[insert sarcastic remark here]

Oh, hey...how've you been?

2015-02-05T15:43:00.001-05:00

Oops! I didn't realize I've been missing from the blogiverse for the last 3.5 months. Has it really been that long? Anywho, I've been busy enjoying my new apartment, spending time with friends (eating lots of good food) and knitting. I also survived another holiday in retail and celebrated another birthday, not in that order though.

At the end of October I got all moved into my new apartment. It's been pretty great so far. I love having my own washer and dryer (no more bucket and plunger washing). I have a huge bathroom and kitchen. And for a studio, I have a lot more space than I realized. Yes I did have to downsize my bed and get rid of some things, but I still feel like I have a lot of space.

I'm still getting rid of things I don't use or need. It's such a slow going process. (Actually I'm really just a procrastinator and keep finding other things I'd rather be doing.) I think living in a studio is going to make it easier to live a minimalist lifestyle...if I could just get rid of all the extra stuff.

Early November I woke up one morning, watched a couple of YouTube videos and then proceeded into the bathroom and cut off over 12 inches of my hair. I then proceeded to laugh at how ridiculous it was that I thought I could give myself such a major haircut. It took me about 3 weeks to head on over to Great Clips to have my hair evened out. I don't mind my hair shorter, but I really wish it were long again. I like being able to put it up in a bun. It is much nicer that I'm not shedding as much, though that could be more because of the change of environment.

With my rent being lower, I've been able to put more money towards eating out with friends. I've enjoyed a lot of good food the last couple of months and I don't see that stopping anytime soon. There are still a lot of places on my list to go and a few places that I need to go to again. Mac n' cheese topped with rib jam and bourbon butter cornbread? I need to have that again and again.

I'm still over here being a crafty mother shut your mouth. I haven't listed anything on etsy in awhile, but I'm still going pretty strong in the consignment shops. I did my first big craft show and while it wasn't as successful as I hoped it would be, it was a good experience. After the holidays I decided I wanted to learn to knit. This was the third time learning to knit and this time it finally stuck. Thank you YouTube videos.

Now of course I have an addiction to expensive yarn to add to my addiction to fabric. But it's another skill that I think will be good for the business. While crocheting is much faster, knitting has so many beautiful stitches and patterns. I've already got a couple of ideas for patterns I want to create.

Other than that, not much else has been going on over here. Life seems pretty tame. I'm looking forward to the spring so I can start walking on the trail that's less than a block from my apartment and hopefully I'll have a new bike by then too.

Eventually I will get around to finishing up the blog makeover I started randomly one day. For now what's here will just have to do.

reading - Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty This post brought to you in part by:

does a jig I'm finally moving!

2014-10-19T20:54:00.001-04:00

*pardon the mess, I'm changing things around and stopped in the middle*

Yay! I finally signed the lease to my new apartment. I'm so excited. If you've been following along for a while now, you know that where I currently live is not the greatest. Murdered neighbors, strange critters and more. I'm ready to be out of here and away from all the madness. I'm looking forward to some changes.

While I'm downgrading to a studio...a small studio. I'm absolutely fine with it because it is much nicer than where I'm at now. The rent is almost $200 cheaper. I will have my own washer and dryer IN my apartment. The kitchen is nicer and the bathroom is much bigger. It's pretty much a dream.

I've already planned out how I will arrange the main room as you can see in the photo above. Almost all my furniture is from college and while I could probably make it work, I'm ready to start over. I've already loaded up my IKEA cart with all the things I need. I just need a ride down there to pick everything up.

stenklover duvet cover and love pillow cases - because it's a small space, I want to brighten it up a bit. my bed will sort of be a focal point so why not a beautiful bright red duvet cover and some fun pillows and pillow cases

kallax shelves - with limited space all my storage will pretty much be in one spot. fabric, craft, paper work and other things. I originally wanted to use this as a room divider, but it supposed to be secure to the wall. I would want it to tip over on me in my sleep.

ullgump rug - I loath apartment carpet. I don't know why they all have that same tan carpet. It's awful. I want to cover as much of it as I can. Even though this will clash a little at least it's covering up most of it.

In the corner over the bed I want to add a bunch of 5 x 7 framed prints. I've been keeping a board on pinterest of all the ones that I like. I'm not sure how many or how they'll be arranged just yet, but it's already my favorite part of the room.

I've never really been big on candles, but I can't resist these...plus with a smaller apartment the whole place will smell lovely.
I was hoping to find a mint colored shower curtain and I did find a couple, but they were all like $50. That's not in my budget so I opted for navy and white stripes. Hopefully I can find some mint or coral towels instead. I'll be putting a small dresser in the bathroom for all my socks and underclothes as well as my PJ's. I shower at night and those are the things I have to put on so why not have them ready when I get out of the shower.

In the kitchen I want to paint something on the back wall in mint, light coral and gold. I thought I wanted to do stripes, but I've changed my mine and I'm thinking of squares and half square triangles in shades of mint and coral with gold accents. I also thought about getting a tennis ball and dipping it in paint and throwing it at the wall. I've already picked up some some dark coral dish towels.

I'm still looking for more storage and decorating ideas. I really wish I could just sneeze and all my things were already moved over to the new place. I don't mind having to find a place for everything, it's the moving it all that is going to be a challenge.

With my birthday next Sunday I'm trying to keep my money separate. Apartment money for apartment type things and birthday money for birthday type things...though I suppose there could be a little overlap. So much excitement for it all.

reading - Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld This post brought to you in part by:

35 - a birthday wish list

2014-10-05T19:07:00.002-04:00

It's October! Filipino American Heritage Month! AND my birthday and it's cold. I thought about coming up with 35 things I wanted for my birthday this year, but the more years there are, the harder it gets to come up with things I want for my birthday. I mean...I could probably come up with 35 things, but curating that list would take a long time and some things I just don't want to share with the public, mmmkay. Also, there are a lot of things that I want that aren't really birthday types things, like a huge roll of batting and sewing supplies and furniture and shower curtains. So here is a list of 15 things I wouldn't mind getting in my mail box this year...

naked 3 via urban decay, I don't really wear make up, but this palette is beautiful and I want it anyway. it might even make me don a little more of the war paint.

iPad mini via apple - I like to say this would be for business purposes, but it's for entertainment reasons. Netflix from bed being the main reason.

chunky black infinity scarf via No. 63 - it's starting to get chilly out, which means time for toasty neck things. I make toasty neck things, but I like to support others who make nice things too and this is pretty awesome.

trip to Hello Kitty Con - oh how I love Hello Kitty, this would be the perfect gift as it's just two days after my birthday. I really hope I'm the winner of the contest I entered to go

Hello Kitty Vans - my old HK Vans are starting to get holes, it's time to replace them and well come on...Hello Kitty!!! I might be obsessed. As a matter of fact, I am. I bought a gift card the other day with only a dollar on it because it was super cute.

