The Daily Claire

Month in Review - December

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 02:58:00 +0000

I wanted to start a spot to review some of the things I've enjoyed in the past month because sometimes time just zips by and it's good to catch up.

Due to some aforementioned back issues, I spent a lot more of the past month relatively stationary, hence.....Netflix. I tried to mix it up with mysteries, lighthearted fair and some documentaries. Of course, first up was Stranger Things (Yes, I know, I'm late to the party) which was just as good as everyone said it would be. It's good to finally understand all the Eggo references and #JusticeForBarb. Inspired by a recent episode of All Time Favorite Podcast I started Parks and Recreation have been consistently delighted by it. I'm nearing the end and though I will be sad when it's over, it will undoubtably live on in my life via Twitter GIF's. Lastly, I've been delving into Unlikely Animal Friends, which is just what it sounds like. Everything from surfing goats to therapy chickens, it will fill you with happy feels. Go watch it.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions we have is going to The Cheese Shop across from the Fashion Mall at Keystone. Being from Wisconsin, cheese is very important to me and they have a wonderful selection along with meats, wine, coffee, crackers and jams. Their employees are always incredibly helpful and let you sample everything before you buy it, which is awesome. Every year we leave with a variety of cheeses from around the world, interesting jams big smiles. Because triple cream soft-ripened cheese and lingonberries are an essential part of life, never forget that.

Being from a small town, there is something immensely novel to me about city downtowns at Christmas. Between the plethora of Christmas films that take place in larger cities and visiting Minneapolis many times as a kid, seeing all the lights and decorations just makes me happy. Visiting the Circle of Lights in downtown Indianapolis is definitely one of the highlights of my holiday season. Carriage rides, people with their families taking pictures, the monument transformed into a giant "tree" being guarded by giant toy soldiers and peppermint sticks...it just feels magical and always brings me joy. This year I remembered to wear warm boots, so it was even better!

I hope you had a wonderful December, I'd love to hear what you have been enjoying lately!

For (near) daily updates and cat pictures, follow me on Instagram and Twitter.

Internet Cat Video Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Sat, 24 Dec 2016 19:59:00 +0000

Due to some poorly timed back problems, I wasn't able to post this immediately following the Internet Cat Video Festival, but it was such a delight I still wanted to talk about it. This is the first year I have attended, however not the first year Indianapolis has hosted the festival. What is the Internet Cat Video Festival? Exactly what you would think it is, and so much more.

It is a highly curated program of internet cat videos, watched in a theater with other cat enthusiasts, but it also brings awareness to local shelters and cats in need of homes. In Indianapolis it is hosted by the IMA and shown in their lovely Toby theater, but it is a touring festival with many stops. Being a huge fan of cats, I had to check it out.

Prior to the start of the show, pictures and tiny bios of local adoptable cats were featured and workers from the Humane Society were on hand to answer questions and help with the adoption process. Cat related merchandise were available, as was face painting and cat accessories.

The program is divided loosely by "plot" such as Action, Comedy and Drama, with a thoughtful mix of animation and more carefully produced videos, to simple short clips. I was pleasantly surprised to find that filmmaker and master curator William Braden was in attendance, providing a brief history of the festival and taking questions from the audience. The selections for this year's festival were thoroughly enjoyable and it was a wonderful experience to watch cat videos with a community of cat enthusiasts.

It was one of the first bitterly cold nights of the season, but people turned out in droves, proudly sporting cat related clothing and ready to laugh. I am very much hoping the festival returns next year, I can't wait to go again!

Attending Conventions With Social Anxiety

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 00:13:00 +0000

So full disclosure, I am not a medical professional, nor a trained therapist. I’m just a geek with GAD and social anxiety who also likes to go to conventions. These things often do not mix, but you can absolutely learn how to enjoy 4 days of chaotic geekdom and still come out relatively unscathed. Read on to see some things I’ve learned and tips for making your convention visit a great one.

Opening day at GenCon 2016. So. Many. People.

#1 - Know your triggers. Everyone is different and you know best what brings out your anxiety. If crowds bother you, go during week days, avoid peek hours and allow plenty of time to get to any scheduled events so you don't have to muscle your way through. Research the convention you are interested in. Ask questions on social media, look for reviews of previous years, etc.

#2 - Go with supportive people. If you choose to go with friends to a convention, that’s great! Just be sure they respect that your choices may be different than theirs. Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish. The last thing you want is to get stuck playing a 4 hour game because your ride thought it looked cool. It’s also a lot of fun to go by yourself! You can go at your own pace and see the things you are most interested in.

