The Head!!

I'm really not that into Halloween this year, which is abnormal for me. I think it's because we're not making a big production out of it at work this year (you know, since there are pretty much no other departments still operating). I don't have any plans this year, and no costume. Though it's possible that some people from work may go out tomorrow. We'll see if that happens though.

Anyway, in the spirit of Halloween, I'll thought I'd share a little tidbit of my childhood.

Although I wasn't the youngest of the 4 kids in my family, I was often the victim of the others, who liked to gang up on me from time to time. So, when I (and my siblings) discovered something that terrified the youngest, I went with it for as long as I could. Of course, now I realize that my youngest brother was probably 5 at the time, and that we may have traumatized him for life...but now that he's 26, I can pull this on him with little to no guilt.

So, I think this all came about after Creepshow was on HBO. I believe it all started when my older sister (who was probably 13 or 14 at the time, and likely was the only one who saw the movie) was trying to scare us all by retelling the stories from the movie. I have no doubt that we were all hanging on her every word. So, she's retelling the "Father's Day" segment, where the dead father says, "I want my cake." (Or something like that.) She did a creepy voice, and it freaked out Tony, the youngest. Somehow, and I can't for the life of me remember how, we figured out that Tony got really scared when we all pointed to the floor in the middle of the room and intoned, "the head...THE HEAD!!"

To this day, it freaks him out. And yes, I test it periodically, because that is how mature I am now that I'm 32.

Anyway, in keeping with the theme of "The Head," I bring you this:

my newest acquisition

Actually, this purchase had nothing to do with Halloween (much to the disappointment of the sales guy at the craft store checkout, who asked what I was planning to do with it. I couldn't think of a good story, so I told the truth). I'm going to use this to display my hats and possibly scarves, so I don't have to struggle to take semi-non-hideous self-portraits anymore.

Nameless head modeling my newest hat creation

I am tempted to add some color to the blank/naked face, but am afraid I will ruin it and make it garish (or more creepy than it already is). I do think I should give it a name though. Anyone want to name that head?

Ella sin nombre modeling Ava. Doesn't she look demure? Pretty impressive "bone" structure, for styrofoam pellets.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

That being said, I'm off to make Christmas cards while watching the rest of Reaper.

It ain't cool, being no jive turkey - so close to Thanksgiving

Quick! Name that movie!

I was browsing around Etsy when a treasury slot opened up, which allowed me to choose cool items from other sellers to feature on the site. So, I decided on a turkey theme, and that line came into my head. I think I picked some pretty nice items, if I do say so myself. If you want to check out my picks - follow this link. I've named it "Jive Turkeys."

Take a peek, look at the items, leave me a comment... You can visit each seller's shop by clicking on the photo of their item. Have fun! (I did!)

FYI on CA Wildfires

I'm sure you've all heard about the wildfires raging through Southern CA. Here's a link to the official state site:

http://www.calfires.com/

I am happy to know that they are currently quite some distance from my own family (and family of friends) who live in the Thousand Oaks area (Northwest of LA). They appear to be inching closer to my cousin, who lives in Newport Beach, though. I'm not too worried at the moment, but I still don't like it, and hope they at least flee up to Thousand Oaks with the rest of the family.

So, even if you aren't affected by these events, or don't know anyone who is, please say a little prayer (or send positive vibes in your own way) for all those who are having to deal with this disaster.

Thanks

My underclothing is trying to tell me something

Yep. Specifically, my bra is crying out to me. Apparently it feels that it is ready for retirement. It decided to strike this afternoon by hoisting a picket sign. A pointy little picket sign in the form of an underwire protruding from the center of the bra and working it's way up the center of my chest. Don't worry, I put an end to the strike before the picet sign was visible above the neckline of my sweater. (This time.)

This actually happened the weekend of my step-brother's wedding, when I was in the salon with my mother. All of the stylists were busy and I was waiting for my turn with the stylist that was currently doing my mother's makeup, and someone came to the salon door which had somehow ended up locked. So, helpful little chick that I am, I went over and opened the door for her. I came back over to the area containing Mom and the stylist, then felt an odd pokey sensation below my neck. I look down, and there's my stray underwire staring at me (taunting me!!)! I'm sure it must have been there when I opened the door for the stranger. (I mean really, how fast does wire travel?)