Mr. Tree Stump pincushion via Hi Tree - because everyone needs an awesome pincushion, though I might just let him sit around looking cute

snow white print via unknown - I came across this via a blog I follow. I'd love a small print of this for my wall with a few of others by the same artist. I'd like to start a collection of awesome 5 x 7 prints.

shoreline via state bicycle co. - I don't have a car and I don't want a car just yet, but this bike would be great transportation during the warm months.

skull cameo via Hungry Designs - a beautiful piece, I'd find reasons to wear it everyday. It was on my birthday wish list last year. This year, it's going to be mine.

hawthorne threads gift certificates - so much fabric that I need to have and so much more that will be coming out in the future. I want it all. ALL!!!

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 DSLR via Canon - my little Canon baby is 11 years old now. I think it's time to retire her.

custom lady bird slippers via Molipop - for shuffling around my apartment, they look comfy enough to wear around everywhere though. The custom pair I'd like would be grey corduroy on the outside though.

antique engagement ring - I'm not big on jewelry, but this ring is beautiful. If I ever get married it could be my engagement, wedding and anniversary ring. It's all I would need.

trip to Disneyland - it's the happiest place on earth. it'd be the second happiest place if I were at Hello Kitty Con. I could use some sun and happiness and laughs and good food. A churro and some lobster nachos please.

Dr. Feelgood Dunks - I've wanted these for YEARS! They're probably impossible to find in my size at this point, but they're still so fucking awesome.

Other things I wouldn't mind having that I just thought of: Olive Branch Body Wash, KitchenAid Stand Mixer in Contour Silver, leather satchel, and some new wood plugs. I'm tired of wearing the same plugs to work.

What kinds of things are or were on your birthday wish list? Also, I can't believe I'll be 35. It's just weird.

reading - Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld This post brought to you in part by:

autumn equinox 14.0 - a wish list

2014-09-23T00:00:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite seasons is finally here and it's not because of pumpkin everything. It's because I love the cooler in between weather and my birthday is in the fall. It's time for hot tea and cocoa and cardigans and jeans. Yay for fall!

Anywho...let's get on with these wishes and intentions:

loft style 1 bedroom apartment at Englewood Lofts for less than $400/month furniture from IKEA - klippan couch, rast drawers, lack desk and tv stand, kallax storage reach 100 sales on etsy by the end of October watch loads of money flow into my bank account from sales meet ellen degeneres sell all the quilts and zipper wallets that I make catch up of my reading black iPad mini with logitech keyboard red FIAT 500 peace & happiness a fun and exciting birthday celebration time well spent with friends have all my bills paid on time donate time or anything I can to help others state bicycle co. - shoreline bicycle hot cocoa and taco dates
I completed half a task on my summer wish list. I spent a lot of time looking at my list and not getting much of it accomplished. I did try though. I did apply for a new job and a new apartment. I did some reading and ate some food, but I didn't complete anything enough that I could cross those items off my list. The fall will be busy. A holiday craft fair, my birthday and moving. Woo! I still hope to get some things crossed off my list though.

What are your wishes for fall?
Leave a short list of your wishes in a comment down below.

reading - Two Serpents Rise by Max Gladstone This post brought to you in part by:

Ssssshhh! I'm hunting apawments...

2014-09-12T22:59:00.003-04:00

The apartment hunt continues. My lease ends in a little over two weeks and I've yet to find an apartment. At one point I did have a place and I was getting read to drop off a deposit and then a friend of mine said let's be roommates. Those plans have changed yet again and I'm back to hunting for a place by myself.

I've tried to get in touch with the place I was going to put a deposit on but for an office that is only open 4 days a week 4 hours a day (16 hours) no one is ever there when they are supposed to be. And when someone finally called me back, they had no idea what I was talking about, said they'd get back to me and haven't.

I've moved on from that place. Unfortunately most places are booked up and don't have anything available until late October. I'm pretty sure I can go month to month where I'm at now (not that I want to, it'll probably cost me a bit more per month). But if I have to I will.

One of the places not available until next month looks promising. It's new construction (not finished yet). I could be the first person to live in that apartment, use the shower and poop in the toilet. It's a block from the bus stop and it's close to downtown in a decent area. I sent in an application today and hopefully I hear back quickly.

In the mean time I've been procrastinating on packing...avoiding packing...doing a little packing and dreaming of all the things I'd like for my next apartment. I'd really like to start new, sell most of what I have in this apartment. Most of the furniture I have is from when I was in college (shelves and what not) and I don't even own a couch. Can you believe that?
I usually prefer neutral solids for furniture (dark grey, black, brown), but I'm drawn to how bright this couch/cover is and am thinking this would be kind of cool to have. The nice thing is it's just a cover and can be switched out for something plain.

I also like this cover too. This one is probably a better choice to start with. I could add some fun brightly colored pillows.

The quilter in me wants this rug for my sewing space. But it's more than I want to spend on a rug.

I'd get a couple of these for all my crafting supplies and photo albums. They make good room dividers too. I've always had my computer and sewing space in the living room. It'd be nice to have the space divided into a work space and a place to just sit an relax.

A rolling side table that I could use as a place to eat too. I like dual furniture. I'd probably use it as a foot rest as well and hide books and crochet projects inside.

Or I could actually get a kitchen table to eat at. There's a lot I want, but there are some things that will need to be taken care of first. Most important will be setting up my work space since I have Yelp's Bazaar in December and other holiday crafting.

The layout at the beginning and this layout above are the layouts available for the apartment I just applied for. The loft is nice...but I often get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and that's a LOOOONNNNG walk to the bathroom. I'd probably still take it though because it'd be nice to have all that space. And the laundry is in the bedroom. You wouldn't have to drag it all over the place to get it done, you just bring the bathroom and kitchen stuff upstairs and then you can throw it over into the living room when it's done. Ha!

Wish me luck. Pray for me. Or send positive vibes that I get that apartment and can get in ASAP.

reading - Two Serpents Rise by Max Gladstone This post brought to you in part by:

chickens, new opportunities and be cool - a list

2014-08-21T22:07:00.003-04:00

Yeah, so I meant to get this blog post up last week. The tab has been open for about that long and then I just got distracted and busy with other things. That's life you could say.

Winner, winner chicken dinner. I won tickets to the State Fair again this year. Woo! I had no plans on going to the fair, but said if I won tickets I'd go. I'm saving up for this apartment so that money really needs to go towards my apartment, but I treated myself to some food.

Side note: On the way to the fair a young boy tried to hand me his phone and mimed for me to put my phone number in it so he could call me. Um...no. At some point I guess that worked for him. Not this time though.

I was obsessed with the chickens at the fair. If you follow me on IG (@chickenb00) you'll find a video of one of the roosters crowing. I waited for about 5 minutes to get that video. I loved all the chickens so much I actually went to the poultry barn twice. There are so many different kinds of chickens. If I had a small plot of land I'd totally have some chickens. FREE EGGS!

I submitted my application to the apartment complex I want to live in. The leasing agent told me they had an apartment available for less than what I'm currently paying. The apartment is in a safe, quiet neighborhood AND the apartment has a washer and dryer in the apartment. My current creepy apartment (above) has one sometimes working washer and dryer in the creepy, smelly basement.

The leasing agent told me that if I could come up with the deposit this month (August) that they would wave rent for August. I'm still working on coming up with the deposit. It's coming along, but I still need some help. I didn't want to go this route, but I set up a go fund me campaign. I'm still determined to earn most if not all the money I need for rent and the deposit.