#3 - Take time out even if you don’t feel like you need it. I cannot emphasize this one enough. Schedule time out each day to decompress. Many attendees don’t have the luxury of getting a room in a nearby hotel, but you can still find quiet areas to relax for a bit. Bring ear buds and load favorite podcasts, playlists, etc. on your phone. Download a meditation app such as Headspace and take a few minutes to just breathe.

#4 – Remember to eat and drink. Things get super busy and this is easy to forget. Set alerts in your phone to remind you. Finding food options can take a while, so do some research on the area and be prepared to wait. Bring some healthy snacks with you just in case and always keep a water bottle. Most convention centers have water coolers so you can refill at no cost.

#5 - Don’t be a hero. It’s completely ok to try a small convention first to get your feet wet or just get a single day pass. You can have a ton of fun at small, local conventions and day passes are a great way to try new things.

#6 – You cant try everything. You will be presented with hundreds to tens of thousands of options. Know ahead of time that you wont see everything. Try and do a bit of research to get an idea of what will be at your convention of choice and keep an eye on social media to see what people are talking about.

Squirrel Girl and Tippy Toe, FTW!

#7 – Represent. Wear your favorite geeky clothing or try going in costume. If cosplay is not your thing, that’s totally cool. However, wearing something from your favorite fandom or dressing as a character you love provides a fun conversation starter and can help you feel connected to something. It can also give you an extra dose of courage. Regular you may feel nervous and apprehensive, but you in a Furiosa costume? Unstoppable. Dress for the job you want, right?

#8 – Try something new. I like to make a point to try something completely new each convention I go to. It might be a craft, a game, a costume or something I didn’t know about until I got there! Conventions are great because even if you make a fool out of yourself, you’ll probably not see these people again, so why not? You might just gain a new skill, hobby or friend!

Who's Yer Con 2016 in Review (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Sun, 10 Apr 2016 20:37:00 +0000

Greetings! In my last post I talked about my general impressions about Who's Yer Con 2016. Today I'll go over some basics you should know and then what I did this year and what I learned from it!

Registration
The first year (last year) we attended WYC we did not preregister, but this year we opted to register online. I 100% endorse preregistering. We got there about 11:30 on Friday morning and there was a probably 20-30 minute line for registration, however there was no line for those that signed up online. I hate standing in lines if I can avoid it. All we did was walk up, give our name and *BAM* we had our badges and schedule. It's worth noting that while the event is free, you can upgrade to a contributing member for $25 and you get a t-shirt and a tote with a few games in it.
A few weeks before the convention, the event catalog is put online. This has everything the convention offers along with times/dates. Depending on the type and popularity of game, there may only be a few times available to play it. I recommend looking through the catalog and preregistering for a slot if there are certain games you have your heart set on playing.

Food/Parking
I could talk about ~~industrialization and men's fashion~~ the horrors of con food all day, but let it suffice to say that the food there isn't great. Your options are basically mediocre burgers, pizza and nachos. However, it's an easy fix because they are pretty chill about people bringing in their own food. We discovered there is a Jimmy Johns 1/2 a mile away so that was super helpful!
Water coolers are also available throughout the hallways, so it's not tough to stay hydrated if you are mindful of it, just bring your own bottle. As the convention continues to grow, parking will get harder I am sure. However this year we were able to find parking without too much trouble. Saturday seems to be the busiest day and I'd recommend getting there early if you want a spot without too much walking. Parking is free and in the hotel's lot, so it does fill up quickly.

Daily Highlights

Friday - On Friday we opted to browse the different vendors and play game from the board games library. The have a free library of close to 450 games that you can borrow with an ID and play at various tables throughout the convention area. Some of the games were brand new and I got to punch out the tokens for them, which is one of my favorite things to do, period. It's like bubble wrap, but better. I wish that there had been more open tables for play though, we kept running into tables that were booked for other games. Hopefully they add more open play tables next year. Friday night we ended up walking by the Brickyard ballroom right as the trivia was starting, so we ended up grouped with 3 other people and had a great time. Our team mates were super nice and we ended up gaming with them throughout the next couple days. We didn't win, but we didn't come in last, and we had lots of fun.

