honest work for honest pay

week two of work, and so far it has been very mellow! saturday i had one phone call and a ton to file and update on teh 'puter so i was busy for most of the day-thankfully. hopefully the next few weeks will allow for more phone action and showing apartments to hopeful applicants.

in NFB world, i finally got to the stained glass store for some better solder but i think my cheap-assed soldering iron is crapping out. time for the mega-upgrade, but the really really nice ones are $$spendy$$. but worth it! today, through etsy i got a custom order for some soldered stuff--a ring and a pendant made into the shape of a cross. hmmmm. it is time for me to do my own glass cutting...this maybe the start of a new thing for me! cutting your own glass is a crucial part of stained glass making and i do have some ideas for some of that so this was a timely request i would be happy to fulfill. :))))

i also crocheted a little mini-scarf last night with some groovy vintage yarn i thrifted. i consider them mini, since they are 50". i love the color combo on the scarf--wish they had more of the same and i am now on the look out!

HAPPY MONDAY, y'all. i am enjoying my "day off" with laundry--woot and woo.

meow...purrrrrr

i started my job yesterday and it kicked my ass! this morning i am waiting for the snow to stop (it looks so pretty out my window) before i get going on today's work. i kinda like being my own boss and being able to just get stuff done when it needs to rather than being micromanaged over my shoulder. plus let's face it, i am not a morning person, so late morning is way better for me. i had to be at the corporate office by 8 this week already for riveting videos on mold and fair housing. trust me nothing is riveting at 8am for me anymore!

so along with the several crochet projects i started then frogged out of pure frustration...i did manage to make some pendants with some great vintage leopard print fabric i found stashed away with my stuff. so, i am listing these in hopes someone will like them too! i made myself one, ha!

HAPPY FRIDAY, and i hope you have a lovely weekend. i get to get some supplies for real and sit down and really make a gang of pendants for my stores. more info on them when the orders are out but i have herbivore, union rose, tender loving empire and motokitty on the burner right now. :) so, supplies are way in order! i hope your weekend is fun AND productive....

catching up!

playing catch up from last week, the weekend and yesterday. it never ends ha ha!

the best up shot from last weeks interviews was i got the job! i even have a fancy-title of assistant manager. :) so, tomorrow is training and there are two more classes i have to go through on fair housing and law. good to know, good to know. don't want to break any laws now...this whole opportunity was a streak of good luck that i am hoping continues well into the spring. good things happen when i let them...it always works out that way.

over the weekend we took the girls to see horton hears a who and it was cute! lucy sat through it and only needed a lobby break one time. she liked the elephant, so it was a win-win.

tonight adrienne is coming by and we are going to foster her sisters little dog until we can find him a great home. i would keep him myself because he is just so effing cute, but we are at dog capacity and he will be needing some hip surgery in the near future. little toy breeds often develop problems due to breeding, and his is a bone/joint issue. poor little guy! we will do our best to find him the best home on the planet! i know i will be taking a zillion pictures of him with our pups...

interview #2

interview number two is (edit*** i said tomorrow but it is really thursday!!! duh i don't even know what day it is)...wish me luck. i almost did a spit take when she said "come down to our corporate office"...me and corporate are like oil and water. but whateves. such is the way of the world nowadays. lucky for me this job won't seem like a job and will be so effing worth it. i think i can handle a few office hours on saturdays, er...um, at least i hope i can handle it ha ha! best thing is i can crochet on the job :) snap! i had to consume mass quantities of coffee this morning from the shitty sleep over this whole interview thing. i just want the job--you know? i don't want all this pomp and circumstance. if i told you the "duties" you would laugh with me, i know it!

because of this job we are looking to trade in our beater for a subaru forrester that is a good deal plus has the fabric package (no leather, yay!). i have never driven a 4 wheel drive car before, but i am all game! if i got a newer more reliable car i would be day tripping like a mother fucker. i love driving and exploring. i know north and central california pretty damned well, but have yet explore northern portland. i want to drive to the coast and day camp at the beach. yum! :)))))))))) well, so that is just a thought right now, hopefully things will fall into place.

things usually do, if i don't think about them too much. i wonder why that is?