I've been doing a lot of etsy listing and promoting on facebook, instagram and twitter to earn the money for my apartment. On top of that I made it into Yelp's Holiday Bazaar and been invited to have my items in another handmade consignment shop. So on top of packing and selling stuff I'm also creating more stuff for the holidays. I really need to learn to create all year long. One day I'll learn. I've got some other projects I need to work on as well.

Another note from a neighbor. I will miss these when I'm gone. I've never seen this neighbor either in the 5 years I've lived here. Crazy.

GenCon was last week. It's one of my favorite conventions to visit town even though I'm not a gamer. I worked again this year, this time in a back office stuffing envelopes all night long. I enjoyed it and it was some extra money for my apartment. I got to see a few interesting costumes, though not many since I was in a back office and I learned a few things. I'm looking forward to working again next year.

Tried out a tutorial I found for a wallet with a side zip so you can open it wider and it turned out nicely. I had to edit the instructions to work for how I wanted it to look. I may add these to my shop. What do you think?

Not much else happening. Just working, selling, packing, saving, selling and all that jazz. I look forward to when I can write up a post about moving and share pictures of the new apartment and it's wondering washer and dryer. If you want to help me get there sooner go ahead and donate or buy something from me. I will love you long time.

reading - Two Serpents Rise by Max Gladstone This post brought to you in part by:

good morning small person - a list

2014-08-03T14:29:00.000-04:00

When I went to pay my rent Friday morning I also turned in my letter of intent to vacate. In two months I will be living in a new apartment. I'm looking forward to living in a new place. I have a lot of work to do. Find a place. Come up with the deposit and first months rent. Pack and move.

A new handmade shop is opening up in Bloomington, IN. My wallets and other things will be available for purchase there come the end of August. I've been working on making a bunch to send over and a bunch for my etsy shop. My goal is to get all the ones in my etsy shop sold so that I can use part of the funds to help me move. You can use the code FREESHIP for free domestic shipping on ANYTHING in my shop, custom orders too. Spread the word.

The boss is back from vacation. A lot of us were concerned how things were going to go since we had some bad customer feedback while she was gone, but so far everything seems okay. *deep sigh of relief* School is back in session so it'll slow down at work. I'm in the process of looking for more work. I'd rather be crafting and selling all those goods, but until that picks up I have to find other sources of income.

I'll probably selling most of my furniture when I move. I want to start fresh and with a minimal aesthetic. I've already planned most of my purchases from IKEA. I'm looking forward to the change. I think being unhappy in this apartment really affects my productivity and how I feel in general. This change will be good I'm sure.

I won a 31 day bus pass. Always much needed. That's $30 I can put towards my apartment. I like winning things that are useful. I'm hoping to win some tickets to the State Fair. I didn't have any plans on going, but then everyone started talking about fair food and now I'd really like to go.

I came home the other day to find a phone number tucked in my door. I hope it wasn't really meant for me. It's already in the trash. Creepy. I don't know who it came from or who knows which apartment I live in. I really can't wait to move.

Friday morning I was walking into the leasing office to pay my rent and a gentleman walking out said, "Good morning small person." It caught me off guard. At 5'8" and 225 lbs I don't consider myself a small person. It made me chuckle.

Anyone watch Pretty Little Liars? I started watching it on a whim and became obsessed. I even paid my friend's Netflix bill so I could continue to watch. I finished season 4 and now I'm trying to find free places to watch season 5. No one I knew in HS dressed the way they do. I also can't believe that some of them are in their late 20's and are still pulling off looking like teens. But then again most people think I'm about 10 years younger than I am.

reading - Handmade to Sell by Kelly Rand This post brought to you in part by:

i ran another "5K" and other things - a list

2014-07-21T22:04:00.003-04:00

Saturday I ran the ColorFoam "5K". I finished it in a little over 45 minutes. I ran most of it and am pretty proud of myself. I say "5K" because when I logged into RunKeeper it only comes up as 2.8 miles. Right as the run started I met someone else who was also running by herself. We didn't run together but I saw her again at the end and chatted a bit. I made a running friend. While I was running there were a couple of groups I kept my eye on as motivation. If they got past me I'd speed up and make sure I was in the lead again. My white shirt stayed pretty white up until the finish line when I got sprayed right in the mouth with a water cannon. I walked right under the foam machines, but it didn't stick.

Saturday night I went to my "sister's" surprise birthday party/open mic night. As the night progressed I got more and more tired and started to doze off while people were performing. I'm not ashamed to fall asleep in public. It happens.

Yesterday I finished my second Staple Dress using Cotton + Steel fabric. I love this fabric so much. It's nice and soft and had a good weight. This dress will transition to fall/winter nicely. Just pair it with a cardigan and some tights and it'll be good to go. My favorite part is the berry facings and pockets. When I started assembling it I made the same mistake I made when I made my first staple dress. Thankfully it was an easy fix and I made sure to make a big note in the instructions for next time. Hopefully I remember.

Sunday was also National Ice Cream Day. I took a break from making my dress and Tiarress and I motored up to Graeter's to grab some ice cream. We were pleasantly surprised when we were ordering. The ice cream was discounted to $1.44/scoop. Normally it's $5.00 for two scoops. Yay! We also stopped at a friend's BBQ. Pretty good way to spend Sunday.

About a month ago I finished the first quilt for 100 Quilts, 100 Kids. I'm in the process of quilting up the second quilt. I can't decide how to quilt it though.

I've also started listing things on etsy again. I want to have 100 sales under my belt by the end of summer. Currently you can find zipper wallets and a quilt in my shop. I'll start listing crochet goods towards the end of summer. Part of the proceeds go towards 100 Quilts, 100 Kids.

Work is work. My boss is on vacation and she used Megabus for the first time and is also using Uber for the first time so I've been getting calls and texts about that. It makes me laugh.

Slowly, slowly selling off old stuff. I'd trash a lot of it, but I could use the money so I can move. I don't plan to take most of my furniture. I found a lot of furniture I want on the IKEA website for a good deal. Right now it looks like I might be moving into a studio so I really do need to get rid of a lot of the stuff I have.

So what's been up with you?
reading - The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold This post brought to you in part by:

dear universe - i want to open a fabric shop

2014-07-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

The other day I posted the above question on facebook. I was curious to find out what my friends dreams were and what it would take for them to drop what they were doing to pursue them. At first most of the answers were pretty vague and then after a little more questioning people opened up.

The interesting thing about finding out what people dream of doing is that thinking about what I know about these people compared to what they dream of doing, I see that for most of them their dreams are just that...dreams. It's something they've tucked away and maybe think about occasionally, but aren't pursuing them in any manner.

But, there were one or two who are putting in work towards making their dreams come true and that's encouraging and inspiring. And I think it's good to have people in your life who are pursuing their dreams. It gives you the energy to do the same.

My magic number to drop everything is about $100K. Enough to pay off my student loans, live comfortably for a year (bills paid on time, food to eat, etc.), start my business, buy a car (because getting work done is much easier with a car than it is riding the bus everywhere) and maybe go on a vacation so I can start refreshed and inspired. I'd settle for about $5K though to get my business started.