Saturday - Definitely my busiest day. This year I wanted to try some new things, so I registered for SciFi Yoga and T.I.M.E. Stories. I love yoga and the description promised to integrate geeky things into it, so yes, of course I signed up. It was a blast! All the background music was from LOTR, Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc. and our instructor even integrated Middle Earth references into familiar poses. How did I not connect the Ents to tree pose before this? Yoga was a good choice since the afternoon was a lot of sitting still. T.I.M.E. Stories can take up to 5 hours. Normally I do not play games that last over 2, because let's face it, I get bored too easily. But it has had so much buzz and had such a cool theme (choose your own adventure + time travel?!) I couldn't pass it up. (I wrote about my impressions of the games itself over on Boards & Brews). I think WYC is such a good environment to try something you don't normally do or a game you have no experience with but just think sounds cool. I can get major anxiety when it comes to learning games, and I have found WYC to be a pretty safe space for learning, which I appreciate. No one in our game had played before and the instructor didn't bat an eye and was glad to explain things.

Sunday - I hit up the Indypendant Show, a local, creator driven mini convention held every Spring & Fall. They have it it on the last day of WYC which is super nice because it's like 2 cons in 1! I picked up some comics/art from one of my favorite local comic creators, Ron Braun. I mean, a comic book about a girl and a platypus? Shut up and take my money.

All in all, I had a great time at Who's Yer Con and I cant wait to go again next year. One other item worth noting though, and that is the temperature. Last year it was really warm, this year it was cold. I'm talking Hoth level cold in certain areas. I don't know if the con staff could do anything about this or if it was just the hotel, but I hope it gets straightened out next year. I think it's good practice to keep weird temperatures in mind when dressing for any convention. Layers are your friend. I hope you found my thoughts beneficial and if you are in the area, I'd love to see you next year at WYC 2017!

Who's Yer Con 2016 In Review (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Sun, 10 Apr 2016 02:24:00 +0000

Ever since moving to Indy 4 years ago, my hubs Chad and I have found ourselves increasingly immersed in the world of tabletop games. Who's Yer Gamer's is a local group that has been promoting hobby gaming since 2008 and each spring they put on Who's Yer Con, a free, 3 day hobby gaming convention held at the Wyndham West hotel. This was our second year attending, so I thought I would share my experience! In the this post I'll go over my impressions about the convention in general, and in my next post I'll talk about the specifics of what I did this year.
WYC has a very approachable, family friendly feeling and you see people of all ages, which I think is awesome. Attendance this year was around 2400 people over a 3 day weekend. And did I mention it's free? Yes, I know I did, but it warrants repeating because it's a fantastic value. They have a broad range of gaming activities from board games, video & arcade games, D&D and other RP's and social deduction games. But if you aren't sure where you fit in all of that, you can peruse the various vendors or try trivia, crafts, jewelry making classes and even yoga. Costuming is also welcome, so you see many people dressed up as their favorite characters, which is one of my favorite parts of conventions in general. I opted for geek shirts over costumes (Team Loki, am I right?), but there were lots of fun ones. My favorite? A girl about 10 y/o dressed as Unicorn Batman. #Goals.

If you have never attended a geeky convention, it can be a lot to take in, especially if you start with one of the larger ones. I would absolutely recommend WYC as a great introduction to con's. I tend to be a "but what if I don't see all the things?!?!" person, so it's nice to be able to have a lot of choices, but in a relaxed setting. Plus, it's a fun way to meet others with similar interests and support creators demoing their products. We borrowed a few games from the board game library made by Indy local's Action Phase Games and guess what? The creators noticed we had them and came over to walk us through the game play personally. How nice is that? We loved the games and ended up buying copies to take home ourselves. (Scoundrel Society, Kodama: The Tree Spirits and Ninja Camp). We will be reviewing them in the near future over on Boards & Brews!

One of my favorite things about conventions are the unplanned, random things that inevitably happen. This year was no different. Chad and I were sitting down to play the popular two player game known as Patchwork. No sooner had we started taking the pieces out of the box, a little girl about 7 appeared at our table "Have you played Patchwork before?" she asks. We advise that we have not, so she gives us a brief explanation of how it's played. It was so cute. Her mom was a volunteer close by and she just saw we were playing a game she liked and wanted to help. I love that there is a convention that kids, especially young girls, can feel safe and validated in their interests enough to share with those around them.

Next post, I'll talk about the different events that I took part in and what I thought. I hope you'll join me!

