Week in Rambles

Last weekend I succumbed to the holiday season and gently laid the jack-o-lantern to rest...in the garage of boxes that shall not be spoken of. (I will unpack them some decade...I promise.)

My MTV dragged all the tree gear out and we flung ornaments chaotically at children with fingers that were faster at hanging them then we were at hooking them.

It was a little bittersweet this year. As tradition my grandmother would buy all of her children and grandchildren Hallmark ornaments, wrap them as gifts and hand them out on Thanksgiving, as a way of bringing on the holiday season.

When I got a home of my own my mother gave me all of the ornaments my grandmother had given me and my tree was a family tradition from the first year.

I love that my grandmother not only gifted us these ornaments, but occasionally left little notes. One, a Santa with a nice/naughty list has her scripted handwriting in it with a tiny message, "Love you."

I want to carry the tradition on by giving my kids a Hallmark ornament every year for Christmas, it seems that Thanksgiving never works out. I love telling my kids which is which. I only ever get the chance to put one ornament on the tree, and do so every year and that's MY first Christmas ornament. (circa 1980). Love you Grandma, and thinking of you often.



On another note, my fur baby is in love with this artifical plastic glow toy. She knocks lights off, runs underneath, climbs up it, but really she can be so stinking cute...who could get mad at this!

I called this a week in rambles, so let me say, I've been in design purgatory! My goodness, but these people have been picky up in these parts! I did design something that will be projected on a huge screen behind a band on the Columbia Tower in Seattle, and really that is pretty darn awesome, if I don't say so myself. :)

The Week In Rambles....

I felt that I maybe have shunned this blog. Can I say, I feel that I am not quite parallel with my universe. That maybe I am tilted and trying to grasp at attaining some form of organization. Like grasping at straws, I quickly grab at one, only to find out that about 1,006 others have fallen at my feet. Unattended little straws, in a big chaotic heap.

My solution to this is to ignore them all! Hence this pile of straws is about to buuuuury me! I've got to get some focus. Sheeeeeesh!

Maybe if I share with you my week in review I won't feel out of the loop concerning my life.....maybe?

Let me start off with a cool beans item.



Scotch Fur Fighter

I have a fur baby. She is an orange short hair tabby. My couch is deep purple. I think this explains a lot.
Scotch Fur Fighter FTW! Seriously, by far the BEST fur removal tool. If I had a dog and cloth seats in my car I would totally have one for my vehicle also. One pad picks up quite a bit, and boy will you be horrified/elated/shocked when you use this to it's full potential! Totally a cool beans!




One of my new favorite websites. It's a virtual cork board! Make boards such as food, design, etc. You can peruse sites and "pin" them to your boards. Who needs a favorites list when you can access a visual cork board of ideas. View other cork boards and be inspired!




On another note, I've decided that I'm tired of intricate knitting patterns and that I will now be solely addicted to knitting afghan squares! I found an awesome blog A Year of Swatches by Lindsey Melvin.
Yes, I am knitting the 2011 squares, but she's planning on doing 2012 swatches as well. Make it a resolution to learn to knit! What I really enjoy is the beginner, intermediate, and advanced swatch for every month.  Here's my January 2011 beginner swatches. (they are nice to knit up when watching TV!)

This week I also managed to ignore the jack o' lantern decoration on my french table for the upteenth time. Which, also means that Christmas has not started in this house...

Cool Beans, or products I love, love, love.

I don't recommend most things. Why? Mostly I don't really pay attention long enough to realize how awesome things are. Let me tell you, I'm recommending these things straight up. They are cool beans!

iPhone 4:

Our contract was up on our phones, so my MTV and me on a whim went to the phone store and decided to price out some phones. I asked what he was getting...and he said, "I don't know about you, but I'm getting an iPhone". Well, then I am obviously going to get one too, because, heck we don't need competition over phones in these here parts. I love, love, love this phone. Being a key pad nazi, I was skeptical about the whole touch screen key pad, but it's AMAZING! I hardly use my computer at all! With my short attention span this works wonders to answer emails, look something up quick and play angry birds to my little heart is all warm and fuzzy! Best purchase (with the exception of my house) that I've made this year! Thanks Apple...I must remind myself that MAC will always be superior to PC. Sorry, that's a designer's point of view and it will never change.


Listerine Total Care:


Okay, so my mom says, "Disaster, do my teeth look whiter?" Hence I reply, "Actually, yes...yes they do!" She says, "I had a coupon for Listerine Total Care so I bought it, it claims to whiten teeth and after using it ONCE I noticed a difference". "REEEALLY?" I exclaim. "Oh, it tastes HORRIBLE though...much spitting and rinsing after use". Fast forward a week later and I am at the grocery store with my natives. We walk by the listerine and Goose Native quips, "MOM! Can we get gargle! I would really love gargle." (My natives refer to mouthwash as gargle, because, well you gargle with it). Staring me in the eye is the Total Care (purple bottle). 


Here is the down low: When rinsing it tastes like mouthwash, sorta foamy, but like burn the demons mouthwash. When you spit you realize it tastes like minty ass and you must douche your mouth out with water a few times...BUT! It is worth it! After one use, ONE USE, I noticed my teeth were whiter! *que angel chorus* Being a heavy coffee drinker this was like a minute white strip. This is my new favorite household product! Use it...or at least try it!