Mortifying! One would think I'd have thrown out this relic of a bra by now. But alas, I have not. I'm just not too smart, am I?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FYI - check out the Cooking Corner. I posted a new recipe! Will wonders never cease?

PSA - Nutrition Labels

Okay, I was shopping for portable work-friendly healthy lunch options this afternoon and saw that those Campbell's microwavable bowls were on sale for $1.77 a piece. Not bad, so I picked up my favorite (Italian Wedding Soup) and then realized they also had the Healthy Request version on sale.

I'm not sure what made me do it, but I decided to compare the nutrition labels. Now, mind you, the Healthy Request version has the big green banner across the front advertising it as 98% fat free and less sodium. Well, it does have a lot less sodium than the regular version, so if you are watching your sodium, by all means, choose the Healthy Request version.

If you're not watching your sodium intake, check this out...

The regular version has fewer calories (10) than the Healthy Request, and less fat! Not a huge difference (0.5g), but it's there nonetheless. There's also 5mg less cholesterol in the Healthy Request version. Still, I expected a much bigger difference between the two.

I also checked the Grilled Chicken & Sausage Gumbo HR v regular. Again, the "healthy" version has more calories (10 again, sense a theme?), but less sodium, 1 less g of sugar, and the rest all appears the same.

Well, at least they all sell for the same price. (And please note, I was not comparing the vitamin/mineral amounts, which differed slightly, but I don't think most people base their purchases on vitamin A content...)

Lights! Camera! Lint Roller!!

So, my little diva kitty just had to be a part of the action. After I had used the lint roller on the base for my newest creation, positioned the lights, lined up my shot and made sure Gracie was a safe distance away, I clicked and got this:

"I'm all ready for my close-up, why are you pointing the camera over there?? " AKA - attack of the huge fuzz-monster.

Really, I probably would've gotten more of her in the shot, but the camera moved when I started yelling and lunged forward to remove her before she could start biting the necklace. So, to placate the drama queen, I corrected my grievous error and took this shot next:

I've lost interest. Catch me after my beauty rest.

I'm just happy that her eyes are somewhat open in this one. The anti-red eye must have caught her off guard.

Another Wedding

Well, I helped Kristin with a wedding last Saturday. We ended up spending the night in Napa, since the bridal party/family were staying there, and the wedding was in Rutherford. Plus, we were still running errands Friday night, so it's better that we stayed local.

Saturday morning I drove along Highway 29 to Rutherford. The sky was filled with hot air balloons (okay, not filled, but there were a lot of them taking off or soaring). I've seen the postcards with all of the balloons, but I guess I thought it was during festival time. However, it appears that the hot air balloons are always up in the early mornings (according to someone I spoke to at the reception site). It was cool.

The reception was held at Auberge du Soleil - very nice venue. I set up the entry table and arranged the dessert table and favors. It all looked very nice. Though I must say, it was probably the most expensive reception site I've ever step foot in (I say that now after checking out their website). As I was leaving after the set up, I noticed that I was in the only non-luxury, non-limo on the road until I got back down into the vineyards.

Anyway, here are some shots from the setup. (I forgot my camera, so these are from my cellphone. Not bad for the phone, huh?) Here is the fountain right outside on the terrace, completely covered in flower petals. It looked really neat (better in person, though).

Here is the dessert table. They did cupcakes instead of a traditional cake, but did have a small round cake for the cutting ceremony. And before you ask, no, I didn't taste one. Um, well, I did get a little frosting on my fingers while arranging them, but I hate to say the frosting had no flavor when I licked it off my finger. Fortunately for the guests, the menu included 3 desserts of the chef's choosing.


Anyway, I hope the bride and groom were pleased with the results. I left right after the bridal party arrived from the ceremony (there wasn't enough for me to do after that and Kristin had it covered). Of course, I later learned from Kristin that very shortly after I took off, the mother of the groom lost consciousness. More than just fainted - her bodily functions shut down. I don't know the full story, but I know that they called 911 and she was revived and didn't end up going to the ER. How embarrassing for her though. Kristin blamed the wine, her tiny stature and the jetlag. (Kristin - feel free to embellish.)