albatross! get it on a stick!

that is monty python's comedic genius, not mine i have to admit. and we don't eat giant sea birds here. however i do have them grace cute little mini-clutches from time to time :) the weather is very bi-polar, with it raining while there were blue skies and sunshine to the deluge of water worthy of building an arc--all in the same hour! it is totally funky. i love it. then while we were sitting listening to some neil young on album (after the gold rush if you need some good music to listen to right about now....) i had the sudden--almost lightening fast craving for spaghetti factory. we used to go all the time back in sacramento and i forgot there is one here. all we can eat is the spaghetti, bread and salad but it was just as comforting as i remember it to be. it reminds me of kelley--she loved that place and the girls loved to sit in the little train car on the inside. memories! anyway, that was fun and i am stuffed with pasta. yay!

i got a call back for the second job interview and missed the call so i won't know until monday when they would like to see me. she mentioned monday in her message but i need a day to procure sitting for the girls. i am really stoked--this job would be a fucking cake walk. it won't even seem like a job to be honest.
wish me luck!

come back sun! come back!

yesterday was sooo nice compared to today. even though it could be a thousand times worse this drizzle is just.....drizzly. i miss the sunshine.

i love you portland. you and your wacky weather.

the J word

it's the "J" word...j-o-b. i stumbled upon a seriously great opportunity that won't really feel like work since i stay home to make stuff and work with the girls. i had my first interview today and i think i have it in the bag, baby. it is part time to the maximum and will help out the money situation so like for example-i wanted to buy new business cards i could...or tags i could...or supplies i could...yeah. nothing will change on the nfb front other than hopefully i will rock even harder this spring.

i have been working on a few things in the mean time such as another headband and a owl stuffie with lavender. i need more button parts and a few more supplies that would make life awesome...including getting my sewing machine fixed up properly. i scoped out the sewing machine center for how much, but much like a car they need to diagnosis the problem first. getting her back up and running is pretty much on top of my list of needs/wants right now. it is serious people! my work space is finally unpacked. i just need one more storage system and i will be set up! moving is a lot of work with all these kids, pets and peoples junk. next time it is movers for sure.

busy bee buzzzzz

finishing touches on the final move, mostly stuff going to our storage last minute. can. not. wait. to be finished with everything in regards to the old house. this week will be a weight off my shoulders just for that alone. the past week has been a busy, productive week--etsy sales picked up, as for my site and i have some renewed vigor for beginning some new pieces.

i finished another headband, and got the custom photo soldered pendants finished and sent out. (on a side note i have a new and spiffy post office that is quite near--we drove by and dropped off some outgoing mail to check it out yesterday--there are a few really neat features of our new neighborhood we are loving checking out. like the golf course and the trails and hills. so cool to explore...)

i fell in love with my bike again, as we moved it over here...all it needs is a chain and a new rim since shawn converted it to single speed :) i can't wait for those family bike rides to come. i am craving spring!

brrrr

it is a *chilly* start to this morning! at least it is dry-ish and has potential. this morning has been all about hot tea, oatmeal and lucy's luscious lips gloppy with lip gloss. the kid has a uh...fascination with chapsticks, lip glosses and makeup in general. many a time i have caught her with my good mascara attempting to apply. :)

i finished up a head band, all cotton with a matching 1.25" vintage fabric button. it is 1.5" wide and over 20" long not counting the ties. it goes past your ears, and could tame even the most unruly dreads or dress up the shortest of hair. i am working on another one with little nubbys for texture. like a modern day tiara for the non-princess.

my feet are freezing and i have to locate my ugly fuzzy socks i wear around the house. i have instituted a "NO shoes past the front door" rule and shawn is all excited to wear his vato house shoes. i think i will crochet me some ballerina slippers or mary-janes...the girls are the barefeet type and the dogs have stayed exceptionally clean since we have moved. maybe this carpet has a chance ha ha!

happy tuesday!

shame motivates me

i just got off the phone with my mother, who was talking this morning with her 90-something year old sister in wyoming. she, by 11am her time had already baked a pasta dish for supper, hand made bread loafs and beiroks (roll with cooked cabbage and meat or in our case soy crumbles inside), made a cabbage soup to freeze plus a strawberry tart. and the dishes she made all morning long.

uh yeah when i was talking to my mom i was on my second cup of coffee just contemplating what the hell to do with my life. :) so, i finished up some listings and am myself geared up for an afternoon errand run. after i talked to my mom i felt like a bum so i did crochet a head band that just needs one more tie and some lining. not surprisingly i *still* feel like a bum ha ha. well, one step at a time!