The business? A fabric shop

Working for myself crafting has always been my end goal, but I've wanted to open up a little fabric shop for a while...the urge to do it sooner rather than later has become much greater with my new found love of simple clothing construction and all the beautiful quilting possibilities.

Then Cotton + Steel happened. First their video about how fabric is manufactured (this video is great. I love seeing how things are made/work) and then their spring collection preview. Fabriclust in full effect.

It ignited something in me. I want to be able to share fabric with others. Sure there are tons of other fabric slingers out there, but I want to be different.

I've already started working on my business plan and been keeping a list of ideas of how I want to run things and what not. I've also done a little bit of research of how much I'll need to get started and what things I'll need. I'd eventually like to turn an online shop into a B+M shop. Where, I'm not sure.

How can you not fall in love with fabric and all it's possibilities?

C+S Spring Collection Preview from Gregory Miller Pictures on Vimeo .

I think finding funds is going to be the hardest part. (I'm easily distracted by pretty things - currently wanting the new HK Vans). But I will slowly be putting money away to pursue this dream. I'm also asking the the Universe for help...maybe a nice lottery win and/or some big successes in the making crafty things and selling them. (It's the beginning of summer, but it's almost time to think about the holidays.)

What would it take to drop what you're doing and start pursuing your dreams?

reading - Success through Stillness by Russell Simmons This post brought to you in part by:

when september comes...

2014-06-24T12:50:00.004-04:00

Last night as I was trying to motivate myself to get up and take a shower so I could go to bed, I heard two loud bangs down the hall from my apartment. I thought it was gun shots, but told myself no...it was probably just someone trying to kick in a door. I then placed my desk chair in front of my door as I have been doing lately and made sure all my locks were locked.

A few minutes ago I was listening to the news and heard the newscasters say shot and 33rd and Meridian. That's where I live...33rd and Meridian. I didn't quite hear what was said before that so I got online and did a little bit of searching and found this tweet (1 male in his 20's shot in the back while being accosted at 3330 N. Meridian St. IMPD investigating).

I want to move. NOW! My lease isn't up until September. I've been looking for a new place to live for awhile and know exactly where I want to live. Even though I don't have much of my stuff packed and ready to go, I would up and leave now if I could.

That's another incident way too close to home (two summers ago my neighbor down the hall was stabbed to death in his apartment). There are cops at my building all the time from what my friends who drive by tell me and my neighbor who lives in another building next door. I know that these types of things can happen anywhere. (A teen was murdered just this Sunday in one of the safest places.) But It's just too much for me, here.

I do my best to be safe when I'm at home or I'm coming and going. I don't EVER open the door to anyone I don't know (I get a lot of people knocking because they have the wrong apartment) and I only go on my runs when it's light out. I also put it out into the universe that I am safe from violence and that I am protected by the universe. I feel like it helps.

Still though, I'm ready to move.
reading - Beginner's Greek by James Collins This post brought to you in part by:

summer solstice 14.0 - a wish list

2014-06-22T10:05:00.001-04:00

A day late, but better late than never. Mother Nature has been fucking with us again. The beginning of spring it was snow flurries and cold temps and then we skipped right over to summer. It's been in the 80's for awhile now, so it might be officially summer, but the temps say it's been summer for weeks. WEEKS. I try not to complain, but anything above 75 is hot and I'm not really a fan. I'm already, ready for fall. And to think, I decided to run a 5K in the middle of July. How smart am I?

Anywho...let's get on with these wishes and intentions:

have all my bills paid on time donate time or anything I can to help others state bicycle co. - shoreline bicycle weight lost, endurance gained new 1 bedroom apartment watch loads of money flow into my bank account from sales try 10 new foods new job with a higher income sell 5 - 10 baby quilts have my trip to LA for HelloKittyCon funded have my new apartment furnished meet ellen degeneres spend more time with friends sell tons of buttons and ~~zipper wallets~~ catch up of my reading

I didn't get much accomplished from my spring wish list. No excuses. I actually forgot what was on my list until yesterday when I went back to look at it. That means I need to print it out and post it on my board so I can look at it every day. I'd like all my wishes to come true this summer. I've got a lot of work to do. Yesterday I finally found the Samanco ice cream fish, so that's my first of trying 10 new foods. It was delicious.

What are your wishes for summer?
Leave a short list of your wishes in a comment down below.
reading - book title by author This post brought to you in part by:

take me away to sunny LA - a list

2014-06-16T12:12:00.002-04:00

pineapple basil nicey treat

Last week I found out that the first ever HelloKittyCon will be held in LA this year October 30 to November 2. That's just 4 days after my birthday. When I found out I thought I was going to lose my shit. I have to go. And I think it'd be the most awesome way to spend my birthday. Hello Kitty will be turning 40 and I'll be turning 35. We should celebrate together don't you think? I'd also get to see my girl, Rima. Unless she's on another one of her world adventures.
The tendonitis in my right arm has returned. This time on the right side of my wrist. It is of course my dominate arm. It makes doing a lot of things difficult, even super simple things like typing. I need to get a brace. Also, sunburn. I've got it bad. Saturday was a fun filled day spent outside NOT wearing sunscreen. I should know better, but it happens. It looks like I'm wearing a skin colored wrestling unitard. Lovely.
I've finally gotten around to selling a bunch of my craft stuff. I finally decided that photos taken with my phone would be fine and I took pictures of a ton of my stamping supplies and uploaded them to Two Peas in a Bucket to sell. I've sold quite a bit, but there's still a whole container to get through. I just want it all gone so I can pay some bills and move on. I also started a garage sale group on facebook to sell off other things. It's slow going since it's a small group.
Work is work. The kids are out of school now so we're getting a bit busier. I definitely appreciate my days off a lot more.
I quit the gym a couple of weeks ago. I go walking at least 3 times a week. It's much easier for me to do and it's free. Also with the tendonitis in my arm it was hard to lift weights comfortably.
On the way to work last Saturday, I was standing at the bus stop and said to myself that I was going to either find $20, a gift card that would be useful to me or that someone was going to give me a gift card that would be useful to me. Then as I was walking into work I happened to look down and found a $20 bill on the ground. I love the way the Universe works. It was very much a needed win and a reminder to put my thoughts out there and believe that they will happen.
Quilts are coming along. I need a whole bolt of white fabric. I've got bits of white from different companies, but not all white fabric is created equal. There are a lot of new fabrics coming out the summer that I'd love to have. I've got a lot of wants/needs right now. I need to get some stuff made and sold.
I enjoyed a lot of good food this past weekend. A crabby patty, a kimchi taco, a BLT with mozzarella and avocado, a goat cheese and roasted bell peppers on foccacia, mango hibiscus sorbet, a pineapple basil popsicle, a not so hot chocolate popsicle. I want more of all of it.

current want:

reading - Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia This post brought to you in part by:

12 things - sew a dress from the staple dress pattern

2014-05-19T01:12:00.001-04:00

I just happened to look up above my desk at my metal board and started reading through all my sticky notes and realized that I completed yet another thing on my list of 12 things. Yay for progress.