Anyway, later that night I went into San Francisco with Christyn and her husband (and the new baby) for dinner and stuff. We all forgot that it was fleet week, and didn't call ahead for reservations anywhere. Everywhere was fully booked until late, so we ended up at Lori's Diner in Ghirardelli Square. And since we were already there...we just had to stop into the Ghirardelli Chocolate Caffe. I was full from dinner, so just got their original Hot Chocolate (rich and excellent!). We were going to meet up with some of Christyn's other friends who were also in the city, but it didn't end up working out, so we headed home.

It was a long Saturday, but a good one. And Sunday I slept in (yay!), started a new book, worked on my Etsy shop and did 2 loads of laundry. Now, back to the usual grind...

Still Wondering

Well, she hasn't called me yet, so I still have no clue... But, I could have called her and didn't.

I updated my sidebar with an Etsy Mini. So, if anyone is interested, it will be showcasing my four most recently listed items. I'm hoping to start adding things more often, but it all depends on my schedule, creativity levels (not always stable) and craft budget (not always adhered to...).

Anyway, I don't really have too much to say. I went to my stepbrother's wedding last Saturday, and had taken a half day at work on Friday to drive up to my Mom's to help with the rehearsal dinner. Traffic was not on my side. I got there about an hour before the wedding party was supposed to arrive. (Oh, if you're wondering, the rehearsal dinner was at my mother's house, with the meal prepared by a family friend.) I never got a chance to change into the outfit I was planning on wearing, which was okay, since the wedding party showed up in casual-wear anyway. The food was excellent (grilled salmon and marinated tri-trip, mashed potatoes, sauteed carrots and squash, spinach salad, 3 types of fresh bread). My mother had rented linens and chair covers and had set up tables and chairs along the length of the front of her wrap-around porch. She laid out faux fall foliage runners on each table with a potted mum in the center and 3 votive candles. It turned out very nice. Of course, we ran back outside later that night to rush the linens inside after it started raining. Luckily, the guests had all left and I'd already unpinned all the bows and chair covers earlier.

The weather had cleared up by Saturday, and it ended up being a beautiful afternoon for the ceremony, which was outside (no mud!). I felt totally out of my element on the wedding day though, since I wasn't in the wedding and wasn't working it. I haven't been simply a guest at a wedding in quite some time. (Okay, only about 2 months, but that was odd too!) Kristin, my events coordinator friend, will understand this. I guess maybe I'm just more comfortable when I have a purpose at a function like that.

Originally, my mother had made appointments for the bride and all of the bridesmaids to have their hair and makeup done at her usual salon. A week or so before the wedding, the bride decided they were all going to go somewhere else for it. (I thought this was crappy, since they weren't obligated to use my mother's stylist in the first place, and the bride could have declined the offer. Mom was even going to pay for it. And, the stylist had blocked out the whole day for the bridal party, and put off her annual anniversary trip to accept the appointment as a favor to my mom.) Anyway, since the bride and entourage were going elsewhere, my mom and I went and got our hair and makeup done. Mom offered to pay for mine. (I let her, since otherwise, I'd have been doing it all myself.) Let me tell you, at the end I was feeling quite glamorous. (Hopefully, it was not all delusional.) I was probably overdressed and over-made up/coiffed for the wedding, but I didn't care. I didn't get any good pictures of the hair, though I did attempt to take a few after getting back that night. Oh well.

Anyway...that's all for now. As for tomorrow, this week's tv dilemma is whether to continue with my guilty pleasure show (Top Model) or to watch Pushing Daisies, which looks funny and morbid all at once. Right up my alley...

And the next name that I am going to call...is...Pushing Daisies. (Sorry Tyra, but your signature line has gotten tired.)

My Curiosity is Piqued

So, I just got a totally random phone call from a friend of mine. Here's how it went:

Friend: "Quick, I need your address. I can't talk - Dancing With the Stars is on. I'll call you tomorrow."

Me: "Oh my God, you're sad." (Recited address)

Friend: "Okay, gotta go - Call you tomorrow."

That may be the shortest phone call I've ever had. And no, there was no hello. Luckily I was able to recognize her voice. Now, I am dying to know what she needed my address for. As far as I know, she's not engaged or pregnant, and is happy where she's working...hmm.... I am so impatient!!