Changes and such

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 20:39:00 +0000

Hi there! It's been a while. I've missed posting and I'm going to try and do something about that. There will be some format changes, content changes and the like. I've toyed with removing old posts, but for now I'm leaving things as they are. I wont be posting daily, and I'll be focusing on more local activities/mini-adventures that are going on in my life. Also maybe some thoughts on what I'm reading/watching/listening to. I hope you'll follow along! If you do want the daily aspect of The Daily Claire (IE me talking about geeky stuff and posting cat pictures) follow me on Instagram & Twitter at @thedailyclaire. I am also Player 2 at Boards & Brews where my Hubs and I review board games and local brewed beverages. He's very good at posting every week, so you should check it out if you like table top games, brewed beverages of any kind, or puns, because we've got them all.

Token Year End Post

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:02:00 +0000

I know! I'm alive! You may have been wondering what was going on and why The Daily Claire seemed to be much more of a Faily Claire...Living in the sticks has its disadvantages (too many to list here) but the main one has been that since mid October our internet has been completely unreliable. However, it seems to be somewhat functional now (IE, works for more than an hour at a time at random intervals), so this little blog should be back up and running soon, hopefully with a way better layout and a lot more structure.
I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday season, I shall be posting some pictures from ours shortly. Also, for up to the minute (sort of...) updates, follow me on Twitter @thedailyclaire. Have a safe and happy New Years!

Virtual Fall Feast!

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:18:00 +0000

I'm so excited to be participating in Baking Bad's Virtual Fall Feast! My contribution is my favorite Thanksgiving salad. It was originally published on Goop.com, but I have made a few changes to fit my tastes.

Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese and Pecans.

SERVES: 10 to 12
TIME: 10 minutes

(Maple Dijon Dressing)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons real maple syrup
1/3 red wine vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

(Mixed Greens)
2 Large heads of endive, washed, chopped
1 large head radicchio, washed, chopped
4 large handfuls arugula, washed
1 1/3 cup goat cheese
3/4 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries

For the dressing:
Mix garlic, mustard, maple syrup, vinegar and salt/pepper together.
Slowly whisk in olive oil.
For the Salad:
Toss your greens together and divide up into salad bowls. Sprinkle
each salad with cheese, pecans and cranberries. Dress with Maple
Dijon dressing.

Notes:
Feel free to substitute a bag/box of "baby mixed greens" for the
endive and arugula. Also, to make the salad extra special, drizzle
pecan halves with real maple syrup before toasting them. Chop and add
to salad as directed. This is especially yummy with left over
thanksgiving turkey mixed in.

Happy Halloween !

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:06:00 +0000

Due to a malfunctioning sewing machine and lack of seamstress skill on my part, the Angry Birds costumes were a fail. However, Stormy still dressed up and I thought I would share his picture with you all. He does make a pretty mean Catula.

Ribbon Wrapped Bracelet

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 01:50:00 +0000

This is such a simple way to revamp that bracelet you grabbed from the dollar bin, found at Goodwill, etc. Here's what you'll need:
-Sturdy Bracelet
-Ribbon of your choice
-Glue (I recommend Fabri-Tac or hot glue)

Wrap a small piece of ribbon around your bracelet to act as a guide. You can either make a full loop or just enough to cover the visible part, it's up to you. Cut out several piece of ribbon to match your first one (see picture in upper left corner. How many you need will depend on ribbon width and bracelet size. Add a dab of glue to the inside of your bracelet, attach the ribbon, wrap over and attach the other end of the ribbon with another dot of glue. Repeat until you have covered your bracelet, being careful to overlap the ribbon slightly so your bracelet doesn't show through.

Coffee Confessions

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:05:00 +0000

Confession #1
I love things that are mini-mini animals, mini cupcakes...if you can find the miniature form of something, I'll probably like it. The exception to this rule is mini corncobs. I positively loathe them and find them to be somewhat unsettling. They look like they belong on an episode of X-files rather than in my food.
Confession #2
I love red lipstick but it intimidates me to wear it. I've always thought "I'll wear it when I'm more grown up" Oh wait...
Confession #3
I had Red Bull every day this week and feel no shame.
Confession #4
I have to check my alarm at least 3 times before I'm able to sleep.
Confession #5
I can't stand hipsters but love mustaches, scarves and Ray Ban wayfarrers.
Confession#6
I love planning, but I'm not good at following said plans.
Confession#7
I talk at the TV. When something happens in a movie that I don't like, I make sure to voice my opinion. I also ask questions I don't want the answers to. "Is *character's name* going to die?" "It doesn't end this way does it?" Yup, I'm one of those people.

