shrink
& so buying clothes is sometimes not so fun
why would i want to spend thirty forty fifty
(or if you believe instyle one hundred thirty, forty, fifty)
dollars
on jeans that i am hoping won't fit in two months?
why?
& so
confession
last summer i had a pair of old navy jeans that i loved
i loved them so much that wore them almost every day
i didn't have any others
& i tried to find the same pair online
but nope
disappeared...
so finally the beloved jeans gave in (out?)
in some very uncomfortable places
& i was forced to find some more...
goodwill had always been in the back of my mind
but in that picture the racks of plus size stuff
were filled with elastic waist jeans & mumus...
however i was desperate
i wanted to save my money to buy great jeans when
i was smaller
& so
i went to goodwill
hoping against hope
that i could find one pair
one measly non tapered, non high mom waist
(it's back! i know! i still hate it!)
non acid washed pair of jeans...
(& if i'm asking for the impossible
a touch of lycra for stretch)
& what did i find?
hangers & hangers full of great current jeans
good color
no stretchy waist
boot cut, flared & straight legs
&
(thank you, Jesus)
lycra...
what on earth?!
& not only that they had other things
like clothes even:
shirts
& dresses
& cardigans
(oh, the cardigans!)
& skirts
& hoodies...
i mentioned back in the shoe edition of this feature
that i have a $20 clothing budget
& do you know how far $20 can go
when shirts are $3.50
& jeans are $4.50?
far far far...
& so i do decree
to all of the plus sized girlies out there
go check your local goodwill
or st. vincents
or even just a good consignment store
(i always call first to see if they carry
plus sizes
cause there's nothing worse then wandering the racks of
cute little clothes hoping
to catch a glimpse of your size
acting like
'oh i'm just looking for something for my teen age sister')
& all of you non-plussies out there
(does that word work?
i thought it might be cute?
maybe not...)
go check it out!
there are 5 times more racks of your size
& every once in a while as a make my way to the plus section
i spot something so cute
& so little
& i have been tempted more than once
to just buy the tiny thing
because it is SO CUTE
& it's only $3.50!
nevermind that even at my lowest weight
(in 1998, my wedding year, of course)
i would not have been able to fit into it...

anyway
that's my public service announcement
& now
if you're still with me
on to the clothes...

oh &
ps
yes
i do own an iron...
i just don't use it

a dress a dress!
i was so excited
because through my travels
i have found that the plus size dress department
has not quite caught up to the jeans department
most of the dresses are straight jumper sackish things
& let me say that if you like that style
go for it
but i went to private school for one year
& i had to wear sackie jumpers every day
& i won't do it again
you can't make me
(angie & emmi i don't know how you did it for
so many years, i applaud you)
so this little number
now, i know what you're thinking
the way it's hanging

it looks like a romper...

something along these lines perhaps?

(me, 1993, lordy i loved that thing)

but believe me when i type
it is a real live dress
with shape & gathers in the right places
& no legs

& i am a sucker for little details
so i appreciate that the makers weren't just like
'eh, those big girls can't even see their own shoulders
why put something cute along the edges?'
....great floral dress $4.50
hoodie, hoodie, hoodie
oh how i love thee
& light weight cable knit?
perf!
...black hoodie $3.50

weird shape on the hanger
does not always = weird shape on the body
that is my tip to you
also when it looks weird on the hanger
& others don't abide by my tip
sometimes it is 50% off
...bluish tealish t-shirt $1.75

get ready for summer little girl...
love the colors
love the pattern
love the style
...floral tank top $3.50& i can't forget the shoes!
search & search i did
for brown shoes
mary jane style
& there they were
hi girls! thanks for coming to live with me!
...brown mary janes $5.99
(first picture waaaaaaay up there at the very top)

i got all of this at goodwill
(delta oaks for you locals)
all in the same trip!

hooray for other peoples clothes!

:)

write on...

my friend kelly has a new etsy shop
& a great web site for her company
beckon correspondence
isn't that monkey so cute?
& one of my nephews is a william...
coincidence?
fate?
a sign that i need to shop?
just maybe...
i love trees of any shape or color
& this one is blooming with color...
love it:)

so go check her other designs
you won't be sorry...

congratulations, kel!
i'm so excited for you!
:)

world wide wonders: everyone is beautiful

from a new favorite blog
ordinary courage
found through kelly rae roberts
another favorite blog...
ah the circle of blog
really?
it's never ending
& i love that...

:)

i do! i do!

have i mentioned that
i want to get married again?
so badly
same guy
whole different look...
so.
badly.

:)

picture from princess lasertron's blog
yes
she the one of awesome button bouquets...
sobadly!

watch it, lady...

okay
so
apparently we are going to start having
video of the week around here
(hmmm how can i title that using a w?
wonder windows to the web?
world wide wonderfuls?
wowie wow-wows?)
& this one
though not as funny
as the face book one last week
is just cool
& artsie
& sweet
& fun...
all things i personally aspire to be
& someday maybe i will be
:)



thank you to soule mama
for this one...
you know her right?
always so beautifully inspiring...
& even though she makes me feel
like the laziest mom in the world
i still love to see what she's up to...

:)

me me me me!

so i think this is the second time in three months that i've said this but

i don't usually do meme's but this is a neat one

there you got me

anyway

i really liked this one because it let me see

with my own eyes

things i have done

& things i might like to do

& things i never want to do...

it's neat

so do it & post it on your blog

or just do it

& keep it for yourself

it's good to keep track of yourself every once in a while...

also i have no idea why the crazy line spacing

no

idea

Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to - leave in plain font

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band (does ‘rock band’ count?)
4. visited hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to disneyland/world
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty(i did see it from the mainland…is that what you call it?)
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the mona lisa in france
20. slept on an overnight train (from spain to switzerland to austria to italy to france…well, one of those legs was overnight)
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked (no! & don’t you do it either!)
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill (does ‘a sick day’ mean one? cause i might have to bold that one about 20 times over)
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon (half bold cause i walked one)
28. ridden a gondola in venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen niagara falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors (ummm california?)
35. seen an amish community
36. taught yourself a new language (does two year old count? cause sometimes i’m the only one who understands her)
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied (which answer will not make me look greedy or crazy?)
38. seen the leaning tower of pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen michelangelo's david in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the sistene chapel in person
50. been to the top of the eiffel tower in paris (only been to the bottom:)
51. gone scuba diving or snorkelling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theatre
55. been in a movie (a paid extra, thank you very much)
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class (well, one single class, if i’m honest)
59. visited russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies (does anyone really WANT to do this?)
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving (want to so badly)
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a cheque (again, how many times can i bold it?)
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in london
77. broken a bone (two)
78. been on a speeding motorcycle (so awesome)
79. seen the grand canyon in person
80. published a book (been published in a book but it wasn’t my own)
81. visited the vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible
86. visited the white house
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating (maybe?)
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone’s life (well, i did call 911 once)
90. sat on a jury (only jury duty but would like to sit)
91. met someone famous (james taylor & mary lou retton. i know, right?!)
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the alamo in person. (you don’t even know how much i want to to this…why? pee-wee? maybe?)
96. swum in the great salt lake.
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee

i had to copy & paste this a couple of times

& then at one point i had to redo the whole thing

so those of you that know me might be like

'you never owned a cel phone!'

but i did my best to answer honestly

(& yes i do have a cel phone

but own it?

i think verizon owns us all...)

:)

now i want to see what you've done

& not done

& want to do...

link me up in the comments...

have a lovely day...

:)