The Classiest Woman You Never Did Meet

Grandma's Nursing School Graduation photo

The last month has been the strangest blur. I've experienced fear, anxiety, excitement, hope, sadness, grief and relief.

My grandmother was one of the most classiest women you never met. If you were as fortunate as I was to have known her your entire life, then you already know that you were blessed.

This woman gave her all to everything important in her life. Family, friends, and her career. She was a fashionista, graceful, witty beyond measure, wise beyond her years, she took pride in everything she earned and loved. Her motto was, "Do your best, be yourself. That's all you can do."

I can hear her distinctly still telling me "Well honey, I think that's just wonderful!" This was applied to success, aspirations, a new look, a new time in my life...everything was wonderful.

She passed away September 25th, 2011 at the age of 79. She had suffered with Alzheimer's for close to 10 years. She always kept an upbeat personality. She actually would attempt to assist the nurses in the home she lived in...I guess being a nurse for 40+ years is a hard habit to break.

About 2 weeks before her passing I decided I needed to see her. I'm so grateful I did. She wasn't doing much, sleeping in and out, but she squeezed my hand and I kissed her on her forehead one last time.

Grandma, I love you. I'm so relieved you are at peace, but I'm so sad that I won't get to watch you wave goodbye from the porch until I'm out of site. I will miss your genuine interest in my life and the positive attitude you had toward everything that was dealt to you. Thank you for being the person I would really love to be some day and for striving to keep this family so close knit. You are one special soul. 

Tuesday, who could hang a name on you...

Tuesday and I, we have now established a bittersweet relationship. 


I was born on a Tuesday. In June. At 3:47 in the AM. 


This last Tuesday though, it was the worst Tuesday of my life.


Have you ever experienced the worst phone call ever? I can tell you I have. Twice. 


The thing about the worst phone call ever is, if you've had the worst phone call ever before, you know the millisecond you pick up the phone that the previous worst phone call ever has been trumped.


Your stomach sort of flops, then your heart bumps in your chest for about an eternity...then you hear confirmation of the fear you felt building in your innards.


Last Tuesday, I was working away at the accounts payable, it was 11:51. It's odd how you hone in on miniscule details when your world washes over you. I had actually been joking with my boss.


"Hello, this is Disaster, how may I help you?"


"Hey, Disaster" (I'm in full fear, amazing how acute your senses are).
"This is your father in law," (who is watching my children, so now I'm frozen with panic)
"Hi, what's going on?"
"Ya, well, MTV (my soulmate/husband/bff/partner in crime), he was rushed to the hospital, they think he might have had a heart attack or stroke."
"Are you serious?" 


Now, in my defense, here are some facts about my MTV:
He is young-ish. 34, to be exact.
He has the physical health of a 22 year old. (According to every single test he's ever had.)
I had just kissed him that morning. He was really in a fantastic mood, do people that are going to have strokes feel great prior? I'm so confused.


Well, he didn't have a stroke, he didn't have a heart attack per se....
His heart was racing at 191 bpm for over an hour. 


That is like running for your life. 
I'm almost positive his coworker saved his life.
They had to stop and restart his heart....twice.


If only I could relay the feeling of agony, regret, fear I felt. 
He was doing better, and I have no idea exactly what went on...(tests will have to determine that).
Only, I was slapped in the face with mortality on a Tuesday, and I pray to the stars I never take another human being for granted.


Especially my MTV.

The Golden $1 Coin

"What do you have there?" Gigi Pa asked Nunu as they sat in the go-mobile.

"A Golden Dollar Coin," says Nunu.

"Where didja find it?" asks Gigi Pa, with squinty eyes and a crooked smile.

"On the Grassy-grass over there," Nunu says pointing to some random patch of grassy-grass.

"Lemme see it." Gigi Pa reaches over with his leather tan wrinkled hand.

"NO!" Nunu clutches the golden treasure tight.

"I wouldn't take it from you! Just lemme see." Gigi Pa opens his hand.

"Fine," Nunu sighs and dumps his coin in Gigi Pa's palm.

"Why, I've never seen this kind of golden dollar!" says Gigi Pa, "I will trade you one dollar bill, for one golden dollar coin."

I lean close to Nunu's ear and say, "If I were you, I would trade it for ten dollar bills."

Gigi Pa says, "I'll give you FIVE dollar bills for it."

Nunu replies, "How about FIFTEEN?"

"No, how about ten?", replies Gigi Pa, his big crooked grin and squinty eyes even more crooked and squintier then before.

"Naaaaah," says Nunu, "I think I'll keep it!"

Gigi Pa roars, "BWAHAHA! I think you have a quite the negotiator there Disaster."

3 to the 1

Today is my BIRTHDAY! Ironically I thought of the blog I have not touched in what seems like ages...mostly because I remembered a birthday post last year. I declared I would be a "YES" person.


This has been an AMAHZING year...(yes with an H)!


This past week as I squeaked into 31 all I could think of was the wonderful people in my life. I know that it can be so hard to find common sparks. To feel love and loyalty with so many people from so many backgrounds is euphoric. I have been floating on a cloud for the last couple of days in gratitude of my mere existence. I feel like time is short so live, live, live. 


What I'm saying is...I'm happy. Happy to be a year older, a year wiser (?), and pray that I get to live another year with more experiences and sparks that will be burned into my memory for years to come.