"what porcelain lamps?" you say...

they're works in progress...

and for some happy finished porcelain product...

here are some vases that have been sitting unfinished on the shelf for months! so happy to have them done. and they actually turned out pretty nice!

*

more pictures will come when the lamps are finished. i just got a little excited and had to share.

rain is my friend

"oh let the rain fall down and wash this world away. oh let the sky be gray. cause if it's ever gonna get any better it's got to get worse in a day."

as i was at my little shop today (mmm... still there, just not being productive) this 'bishop allen' song came on over the ipod air waves and made me smile. it was one of those moments of pure bliss.

a customer was happily painting at her table, while i was creating porcelain lamps (no easy task let me assure you) and bopping my head to the happy tune. and yes, the rain was literally falling.

i told kara (one thing i LOVE about my job is being on a first name basis with my customers and creating real relationships with them)

*side note*: the other week one of my customers stopped in to pick up some things and when she saw me gave me a big ol' hug just because we hadn't seen each other in a while. it kind of made my week.

(continuing on) that this was the perfect song for the day, and how it made me happy. she laughed and told me about how she grew up in seattle and "trust me" rain is not fun after you've gone more than a few months with no sunshine. point taken.

well... now the song is over, kara has gone to pick up her kiddos from school and head home, and i sit here with a table to clean and porcelain lamps to finish... but the rain is still here keeping me company.

anyone out there?

hellooooooooo!

it's been long time, folks, and i'm kind of curious to see if anyone will read this considering the time lapse since my last post. we shall see.

here is what i've been doing...

1. bought a house

2. worked tirelessly (amidst many food and dance (yes i said dance) breaks) on that house

3. moved into that house w/ my roomie and pal, miss jo

4. left for ukraine

5. 2 days later arrived in ukraine (thanks to a missed flight and detour to london...not a terrible thing)

6. 2 weeks later came home from ukraine

7. started a small group study on God's truth (big thanks to focus on the family and dr. del tackett

8. continued to work on my house

9. started a project at work where i make 32 ceramic pieces by nov 1st (this deadine has been moved back a week...and might get moved back further...boo)

10. tried desperately to catch up on this little goal i call read the bible in one year. something i am WAY behind on.

11. tried and failed to mow my lawn before it gets horrendously long...bother

12. finished 3 vases that i may or may not post a picture of later...how's that for commitment :)

13. tiled my kitchen backsplash...one wall at a time...from 11pm-1am...3 nights about a week apart from eachother...yeah i like to linger in my unfinished projects...i still have yet to grout

14. sewed halloween costumes for 1 neice and 2 nephews

15. planned out my own halloween costume (sarah i might give you a run for your money this year...nah probably not)

16. started reading a book this morning for a study tonight that's on chapter 6...

well there you have it...my life in 16 bullet points...is that sad? that last comment sounded sad.

you know i could have put more, but didn't for the sake of the you (whoever you are)...not because my life is only worth 16 bullet points...but because i thought it might be overwhelming to read my life in 2000 bullet points...smart, right?

yeah, smart...not sad at all.

two tales, one tail

and over a month later...goodness!  why does it get so stinkin hard for me to post on my blog...i just don't know.

anyway, i promised an ethiopia story and two ethiopia story i shall tell...i'm feeling very generous today.

story number 1.

third day in ethiopia, becca's (who i went to visit) landlady wanted to put henna in my hair...you know the stuff they draw with on your skin and it's like a rust color.  well, being the free spirit that i am, i said sure without a second thought.

exhibit a of why being a free spirit (aka. foolish...second thoughts can be very very wise) is not always a good idea: 

yeah i know, great pic, but what can you do.  look at the cute little coffee cup!  okay, so this totally does not do it justice, but let me point out one thing.  that lovely little purple scarf is very discretely covering the brightest of the bright, which in this picture would look more like the brighter of the not so bright, but oh well.  here let me try to give a more accurate depiction of what i actually looked like...

now we're talking...