I made a dress from my staple dress pattern. It was a lot easier to make than I thought it would be. I wore it on Saturday to hang out with a friend. My favorite parts are the pockets and the neck and arm facings that I did with a contrasting fabric just for fun. I've already ordered some more fabric to make my next staple dress. I can't wait. I want to make another 4 or 5 of them.

Garment sewing isn't too hard. I spent probably 6 hours on the computer over a couple of days looking at more patterns to try. A few more dresses and a couple of tops. The only things I'm missing are fabric and thread.

read 75 books - 21 down 54 to go, more if you count short stories
make at least 20 quilts - 2 quilts complete, a couple more in process and a bunch of tops waiting for batting.
simplify my apartment (purge, sell trash) - started listing stuff to sell online in various places. it's not an easy feat.

I can't believe we're already half way through May.

~~create a vision board for 2014~~
read 75 books
make at least 20 quilts
have my business prepared for the holidays
friend friday
stock my online shops and promote my business more
~~sew a dress from the staple dress pattern~~
travel to somewhere I haven't traveled before
get back under 200 lbs
simplify my apartment (purge, sell, trash)
apply to Yelp! Bazaar and the Indieana Handicraft Exchange (holiday edition)
make at least 3 deposits into my Roth IRA
complete my capsule wardrobe

reading - Shanghai Girls by Lisa See This post brought to you in part by:

how is that possible - a list

2014-04-23T14:53:00.003-04:00

Mother's Day is coming. I've been procrastinating with the card making and the promoting of Mother's Day cards. Forever a procrastinator. In the end I get things done, but it'd be less stressful if I just did things ahead of time. One day I'll learn.
I changed my mind on the fabric I want to use to make a dress from the Staple Dress pattern I have and told myself that I have to sell enough cards to cover the cost of fabric so I need to go ahead and get on the making and selling of cards. (Need a card? Let me know. *wink, wink*)
I just realized that as of April 8th, I've been single for 15 years. Seems weird that's it's been that long. Then again it's hard to believe I've been out of college almost 10 years and out of high school for almost 17. Where did all the time go?
This week and last I've only had to work two days each week. You'd think I'd be getting lots of stuff done, but not so much. I pretty much feel like a bum. I have to do better.
Do you have lyft (click the link to get your first ride free) in your area? I've been testing it out this past couple of weeks. I love it. I'll be writing a review about it later. It really is like having a friend with a car.We also have some attractive drivers in my area.
As I expected, I won't be getting my refund from the state. Purdue snatched it up since I still owe them. I'm bummed because that money would've gone towards my Disney trip and new car, but I knew that is was probably going to happen.
The weather here has finally gotten more spring like. Last week we had snow. I won't be surprised if it decides to snow again in the middle of May or June. Mother Nature does whatever the fuck she wants to. She doesn't care about your plans.
I get my new sewing machine soon. I'm super duper excited. I watched a couple of videos on YouTube so that I know how to thread it and what not. It's different from my current machine. I have so many things I want to make. Quilts, a couple of dresses, a duffle bag, a maxi skirt, a tulle skirt, pillowcases and more. I'll be sewing up a storm. Be prepared to be flooded with crafty photos.
To procrastinate more I think I'm going to make some vanilla cupcakes with coconut cream cheese frosting or maybe some Nutella buttercream frosting. Anything to avoid doing what I should be doing.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D - Ward...ugh. That's all I have to say about that. I still need to see Captain America. I keep saying I'm going to go.
Nothing else really to update on. I haven't really been doing anything terribly exciting.

reading - Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman This post brought to you in part by:

12 things - create a vision board for 2014

2014-04-15T13:16:00.003-04:00

Here it is the middle of April and I'm just now completing/working on my vision board for this year. Procrastinator much? The truth is I'd started it on the metal boards I have above my desk, but it was difficult to complete because I don't buy magazines and printing out pictures on a black and white printer just wasn't going to cut it. I needed another way to get my vision board started.

I ended up turning to Pinterest. I mean, it's basically one big vision board already isn't it? When I come along something that fits with the things I want this year I pin it to my Vision Board 2014. Little or small I pin it. It could be something small I want like a new pair of shoes or an inspirational quote that I want to strive for. It's my conversation with the Universe for my plans this year.

read 75 books - 20 down 55 to go, more if you count short stories
make at least 20 quilts - I've completed 8 quilt TOPS, but no completed quilts yet
simplify my apartment (purge, sell trash) - I've gotten a lot of stuff thrown away, now I need to work on selling some stuff. I've also simplified my bedroom by taking about everything but the bed and end table. it's getting there

There's still a lot of work to be done. Less than 7 months to go. The reading should come along nicely, it's some of the other goals I need to put some more work into. The vision board while marked off as complete really is a work in progress and always will be, but I'm still calling it a win as complete. Ha!

~~create a vision board for 2014~~
read 75 books
make at least 20 quilts
have my business prepared for the holidays
friend friday
stock my online shops and promote my business more
sew a dress from the staple dress pattern
travel to somewhere I haven't traveled before
get back under 200 lbs
simplify my apartment (purge, sell, trash)
apply to Yelp! Bazaar and the Indieana Handicraft Exchange (holiday edition)
make at least 3 deposits into my Roth IRA
complete my capsule wardrobe

reading - Electrified Sheep by Alex Boese This post brought to you in part by:

"God loves you, but I don't." and other things

2014-04-07T01:00:00.000-04:00

And that is just one of my neighbors ladies and gentlemen. This is by far the best message I've seen on this man's door. They are usually along the lines of do not knock on my door. He also posts Happy [insert current holiday here]! So he's not a complete grump.
I've slowly started to unpack my apartment again and have gotten back into sewing. I finished another quilt top for #100quilts100kids AND I finally decided on how I wanted to label the quilts and ordered the labels. Yay! I'm still working on funding more quilts. If you're feeling generous, click the hashtag.
March 30th marked 3 years at my current job (only 2 of us from the original 15 are still around). I think that is the longest I've ever worked at one place. That's a long time to work a retail job. I treated myself to a big LEGO set, The Simpsons House. I completed it Saturday night. It took me about 6 hours to complete. I don't really have any place to put it. I should've thought about that before I started putting it together.
A year ago I was in California meeting up with Rima, Evani and Gabby, celebrating Rima's birthday with her and going to Disneyland for the first time. This trip needs to happen again. I'm already thinking about the sushi, ramen, walking on the beach, riding the rides and all that other good stuff.
Not only does that trip need to happen, but I think I want to buy a car. Finally. I've been looking into ways to save money and I think I've settled on opening a SmartyPig account. I have a savings account, but I find that it's super easy for me to transfer money back into my checking account whenever I want. *whispers* If you're thinking about saving up for a trip or something and decide to use SmartyPig, let me know so I can send you a referral code.
I think that a grilled cheese sandwich with bacon would taste delicious on a fresh waffle. I have to make this happen some how. This week. I might settle for a packaged waffle, but not the frozen kind.
Procrastination is real in these streets. I still haven't done my taxes yet. I started them, but I haven't finished them up yet. I have no excuse. I could use the money to pay off some bills and replace some things AND start saving up for my trip and a car. But it's not really enough motivation.
I was totally disappointed with the How I Met Your Mother finale. Very uncharacteristic actions of the characters. When the commercials come on for the syndicated episodes I get a little upset because it makes me think about the finale. I'm also starting to lose interest in Scandal. Fitz is a blamer and pretty much everything he says makes me want to wipe boogers on his face. I also don't understand everyone's hatred for Quinn. *shrugs*
"never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you"
The Universe and I need to have a sit down. I also think I might need to reread The Secret and The Alchemist.
I also need to get to work on these 12 things for 2014. I mean, it is already April. Another example of how much of a procrastinator I am.
A huge Happy Birthday to Rima of Bolu by Rima, Lesley of Yessiree Petunia and Cool Hand Lex (who doesn't have a blog that I know of)! I know a lot of people who share the same birthday.

