Fairies n’Stuff
Conversations with my spirited 5 year old.
It Was A Bright Sunshiny Day
Getting Knitty Wit It
Since I got hurt a few days ago I’ve been spending a lot of time with my feet up. I can never not be productive, so when Mom mentioned that she needed a pouch for her cell phone I put together this over-the-shoulder cell phone cozy purse. Mom is a multiple amputee (legs, fingers) and sometimes spends time alone at the house so she needs to have access to outside help at all times. I can’t believe I never thought of this little project before!
I plan to make this pattern available in the next few days- I’m making one more so that I can perfect the design before I share.
Materials: hand dyed yarn by Perfect Day Yarns and an repurposed necklace pendant, some brown thread to secure the pendant, a snap.
Clumsy
Sorry to scare you like this, but I’m sitting here waiting for my husband to get back from preschool with the five year old so I can go to the ER. I was cleaning the house today when I decided to air it out, I tried to open one of the windows and it fell out of it’s frame and right on the top of my foot. The swelling is beautious, not sure if anything is broken or not but I can’t put weight on my foot. So I’m off to the ER to find out. Oh, goodie me!
Tuesday Tutes
Everyone loves tutorials, right? I know I do. Here are a few I’ve collected recently:
Adobe Illustrator
How to Draw Your Own Vector Wings
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe After Effects
Design
10 Tips for Effective Icon Design
12 Useful Techniques for Good User Interface Design
11 Tutorials for Business Card Design
Enjoy!
I wonder…
when and if I’ll ever get answers as to what is going wrong with my body… so many symptoms, so many misdiagnosis, so much speculation, even accusation! And no resolution. Instead, many prescriptions to take per day, more doctors to see and a “hope for the best but expect the worst” expectation. These last few days have been difficult. When I am more uncomfortable than usual I tend to fret my missing diagnosis and potential prognosis. I don’t want to be a sick person. I don’t want to miss out on life experiences. All I want is to be good, do good, and see my children raised and have children of their own. When I feel like I do today, I wonder if that is possible. I want answers.
I’ve been catching the odd episode of Mystery Diagnosis and I see others who have struggled with mystery illness get diagnosed, treated and move on with their lives. I hope one day I will have a similar story to tell. Until then I’ll be so afraid. If I’m left to guess what could be, the what if’s will get the best of me.
Today my blood pressure is low, I’m having chest pains, my arms feel splintered, the muscles in my face are twitching- among other irritating symptoms. I’ve been in a recliner for most of the day, missing my nephew’s birthday party. Last week I missed another family function after having gotten motion sick on the way to the event- which is common these days and occurs if even someone bumps the chair I’m sitting in.
I want to be better. I want to be someone others can count on. I wonder when someone will help me?
Praying
So many families are in my heart and mind now- it seems loss and sadness have overshadowed what is usually a hopeful time of the year for so many of those close to us.
We visited my father-in-law’s resting place this week and were pleased to see the headstone up. This isn’t it, but you can see it on my flickr stream if you’d like. The statues at cemeteries always call to my lens, this angel is nearby my father-in-law’s grave.
We have had a rather peaceful week, full of the hum-drum stuff of everyday life. I was grateful for that. I didn’t spend too much time on the computer; instead spending time with my little ones, caring for the house, knitting and reading a lot. There must always be time in our lives to unwind and reflect, for our souls to be at peace. I am at peace.
And tomorrow, we celebrate. Our good friend’s son’s birthday, and the very commercialized romantic holiday too. My husband and I usually celebrate with a late steak dinner and a movie. I can’t wait.
Monday Music
When times are uncertain and woes worry my mind, it’s music that keeps my chin up. I love all types of music, but depending upon my mood I get “stuck” in certain genres for periods of time. When I’m feeling angry or energetic, it’s all about 60’s and 70’s rock and roll. When I’m moody or depressed even- there is nothing a little Counting Crows or Train can’t fix. If I’m feeling crafty and artistic I really enjoy theatrical music, think along the lines of Meatloaf.. or even- Jack Johnson. Sometimes when I have jobs that require a lot of coding I find myself working more efficiently to a good beat- trance or techno can get me through.
Lately I’ve been feeling a little panicky and even morose, and it was at the advice of my doctor that I never work at the computer without some soothing music playing in the background. For me, that’s bluesy or soulful adult contemporary. There has been more than one day rescued by Norah Jones or The Fray.
I have to admit, making music a priority in my life makes all the difference in my outlook. So, if you are feeling a little blue- check out some of my favorite albums and see if they can make a difference in your day.
Tip: Adele won a grammy last night for Chasing Pavements- so I decided to take a closer look at her album. I ended up buying it and I can’t stop playing it over and over. It’s a must have!
Happy Monday!
Ribbit
Winter
I’m ready for winter to be done and over with! I guess then I’ll have parted with another season in my life, and so I should be enjoying each day and all that jazz. But it’s cold. And I don’t like to be cold. And I’m ready for some flowers to take pretty pictures of!
I meant to blog about success and what it means to me today, but instead I organized my bathroom, finished knitting a lacey hat, made some handmade plantable paper valentine’s with my middle child, added a bunch of items for sale on this site and who knows what else. Tomorrow. 
Oh and before I forget- I got a cool email from a web design client today. She said that since I redesigned her site her sales have steadily been increasing. Coolness. Love to hear that. Anyhoo!
Thanks for reading! See you tomorrow.
-Phaedra
What I Want