Thirsty Thursday: Gluehwein (Glue what?)

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:13:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but I'm always interested in trying the traditional foods that represent my heritage. Being predominantly German on my father's side, I saw this and thought I'd give it a whirl. It is a unique twist on mulled wine, which just seems right this time of year. It is based off of this recipe, but since I'm a lightweight, I modified it to suit my tastes. This fills your home with the loveliest spicy aroma, you simply must try it.

1 Bottle (750ml) red wine
2 Cups orange juice
1 Orange, cut into thick slices
1/2 Cup sugar (I used turbinado, but white works fine as well)
4 Tablespoons honey
1 cinnamon stick
10 whole cloves
1 Allspice berry

Mix orange juice, sugar, honey and cinnamon stick in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow it to simmer. Stick your spices into the orange slices and place them in the saucepan. Allow to simmer for approximately 30 minutes, or until fairly thick. Add your wine and allow the mixture to heat through until steaming. Pour into mugs and drink!

Mid Week Laugh

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:47:00 +0000

Coffee Confessions

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:09:00 +0000

Confession #1-I'm a sucker for sparkly make up and accessories but I loathe sparkly clothes.
Confession #2-Sometimes I crave foods by color. I know. Weird. Like all orange food, all white food, all green food, etc. I don't realize it until it's all on my plate.
Confession #3-I have high expectations when I make a purchase...Whether it is my $1 McDonalds coffee or something far costlier, I expect to get what I asked for. If I don't, well, you'll know.
Confession #4-I love having naturally curly hair. Even though it can be rebellious, it still makes me smile.
Confession #5-I almost freaked out when I thought the lady at the check out wasn't going to card me for the wine I bought. She did, but I felt really old there for a second.
Confession #6-I am really tired of allergy season, and it's only just begun...
Confession #7-I really want a cape for the fall, but I am afraid it will make me look like a hobbit.

Thirsty Thursday: Real Hot Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:01:00 +0000

With the onset of fall and the cool evenings I have really been craving hot drinks. I tried making hot chocolate the other day but the cocoa based powdered mixes just don’t seem to cut it. So, I set out on a search for a solid “real” hot chocolate recipe. Mine is adapted from this recipe. I couldn’t bring myself to make it with half & half like they call for, but I’m sure it would be even more tasty.

2 ¼ cups milk (I used whole)

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate-chopped

2 ounces milk chocolate-chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder

Heat milk over medium heat until just below simmering. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate. Once it is melted, add the rest of the ingredients and whisk thoroughly. Reheat a bit if needed, then serve.

While this is lovely as is….here are a few tweeks just for fun.

-add a shake of cinnamon or cayenne for some extra heat

-add 1/2 a shot of your favorite liqueur, such as creme de menthe, irish cream or Frangelico.

-add a spoon of Nutella

-use flavored chocolate such as orange or raspberry

Steve Jobs, Remembered.

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:38:00 +0000

I was so saddened to hear about the passing of Steve Jobs today. While most know him as the driving force behind Apple's genius, he was also the original financial backer of one of my favorite film companies, Pixar. His vision, passion and remarkable ability to see the potential in others will live on in the hearts of millions.

Coffee Confessions

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 18:36:00 +0000

Confession #1-I am a product junkie. In other words, I rarely buy the same thing twice. I'm always on the search for a better product.
Confession #2-Fall is my favorite season. I think I could be happy if it was fall all the time.
Confession #3-I am the queen of the unfinished book.
Confession #4-Sometimes I wake up panicky for reasons unknown to me. It's hard to shake.
Confession #5-I am incapable of giving up coffee. I have tried. It just doesn't work. Coffee makes me happy and makes me a better person, why should I give it up?
Confession #6-I can spend all day watching The Big Bang Theory.

October-Yay!

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 03:31:00 +0000

I am super excited because October holds many awesome things here in Claireland. I am actually being smart and planning ahead! October marks the first month of my monthly business spotlight, as well as a giveaway that I know you all are going to love. In addition to awesome bloggy things, October means apples and apple orchards and Halloween and costumes and all sorts of exciting things. I will be cooking up lots of fall foods (and drinks!) so keep checking back because awesome things are happening!

Mid Week Pick-Me-Up...Many, Many Maru.

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 02:58:00 +0000

The Noms...or the lack thereof.