*new soldered pendants and a seagull necklace series both on neverfeltbetterbyjen.com
and also
the etsy shop


happy monday!!!

can't. stop. 'til. i. get. enough.

i am just going to have to commit to hand sewing some stuff in the upcoming week, i just cannot stop thinking about my sewing machine being on the fritz :( i have so many ideas, but luckily most of them can be accomplished with somewhat labor intensive.

i finished a few more pendants, one more of the seagull series of necklaces. the rest are pendants. also, i crocheted a new hair band for myself which i think i can recreate pretty easily and most importantly, pretty cute ha ha.

we were at the old house today cleaning getting the storage situation under control. lucky we have through next weekend to get it all sorted out. and lucky we have a friend who is letting us store out basement and outside stuff in her garage for free. i didn't want to have to rent another truck, but i think one more day with one would be all it would take, since we have storage here as well. i cannot wait until well into next week when this is all a memory :) and hopefully the weather is just as nice as it has been this past week. that has been helping this whole thing like crazy. i can't tell you how many midnight, rainy moves i have done. it all pretty much sucks unless you have movers :)

oh snap, really?

i actually made stuff today! hold the phone you heard that right. see, i was really frustrated that i could not fix my sewing machine and figured i just really need to have it fixed by a pro. so, my depression over that led me to the thrift store that led me to the package of vintage paper place mats with seagulls all over them. snappity snap snap! i am making a necklace series based on them since they are so flipping rad. double sided, jonathan seagull on one side, fluffy clouds or frothy sea on the other. i also made a head scarf for my bad hair days, a protype for what is to come in the shop :)

it was a nice day all around, especially the vegan sloppy joes. recipe taken from the veganomicon, highly recommended.

leap day wtf?

hey whatever it is called, it is the last day of this month and i could not be more pleased! here is to a new month, spring days and new beginnings!

last night i made some teriyaki tempeh and it turned out pretty good. i also checked out the asian close-out store up the street and what a treasure that was. i picked up a scooter for lucy for $15 and she is scooting around the house as we speak. pink, of course and it has "HAPPY" all over it. yes, it is making everyone HAPPY :) on a impulse purchase i also grabbed some meditation chime balls and have been twirling those around all night. whenever i need some quick zen and help for my poor circulation i will be fiddling with those i know it.

my sewing machine is in the back of my car and i think it is going to need a tune up again and a second look a the timing situation. once i get that up and running i am hoping to actually make something, which will be the cherry on top of my sundae of this move being 97% done and over with.

paupers palace

time to drop all pretense and embrace reality people! the economy is in a DEEP DIVE and if you aren't tightening your belt i fear for you in the next 18 months! lucky for me i have a constant reminder of how good we have it, even in an 'economic downturn' ha ha ha.

some of my fav things i am enjoying from my recent move:

*welcome home*

finally in a (head)space where i can relax and get a feel for the day after a long and grueling three day move. and there is still clean up to be done at the old place this weekend! as i sit and look around with things neatly put away (i have a linen closet for the first time EVER omg) i try and think back to hauling all these boxes and boxes of crap up here and it is all a blur. a thankful blur, kinda like childbirth. ha ha.

i have a TON of art/craft stuff that needs to be contended with asap. i feel pretty good and would like to get it out somehow. i am having a organizational issue with all of it at the moment!

i absolutely adore everything right now.

happy tuesday :)

we're a'movin' on up!

after last weeks dental hell, and a short respite i am fully packed and just waiting for tomorrow and saturday to roll around to get this behind me! it only took seven days for my gum and jaw to heal (yep. that is sarcasm you detect) but the good news is i have been off the junk since weds night. that percacet is a killa! so, tomorrow we get the van and embark on our new journey. i get so single minded during things like this, if i think of anything else i feel guilty for not putting more time and thought into the first thing. so, as a result nfb is on a short badly needed hiatus for the move, a regroup and a soul filler-upper to get the creative juices flowing again.

until then, i feather my new nest with renewed vigor and vows to live life less clutter free and insane. can it be done? we shall see!