reading - Wise Acres: The Seventh Circle of Heck by Dale Basye This post brought to you in part by:

spring equinox 14.0 - a wish list

2014-03-21T00:43:00.002-04:00

While today may mark the first day of spring here in Indiana, mother nature is laughing in our faces. She's got some snow flurries planned for us next week. I'm probably one of the few people who is okay with that. I've come to terms with her crazy uncontrollable ways and just go with the flow. I'm curious what that means for what summer will be like here. I need to go ahead and get my supplies together so I can make an air conditioner so I'm prepared.

road trip with someone special
new tv and Chromecast
~~less stuff (purge, sell, trash)~~
meet ellen degeneres a bicycle
spend more time with friends monon walks and picnics
new business opportunities a first date
weight lost, muscle gained
more money earned, ~~more money saved~~ more business successes
cuddling
put a big dent in completing my capsule wardrobe
Even though spring represents new beginnings, I kept a lot of my wishes the same from the winter. They're all things I still want to continue to work on and hopefully I get them accomplished this go around. The winter was tough and I think my work suffered because I was a bit down from all the gloom and doom outside my window. It happens.

Wanna know how I did on my winter list? Check it out here - winter wish list. I wasn't very productive.

What are your wishes for spring?
Leave a short list of your wishes in a comment down below.
reading - Cress by Marissa Meyer This post brought to you in part by:

cupcakes and conclusions - a list

2014-03-13T19:35:00.001-04:00

I think I might have said this before, but I'm sure it's worth saying again. I'm trying to do too much. So much so that I'm overwhelmed and I'm barely doing any of it. It's a problem.
I was thinking it'd be awesome if I could take 6 months off and dedicate that time to making quilts for 100 Quilts, 100 Kids. I did some simple calculations and I'd need $5K plus the cost of quilting materials.
I'm gonna go buy a couple of lottery tickets. (My efforts to buy a lottery ticket keep getting thwarted by a) my memory and b) closed locations.)
Indianapolis doesn't have a fancy donut shop. I'm super craving a coconut creme donut from Firecakes in Chicago.
I'm also craving a cheeseburger and chocolate cake.
I'm baffled by this plane disappearing. I don't really talk about current events much here, but I hope they find some answers soon.
Yesterday I laid down without setting an alarm and ended up missing my Trade School Class. I felt like a dick for missing it.
Almost 3 weeks later and I still haven't finished unpacking my apartment. I haven't done my taxes yet either. Procrastinator.
Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream Frosting!!! I gets down in the kitchen every once in awhile. I don't normally care for buttercream frosting, but this stuff is delicious.
A friend asked me if I preferred baking over cooking. They're equal in my book. Cook, baking, quilting, crocheting. They're all creative things. They all make me happy. I'd rather be doing any of those things than going to work any day.
I REALLY need to make it a reality that those things are my life and not just something I do when I'm not working to pay the bills.
Received my first wedding invitation for the year.
I feel like everyone I know is in a relations, getting engaged, getting married or having a baby. And then there's me.
I want a kitten and a puppy and to live in a house.
Listing is easier than blogging these days. I remember when that's all I used to do was list. Then Twitter was created.
"Everything is AWESOME!"
Okay, I need to go make/eat some real food before I overdose on sugar and cupcakes.

reading - Reached by Ally Condie This post brought to you in part by:

let it go

2014-03-05T23:10:00.001-05:00

I have a rant, but I'm trying not to put more negativity out into the world right now. Also, I feel like crap. I'm guessing I'm getting sick or I'm sick already and I'm just in denial. Probably the latter.

I have a few thing I've wanted to write about, but no motivation.

My apartment is still mostly packed up because I am the great procrastinator. I kind of like it all packed it up. Very minimalist, washing and wearing the same clothes (the only things I really wear right now are my work uniform and pajamas). No messes and clutter everywhere to bug the shit out of me.

I'm enjoying #100happydays. Even though I have shitty moments, it's easy to find something every day to be happy about it. Sometimes you have to look for those moments, but they're there. Me and the Universe could use a good heart to heart.

If you follow me in Instagram then you saw this picture a week or so ago. Yeah, new glasses. I planned on writing a review, but there were snags when ordering and I don't think it was a typical transaction so I don't want to base my review on that transaction. I plan to order another and then write a review. In the meantime if you want to check them out, I ordered them from Ozeal Glasses*. You can use the code NEWFEB50 for half off. They offer free shipping and free lenses.

*Yes, that is an affiliate link.
reading - Hollow City by Ransom Riggs This post brought to you in part by:

is you happy? - a list

2014-02-28T11:11:00.001-05:00

I saw a few of my friends on FB posting pictures tagged #100happydays and decided to do a little investigating and then went ahead on jumped on the bandwagon myself. 100 Happy Days is a challenge to share one thing that makes you happy each day for 100 days. I like that it makes you find things that make you happy. Even little things like postcards or mail from friends. (Hint, hint: I love mail, if you ever want to send me something go for it.)
House of Cards may have ruined Scandal for me. This weeks comeback episode was meh.
I want a cat...and a dog.
I had to pack up my apartment this week so they could spray for bugs. I probably threw out 6 bags of clothing and other random stuff that I no longer had use for and it felt good. There's so much more to throw out. I haven't bothered to unpack anything because I like how empty my apartment looks. My goal is to go through every box and see what else I can trash/donate/sell. I'm also rearranging my apartment since it's been the same for almost 4 years.
I want to live in a tiny house.
Why can't taxes do themselves? I've got plans for my refund, but I'm procrastinating.

This happened yesterday. I'd been waiting like a whole week for the bananas to get brown so I could make a banana bread cake with chocolate chips and as I was pulling my hand out of the oven I accidentally open the clip on my spring form pan and the next thing you know batter is drip, drip, dripping. So sad. I yelled no in despair. I almost wanted to cry.
So many ideas, so little money and time. I had a lot of things I wanted to accomplish and had a good start and now...excuses, excuses.
My body needs to behave. I don't know what I did, but I woke up one morning with a sharp pain in my middle back when I inhaled. It's making it hard to sleep through the night. I was fine for a day in a half and then the pain came back shortly after I jogged to catch the bus. Anything that causes me to take a deep breath I try to avoid or I end up holding my breath or taking shallow breaths and feel like I'm suffocating. This sucks because I just started going back to the gym and have had to skip this week. I need to get all my paper work together so I can head over to the clinic and get checked out.
Two months left for me to get my passport renewed according to the goal I set for myself. Another reason for me to file my taxes ASAP.
When someone promises they'll never hurt you...no. I don't like it. You never know what actions or words will hurt someone. Maybe if you said you'd never intentionally hurt them. It's just a hard promise to keep. (This has nothing to do with anything that has happened to me, it's just something I've seen on tv and reading a lot lately.)
I got another new pair of glasses from a new company. Review to come when I dig out my camera and move all the boxes.
We're supposed to get ANOTHER snow/ice storm this weekend. It's nice and sunny outside right now. I might be ready for spring.

reading - Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia This post brought to you in part by:

hey bunny rabbit

2014-02-21T15:21:00.003-05:00

It's Friday, Friday! It's my last day off until some time next week. I should be making the most of it, but I'm a day waster these days so how about a post of random things from this week.