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 03:39:00 +0000

I must apologize for my recent lack of recipe posts. I have been experiencing a number of culinary fails and most certainly not "bringing the noms." I am resolved to do better and probably stick a little closer to the things I know I'm good at. Look for a plethora of soups in the weeks to come. In my book, soup is the official food of the autumn season and I couldn't be more excited about it.

Coffee Confessions

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:27:00 +0000

Confession #1
I am afraid of my sewing machine. There, I said it. I bought it last year and I haven't used it yet. I took it out of the box, looked at all the pieces, read through the little booklet, and into the closet it went. I feel rather awful about this and in my mind I am determined to remedy the situation...it just hasn't happened yet.
Confession #2
I "baby talk" to animals, but never to babies. There may be something weird about this.
Confession #3
I am more than a little addicted to Craftgawker.
Confession #4
I chatter incessantly when I have Red Bull. So much so that my coworker has informed me I am not allowed to have it when we are sitting in the same office.
Confession #5-I can easily spend an hour on catsinsinks.com
Confessions #6-I cant catch things very well. Even a small toss at a short distance. I drop things. It's bad.

Mid Week Pick Me Up Pic-Look Ma, No Paws

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:23:00 +0000

Photo Courtesy of Zooborns.com

Miss Purple Crayon or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Live Without Missoni.

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:29:00 +0000

When I was a kid (think preschoolish) I really liked purple. I mean really really. Hey, I still like purple. Whenever there was an opportunity to color, I was always first in line for the purple crayon. Some times the other girls didn’t like this, but hey-they should have grabbed it first. It’s not like I wouldn’t let them use it eventually, they just had to wait. Then, one day, someone beat me to it. And you know what? I survived. I learned a little patience and I also learned that purple is not the only color in the crayon box.

You have most likely heard of the cyclone that recently hit Target stores taking the form of the Missoni for Target collection. It immobilized Target.com for an entire day and made normally composed women come dangerously close to fisty-cuffs over the coveted Italian designs. In some stores the collection sold out within an hour. Some took the morning off of work to get in on the deal, some went and snapped up as much as they could as soon as they were able, some went and found empty shelves. As with any high demand item, large amounts of the collection have ended up on e-bay. Some of this is by design, some by chance, as it is easy to just grab what you can when things are flying off the shelves. This often leads to buyers remorse. While normally you'd just return things to the store, why do that when you can make a 300% profit? Now this seems logical to me, but many people are up in arms about not being able to get the items they wanted. Since Target will not be restocking the collection, many will simply not get what they were hoping for. Rather than acting like adults, they are throwing around harsh accusations against those who choose to resell their purchases. Now last time I checked, a Zig-Zag print dress is not essential to life....and if you think it is, well, that's a whole post in itself. To these people I say this-go back to preschool. There are other colors in the crayon box and you've got a lot to learn.

Moss Letter DIY

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:33:00 +0000

I have been really into moss lately...I am not sure why, perhaps it is me rebelling against the untimely demise of the terrarium I tried making, but regardless, I think moss is a lovely way to bring a bit of nature into your home in unexpected ways.

DIY Moss Letters:

1 letter form (wood, pressed paper, etc. Mine is from Hobby Lobby)

1 bag of moss (I found mine at the Dollar Tree)

Hot glue gun

A covered work space

1. Seriously, make sure you cover your workspace-this is messy.

2. Hot glue small pieces of moss to the top of your letter.

3. Continue adding pieces until the entire top is covered. Then turn the letter on its side and add moss to all sides of your letter.

4. Admire your awesome moss letter and smile because you made it!

If you are anything like me, I recommend using a low heat hot glue gun as it is super easy to stick your finger into a wad of hot glue/moss. Having done this multiple times, I can say I am very glad I used a low heat. No burns, yay!

Coffee Confessions

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 01:31:00 +0000

So I know I said I would be doing Silent Sundays but this was way more fun. Check out the Linkey below to visit AdelynSTONE who is our host.

Confession #1-I am not drinking coffee..neither is it morning. It's 9:30PM and I'm drinking spice of life chai.
Confession #2-I purchased a Dracula costume for our cat and he wears it on Halloween each year.
Confession #3-I cannot knit to save my life.
Confession #4-I giggle when I have a lot of carbs.
Confession #5-I like things to be symmetric and become irritated when things feel lopsided.
Confession #6-I cannot cook rice...even in a rice cooker. Rice is my arch nemesis of the food world.
Confession #7-I sleep in too much every weekend and promise myself I'll do better next time...and then don't.