okay, so when i got home i promptly scheduled a hair appointment to professionally color my hair...where i proceeded to throw up halfway through the dying process.  yeah, i'm pretty sure i had malaria...but i'm better now, just suffering from a little wounded pride is all, but now, my hair is on the mend, slowing working it's way back to my natural color (of course i found out that henna is about the most temperamental thing you can put in your hair...go too light and you'll be pink.  yey!)

story number 2.

one night becca and i were in a hotel (note, if your picturing something as nice as motel 8, take it down about 50 notches and you're there) and i suddenly heard scratching behind the headboard.  not a good sign.  the whole scene played out something like this...

me: becca!  there's something scratching!  what do i do! (consumed with mind numbing fear)

becca: go to sleep i'm sure it's fine (completely not caring)

later...

becca: now it's on my side! (surprised but not at all afraid)  oh well, just go to sleep.

me: are you sure? (still consumed with mind numbing fear)

becca: yes

later...

becca (quickly sitting up): it's in my hair!!!! (very surprised but not at all afraid)

me (seeing something dark fall out of her hair and scamper across the floor):  what was that!?! (paralyzed with mind numbing fear)

becca: i don't know...it's fine just go to sleep (flops back down and falls asleep)

me: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (shaking and hyperventilating as i proceed to wrap my hoodie as tightly around my head as possible and cover the rest of my face with my hand so nothing, absolutely NOTHING can touch my head!)  

needless to say i didn't sleep that night, but here's a picture of the room with me blissfully unaware of what's too come...

by the way, we later decided that the perpetrator was probably a little mouse...let's hope

back and no sign of swine...yet

so these past couple months i've been out...of the country...of the state...of the blogosphere...of my senses...of my mind...

but fear not! i am back and newly equipped to take this world by storm.  a few things about me that have changed since we were last bloggily acquainted:

1. my hair had a severe case of the raggedy ann reds (big thanks to becca's landlady in ethiopia...which refers back to the "out of the country" part earlier)

2. my hair was rushed into emergency therapy as soon as i got home and changed from a tacky red to a sweet dark reddish brown...much more sophisticated!

3. i have started excising a lot...i'm talking over 6 times a week a lot!  (out of my mind) and i'm loving it!  oh the things i thought i'd never hear coming out of my mouth...

4. (out of my senses) i have started going to bed earlier and waking up earlier too!  this is even crazier than #3.  seriously!  who am i?

there's more, but i'm officially brain dead since it's after 11:30, which is my new normal bedtime...i know!  let me tell you, one and all...no one is more shocked by this radical new me than yours truly.  

but another time, same place, i'll give you all my many little stories from

1. 9 days in ethiopia

2. 3 days in dallas, tx

3. all the in between

peace out, loves!

if the first one didn't convince you, maybe this one will...

...yes? ...no? ...maybe so?

what do you do for valentine's day when you don't have a man?

you have a collective date with gilbert blythe!

yes it's true. this valentine's day some friends and i decided it was high time we had an "anne of green gables" marathon...minus "the continuing story" which was a bitter disappointment! i even lit some candles to create atmosphere. (it was very romantic without the man...or as i like to call it, rotic)

it was a wonderful 9 hours (yes, i said 9) with some dear friends that i rarely have the pleasure of hanging out with...and some girls that i don't know very well at all, but had so much fun with! our list of events went as follows:

5:30 - started "anne of green gables: part 1" (green hair and all)

7:00 - started "anne of green gables: part 2" (oh matthew! *tear*)

9:00 - ZUMBA! (we couldn't very well spend the whole time watching movies w/out a little exercise! unfortunately i didn't think to capture this with my camera, but rest assured it was quite a sight)

9:30 - started "anne of green gables, the sequel: part 1" (that jen pringle is just plain creepy!)

12:30 - started "anne of green gables, the sequel: part 2" (ahh...that blessed bridge) complete with ice cream sundaes! (kudos to tara!)

the evening ended at a very late, but very fulfilling 2:30am. as i flopped into my comfy pillow top i felt very happy indeed with visions of a simpler time and words like "tragical" filling my sleepy head. goodnight miss anne with an e.