So I had the urge to text ScruffyNerdy on Tuesday night because I hadn't seen him on social media for a few days, but didn't know what to say. Because I think I'm funny I began the conversation with, "Hey Bunny Rabbit!" I figured that'd get some sort of response. And it did. He might not have been very amused, but I surely was. Oddly enough about 30+ minutes later the Friends episode that that line comes from aired. Which made my choice of words more comical.

Wednesday I finally made it back to the gym after not going for about 3 months. The first two months I'm blaming on the holidays/work. The last few weeks my valid excuse is having thrown out my back. That was not fun at all, especially since I still had to go to work and my job requires me to stand for hours at a time. It felt good to get back to the gym. A lot of new faces and it was a little more crowded than normal. I figured by now the resolution makers would have petered out and gone back to their old habits. Maybe by March?

After the gym I headed to the grocery store to pick up some much needed food and ingredients to make ice cream...yes...I went to the gym and then came home and made ice cream. Nutella ice cream. And I only needed TWO ingredients. I used this ice cream recipe here. It came out more icy than it did creamy. I wonder if it's because I didn't separate the fatty cream from the coconut milk. I have one can of coconut milk left so I'm going to give it another go and try it that way. Even though it was more icy, it was still delicious because Nutella.

I want to do a Disney run next year or sooner if someone else wants to sponsor me. Angela ran one today and Evani is running one later this year I think. They look like a lot of fun and well Disney. I also want to run another color run this spring. I need to start preparing and find someone to run/walk with me. Those runs are always much more fun when you have a friend to run with you.

Lastly they've announced Quiltcon for next year. It's a year away. I'd really love to go, though I'm not that social. Plus it's in Austin. Why does everything have to cost money?

reading - Swish by Joel Derfner This post brought to you in part by:

i'm next?

2014-02-14T21:53:00.001-05:00

Today I was downtown selling Valentine cards at the Indy City Market and in honor of Valentine's Day the Mayor held a vow renewal ceremony. After it ended a young lady who had participated in the ceremony stopped by and gave me her bouquet. I figure that just like catching the bouquet. I guess the Universe better get to work then. Ha! It was very sweet of her to give me her flowers and it made me smile. That and a text conversation I was immersed in.

In other news, more snow today, but next week...50+ degree weather!!! Yay!!! I'm normally a pretty positive person. Well at least I think I am, but lately I've been kind of bummed. I hate to blame it on the weather, but the weather has been a huge downer here lately. Super cold temps have kept me inside and while inside I've not wanted to do much at all. I'm usually not bothered by the cold weather, but I'm just about ready for spring. Or another vacation. How are you guys (who live in cold weather areas) feeling about the winter this year? Has it got you a bit bummed?

I can't think of anything else that's going on lately. Just making stuff to sell and slowly...slowly purging my apartment. I will leave you with this kickstarter campaign for Period Panties. Hilarious!!! I had to back it even after they already reached their goal. I want to collect them all.

reading - Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia This post brought to you in part by:

crafty mother fucker - a glasses display and quilt holder

2014-02-06T00:20:00.004-05:00

If you follow me on instagram then you've probably already seen one of my latest crafty projects. I've had these idea floating around in my head for some time, but kept putting it off. Then the other day I was in my kitchen irritated about not having space for some of my smaller appliances so I got online and started looking up how to make a kitchen cart and pricing wood.

Pricing wood reminded me that I wanted to make a rack for my glasses and then I had to make a trip to Lowe's. I love this little rack. I don't have to open up every glasses case to find the pair of glasses that I want to wear. They're all on display and easy to choose from.

I'm not finished with this piece yet though. I think I want to stain it an espresso color and maybe secure the sides with nails. I had a couple people mention that I need to list these on etsy and I just might. The nice thing is that you can either hand it on the wall like a picture frame or just lean it against the wall.

The other project I worked on I found while looking for plans to make an end table. The original piece was used to hold up kids art. I looked at it and realized that it'd be perfect for holding up my quilts when I need to photograph them. Much nicer than having to use tape. I painted my strip of wood a dark teal and then glued on some clothes pins. I attached it to my wall with poster tape since I'm not sure what these walls are made of. I think I might make a smaller version for my kitchen. It could also be used to hold towels in your bathroom or scarves and other light clothing items.

I'm still working on plans for my kitchen cart. I know I can a metal or plastic one for about $20, but I'd really like one made out of wood that I can customize. I already have plans for my end table/printer holder, but I have to work on the numbers since the plans I found are shorter than what I need.

I'm really enjoying working with wood. I wish I had a garage so that I can buy some wood working tools and have a space that I don't have to vacuum and clean up right away when I'm working. Also, I want a tiny house. Random.

reading - Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia This post brought to you in part by:

travel: hello Chicago, I've missed you

2014-02-03T03:03:00.001-05:00

walking over the bridges in Chicago always freaks me the fuck out especially in the winter and when I'm by myself
Who leaves one city that's suffering through sub zero temps to escape to another city suffering through sub zero temps?

This girl.

It wasn't that cold to me though. I'm sure folks think I'm nuts because I don't ever think it's that cold out, even when it's below zero. I'm like a human radiator.

At first I felt like the Universe was against me going on this trip. The Saturday prior to me leaving I hurt my back. I couldn't stand for very long and even sitting was uncomfortable. I was determined to get out of town so I spent most of my time laying in bed when there were other things I needed to do. Then Sunday morning I received and email from megabus that they cancelled my outbound trip due to the cold weather. I panicked just a bit, but thankfully found a seat on the Greyhound for only a few more dollars than I paid for my megabus ticket AND it left a little later in the morning. I felt like things were starting to turn around.

Sunday afternoon my boss texted me to let me know that I didn't have to work on Monday. While it cut my 8 hour work week down to 4 I was okay with this because even though my back was getting better, it was still not feeling as well as I would have liked, which meant I had an extra day to lay in bed all day. Which I did.

I kept a close eye on the forecast and my email to make sure my bus was still on schedule and to make sure the city buses were running. Everything was looking good to go and I was packed and ready to go. I made sure to dress properly just in case.

I hadn't ridden the Greyhound in over 10 years and the last time I'd ridden it, it wasn't a good experience. I'm happy to say that the service was good this go around. The seats were comfy and the ride was smooth. It was a full bus. We stopped in Lafayette on the way up to Chicago. I hadn't been back there since my college days. The city changed a lot since the last time I'd been up there. Expanded.