**see my picture is a moving van for nfb! this is how we roll....***

chipmonk cheek, drugs and valentines

happy valentines day, y'all.

so far i have a swollen cheek and stitches to show for mine! yesterday i had a small oral surgery (well it started out small, but turned out to be a 'difficult extraction' of a molar) and today i get to hang out in bed with my percacet, various liquids and mushy food. i appreciate being told to GO TO BED for a day, because otherwise i am overwhelmed by boxes, cleaning and the impending move set a week from friday.

mr. valentine shawn has been wonderful and made me a wonderful slurpable dinner last night and has taken the best care of me, and the girls have been on their best behaviour. lucy loves to kiss my cheek and say 'u hurt? have owie?' she is a little caretaker, and it is sweet.

off to go prop myself up, and to hang out with a magazine. :)

nfb headquarters is moving!

the whole operation is moving in less than ten days! my house is up in high chaos right now, and it will most certainly get more chaotic before the week is up. this move is a good move to help simplify things for our household and also it will allow us to save some money that just seems to hemorrhage via our utilities and rent. plus we have some big trip ideas for the spring and summer such as camping and traveling that we need to be able to save money for. shawn wants a vanagon...biodiesel. :)

right now never felt better is on a hiatus for the next month. nothing creative can come of anything right now other than ensuring my nest is feathered properly. :) but orders will still be shipped as usual, of course.

last night i was packing some in our room and i had these boxes that were from at least the last 4 moves if not longer. lots of stuff from memory lane and all my old diaries and love letters. stuff to give my daughters when they are WAY older ha ha. i purged a lot of the stuff i scratched my head over and the room is basically packed minus the clothes and the computer desk/tv. my craft stuff is entirely packed. today i am tackling the front room's books and video game mess. we need a new bookshelf badly, too. gah--have i mentioned how much i LOVE moving? ha ha.

well let me put it this way i have moving on the brain, can't get anything else done until this portion of my life passes. i will post some pictures of the moving chaos soon! :)

i <3 granny panties

you should too if you are in the portland area on february 9th--come on down for some drinking, crafts, valentine making...drinking.... :) last year i had some yummy lychee and cherry flavored cocktails and i know this year there will be some equally yummy concoctions for your consumption!

and in other news, i got my glass FINALLY and hey you know what? i can read what i am blathering now and my head doesn't split when i crochet! imagine that! it is like a miracle. the miracle of getting OLD.

we had my 10 year olds birthday this week and lots of excitement surrounding that landmark. we just got back from target where (gasp--not handmade...shhhh! ha ha) she spent her two gift cards on this HUGE littlest pet shop village thing that is out of control. the kid has a million of them but loves them all dearly so i won't grumble too much about cheap plastic toys.

lucy was deathly ill with some crazy super bug but has since bounced back. it was really scary for a minute there. i think we all had/have a touch of whatever killer virus is going around. we like to kiss and hug a lot here so it just keeps getting passed back and forth, i am sure. i have been doing emergen-c's as shots so i don't feel like too much hell. i sure can't wait for winter to be over. it has been a weird one for sure!

i can't believe i have to say it twice

from the very bottom of this very page, and from the top of common sense:

"don't steal. stealing images from the internet is bad, BAD! if you link to me--that makes me happy! but if you rip off these pictures and pass them off as your own....tsk and shame! if you would like to use an image, contact me first. that would be nice." <---- hon, learn to read!

all you have to do is email me and let me know, or ask for better shots if you really want some that bad. have a feeling it is the ip from roseville and that would be just peaches...until you ripped off my photo. :)

next time have your DH pick up a phone, or peck out an email asking for pictures. a new concept, i know but try it. i would hate for you to fall prey to a big old internet monkey maneuver...again.