While in Chicago I stayed at the Acme Hotel Company right in downtown, two blocks from the Mile and right behind the Shops at North Bridge. I got a GREAT deal on the room. I was searching through Kayak and the name caught my eye. I checked it out online and the rate was only $79/night. The deal hunter I am, I used hotels.com AND a coupon from Mr. Rebates and scored my stay for $69/night (and I'll get an extra $7 from Mr. Rebates). Most of the other hotels were AT LEAST $100/night and they didn't look nearly as awesome as Acme.

The room was exactly as it is pictured on the website. There were all sorts of little details throughout the hotel (a chalkboard on the room doors, record sleeves in the elevator, all sorts of art). I will definitely stay there again, assuming I can find a great rate again. There's a bakery/deli in the lobby and I wanted to grab food from there, but there were too many other places that I wanted to try out instead. The hotel also offers free coffee service in the morning. They knock and drop off a free thermos of coffee. This would've been great if I drank coffee.

When I say the hotel was in a great location...every place I wanted to eat at was only a couple of blocks away. And I was half a block away from the Nutella Bar inside Eataly. It was nice to have everything so close since it was cold out. Also I was more confident walking around late at night by myself with everything so close.

For the most part all I really did was eat and hang out in my room watching cable (HGTV) while resting my back. I also met up with fellow blogger Jaimielee of hippopotamuslee (she's a sweetheart and super awesome). We met up for pizza and then walked around and a bit and checked out make up. I also met up for dinner with an old coworker who has made Chicago home for the second time now (she's gonna be an extra on Mind Games that'll be premiering soon).

I can't tell you how excited I was to find out that there were so many good food places within blocks of the hotel. I didn't even visit every place I wanted to visit. I was most excited to hit up the Nutella Bar inside of Eataly. I had planned to get at least two or three different things from the Nutella bar, but only ended up getting one thing because I was distracted by the gelato and other lovely treats Eataly had to offer.

L to R, T to B: Frontera Fresco tacos, Firecakes Donuts (the coconut creme...heaven), Eataly (pizza and gelato)
When I got into town on Tuesday afternoon I was starving and headed over to Frontera Fresco to grab some tacos (if you didn't already realize it, I've got a thing for tacos). They were delicious. I wanted to get a couple more, but I knew I'd be going out to dinner that night and that was only a few hours away. To drink I ordered a mango lime agua fresca. I wanted to like it, but it was way to sweet...syrupy sweet. I think if it hadn't been so sweet, it would've actually been good.

For dinner I met up with my old coworker and we went to Burke's Bacon Bar. mmmmm...bacon. They served small slider style burgers and other bacony delicious items. The sliders are $4/each or 3 for $11. I opted for 3 and ordered a CBLT, Angry Reuben and the Bacon Burger. All of them were delicious. So much so that I ended up going back the next night and I normally don't go back to the same place because I like to try other things. The second night I got a CBLT and the bacon mac n' cheese. Creamy, bacony goodness in my belly.

After dinner my old coworker and I hit up Eataly so I could check out the Nutella Bar. I walked in the door and the greeter hit on me not once but twice. If he hadn't been old, I probably wouldn't have felt uncomfortable. I picked up a Nutella crepe for dessert and OC ordered some gelato. I wanted both, but since Eataly was half a block from the hotel I knew I could pop back in later if I really had to have that gelato.

Wednesday morning I bundled up and headed out to Firecakes Donuts. As I was walking down the street I noticed glazed and infused and made a note to stop by there the next morning. From Firecakes I picked up the maple glazed pineapple and bacon donut and the coconut creme. OMG! The coconut creme made me want to order a dozen more. As I was walking back to the hotel with my donuts I decided to stop in glazed and infused and picked up a couple more donuts (pb & j and a maple bacon long john). I thought I was going to have a big breakfast, but instead saved half the donuts for the next morning so I could sleep in. Why doesn't Indianapolis have any fancy donut places?

I headed back to Eataly to grab lunch with Jaimielee. Eataly is an amazing market and restaurant. They had fresh baked crusty bread, all sort of cheeses, fresh produce, pasta, the Nutella Bar, gelato, a coffee bar and a bunch of other stuff. I could've eaten every meal there. We both ended up ordering pizza. I love fresh mozzarella.

Dinner was a difficult choice for me. I couldn't decide between checking out a new taco place, more bacon burgers from Burke's or Thai food. After much deliberation and checking on what was available close by I ended up getting Thai fried rice from a small Thai place called Silver Spoon. Nothing fancy, but good. I also picked up another CBLT and the bacon mac n cheese from Burke's. I saved the mac n cheese for home by keeping it cold in the ice bucket. All kinds of creamy goodness. I normally wouldn't repeat a place I've eaten (especially not in the same trip), but I really enjoyed the Burke's and it was a nice small snack. After dinner I popped over the Eataly for some gelato.

I didn't much feel like walking around Thursday after I checked out so I found the nearest Argo Tea and bought an iced tea and read for about two hours until I was hungry enough for lunch. I was going to have some Filipino food, but I started craving tacos since I didn't satisfy the craving the night before so I headed back to Frontera Fresco. After lunch I sat and read some more before heading to the train station. For the ride home I picked up a sandwich from Hannah's Bretzels. Crusty bread and pretzel bread are my favorites.

The ride home was different. Megabus had to contract out a different bus company. No explanation why, they just said look for a different bus. Our normal straight shot back to Indianapolis went a different route with a stop at a rest stop getting us back into town an hour later than normal. I was kind of annoyed. Not really thankful to be back in town only because I could've enjoyed another day in Chicago. Those trips aren't ever long enough.

I'm already trying to figure out where I can go next or when I can head back to Chicago. Indianapolis isn't a horrible place, but I'm ready for a change. I have some personal obligations here right now though. So it's back to the grind. Valentine's Day is upon and I've got some cards to make and sell. Hopefully I can sell enough to bank for my next vacation.

reading - Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann This post brought to you in part by:

crushed

2014-01-23T10:30:00.003-05:00

My computer crashed this week...or well I downloaded Java to fix a Shockwave error and inadvertently download some other stupid piggy back thing and as I tried to remove it fucked up my computer and I don't have the reinstall disk that I need to fix the issue. I'm pretty sure I got rid of the disk awhile back.

My computer is a decade old. She runs just fine for the most part, which why I've not bought a new one yet. but if I can't get her fixed (since apparently MicroSoft doesn't support XP anymore) I guess I need to get a new one. I don't want to. I like my old faithful computer and it's not really in my budget.

Thankfully I'd been moving a lot of things over to my external hard drive so I didn't really lose anything important other than all my settings and the many web pages that I had favorited. Decisions, decision. Hopefully I hear back soon from the gentleman who fixed my computer last time and he can fix it quickly.

In other news, it's winter and a blustery below zero day. I'm off, but I have a package I need to drop off at FedEx and at the Post Office so I'm forced to leave the house today. Yay!!! There will be many layers. I figure this is just prep for my trip to Chicago next week. I've already decided I don't really plan to leave the hotel but to eat (and have just about every meal planned out). I'll just nap and relax the rest of the time away.

#prayforpurdue

reading - Handmade to Sell by Kelly Rand This post brought to you in part by: