Hurrah For The Red, White, And Blue!

Thanks to my phenomenal swap partner Jane from Out Of The Crayon Box for the wonderful treats I received as a part of the Hurrah For The Red, White and Blue swap over at Sweet Goodness Swaps. Lots of pics to share!

Here's a pic of a lot of the items! Including the very thoughtful peanut butter doggie treats that Chip, Pepper, and Teach all enjoyed.


The photo doesn't do it justice but this fun print make up a very cool bib-style apron as well as the yummy sour Jelly Bellies that hubby very much enjoyed. Treats for the hubby and the pups, check. EVERYTHING else is all mine :)


Cute shoulder tote and really cool potholder. Close ups to follow.


Here's a closeup of the bag so you can see the pretty fabric and some of the detail in the bag as well.



The fabric is all quilted together from the collection of red, white, and blue fabrics Jane had.


I know what you're thinking: "Who is that absolutely adorable girl in that photo on that pillow?" Well that adorable little girl would be me! What a fantastic treat to discover when I opened the box!


A Bakers Dozen of cupcake pics that I thoroughly plan to use on the 4th. Yummy cupcakes all around!


This cool frames was made from Coke and Diet coke cans. So adorable! I think I'm going to take a pic from the 4th this year to personalize it :)

So thanks again to Jane and Sweet Goodness Swaps for a super fun swap!

:: waves sheepishly ::

Hi, my name is Mandi and I used to have a blog...well technically I still have a blog, several of them actually, I'm just not all that great at keeping up with them.

Over the last...who knows how long...I've reverted to my "old school" ways and re-immersed myself in some long-forgotten ways which would be my love for music and music photography. I've gotten quite a bit of grief for my recent choices because apparently there's an age limit on doing what I'm doing. Silly me, I had no idea!

It probably has something to do with the fact that a lot of the kids (yeah KIDS) in these bands I photograph are somewhere around 10 years my junior... But that's neither here nor there, I'm happy doing it, I'm hoping the right person (people) will see it one day and I'll finally have that chance to live my dream.

Here's a sample of my photography. I'm never happier "working" then when doing this "work."

But fear not friends, I haven't left my crafty ways behind. I'm just slightly dis-organized right now. The last project I did was back in November (GASP!) but it turned out better than I thought. My friend Candace and I are fans of this band called Honor Society. Well actually they're friends of hers but we're still fans. So I copied their logo and did a hand drawing of it on felt and embroidered it onto a pre-made tote bag. I then added her name to the top to give it a personal touch. It was pretty complicated with the fancy lettering and all the stripes but in the end I was very pleased. I'm supposed to make 2 more of these but this was more difficult than I had expected.

Now even though my last 'project' was way back in November, I've still been keeping busy with other crafty endeavours. I'm still cranking away at my event planning business and people are actually taking notice! I did a cool, FREE promotional event at Babies R Us that I was contacted about last minute, while I was shopping in NYC no less (let's remember I do not LIVE in NYC haha). Since it was so last minute, my mom and I worked for about 15 hours to get a presentation together. We made favors, big display posters, a gorgeous basket to give away, and built a candy bar for our table. It turned out GORGEOUS. People were drawn to it all day and kept complimenting everything. I hope that will lead to business; a lot of business cards and brochures were distributed.

This isn't a great sample of the table, I'm not sure which computer holds the rest of the pictures but it doesn't seem to be this one. There was a contest for nicest vendor display which I KNOW we would have one if Edible Arrangements hadn't been handing out chocolate covered strawberries :( Ah well, at least I know ours looked the best.

The shower umbrella in the photo is not the one we use for parties. That particular one has been in my family for nearly 40 years. My great-grandmother made it for my Aunt when she was pregnant with my cousin in 1971. That's what my mom tells me anyway. She covered a clear plastic umbrella with silk fabric and lace. It's held up nicely with just some minor updates and repair work over the years. We change the colors for every shower. We still use it for family/family friend showers.

I've started an email newsletter for my event planning biz and would be thrilled if you signed up for it! You can sign up right on my website! Please note that when you sign up you'll get a confirmation email that may come from me (mandi@yourmagicalevents.com) and it tends to find its way to people's spam folders so keep an eye out for it! The newsletter is full of fun party tips, recipes, and lots of fun ideas.

Right now I'm working on a huge party in August that will be for about 50 kids all ages up to 17! There's a lot of money available for this event so it's going to be a great time, we're renting carnival games and fooz ball tables and popcorn machines and there's going to be an ice cream sundae station! I will be running a craft station where the kids can make their own Venetian masks! Sure they're foam but they'll be able to wear them when they're finish! I'm decorating the party with a fun carnival theme that will feature tons of balloons. I'm trying to come up with some other ideas for decor, what do you think?

I swear I'm hoping to update this thing more often. I'd like to post one of my pics on here in each update because I'm really proud of them and I hope you enjoy them too!

How to be the Best at EVERYTHING

On Today's installment of "How to be the BEST at EVERYTHING" I've decided to use "How to Explain why you are Late for School" in honor of school starting up shortly around the country.

HOW TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU ARE LATER FOR SCHOOL

by Juliana Foster

"It's always a good idea to have a few excuses up your sleeve should you ever be late for school (through no fault of your own, of course):

"I cam all the way to school before I realized I still had my pajamas on, and had to go home and change.

"When I got here my teacher wasn't in the classroom, so I went out looking for her.

"I was abducted by aliens for experimental purposes. I have been gone for 50 years, but fortunately in Earth time it was only an hour.

"I invented a time machine that took me forward to my college graduation. I saw that I will graduat magna cum laude, so I think I can take things easy from now on.

"I was helping Little Bo Peep find her sheep.

"I squeezed the toothpaste too hard, and spent all morning getting it back in the tube.

"My parents lost the key to my cage.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you why I'm late, The government has sworn me to secrecy.

"I'm not late, everyone else is early."

____________________________________________________

With that being shared, has anyone out there heard any excellent and creative excuses for being late? It doesn't have to be for school, work is good as well. Now that I'm kind of a member of the working force again, I'll need to brush up, haha.

_____________________________________________________

I got a chance to play with my newest toy, my brand new professional grade camera the Canon 40D and I must say it's unleashed a monster. I'm ready to get back full swing into photographing concerts and musicians. They just have so much passion and show so much emotion that so many people miss during live performances. I do have to figure out how to get photo passes and things because that was never something I had to deal with in the past. I'd like to do it the right way, rather than sneaking my camera into concerts and hoping I don't get caught.

I also have no shame in admitting that I'm a fangirl and I dig the Jonas Brothers. Apparently my inner child came out to rock and she's planted her feet because she's not going anywhere!

So maybe my camera wasn't supposed to be in the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore on August 6, 2008 but somehow it found it's way in there anyway. I'm glad to know I still have a: the ability to sneak my camera into an concert venue and b: the eye for great music photography.

Anyway, I hope to add some photos to my new and improved photo website, Photographs by ALL, at some point during my crazy week. I'll keep you posted.

__________________________________________________
I also have great things in store for future posts! I have some great, cheap finds to share, some crafty creations, and a special surprise from my super thoughtful hubby.

Sorry this was a little on the short side, I just wanted to stop by before I ran off for that evil work thing.

Have a great hump day!

I'm here. Where ever that is.

Hey Gang,

I know I've been gone forever but I'm going to try to post again, although it may be only once a week or so. I haven't really been doing too much of anything at all. I've just been a little distracted.

My unemployment ran out but luckily I was able to get the emergency extension that was just put into effect so I have 13 more weeks. I have no idea what to do with myself, I obviously want my business to succeed but I can't rush it so I need to have work that will tide me over while I build my business. I can't settle on one business but luckily all of my interests are kind of related so it's not too crazy. I'm still focusing on Your Magical Events as my main business but I'm also trying to get back into my first love, music business photography. This will be a side project of mine that will hopefully bring my love for photography back.

I used to work for a radio station and I got to photograph some pretty cool bands and I got a lot of experience doing what I loved while I was there. They are dealing with a hiring freeze and no budget so they don't have access for me right now. They may be hiring a station photographer soon so maybe I'll get to do that. I'm in the process of getting all of my old negatives scanned in so I don't have many to share right now but I have this one...

I met a guy by the name of Gavin Degraw at one show and I had no idea who he was. He was just this really cool guy that was really down to earth and he posed like a goob for this photo. Now I love him and I can't imagine not listening to his music all the time, especially the bonus disc of his first album, Chariot Stripped.

My website for my music photography is the same as my website for my wedding and portraiture photography, two domains go to the same site. ALL Photography or Memories by Mandi

I want to take this time to give a huge swappy thanks to Kirsten at Preppy Pink Crocodile for my wonderful swap package from the Parasols, Polka Dots, and Pink Lemonade swap hosted by Sweet Goodness Swaps back in June. I haven't loaded my pics of my wonderful goodies yet but there are some pics of everything on her blog. It was such a treat to get this in the mail! And great crafty minds must think alike because we both did bags and we both lined said bags with parasol fabric. I promise I will load pics soon.

So other than trying to figure out what my calling is, I haven't been doing too much. I feel like I finally got what I called 'the poison' of my last job out of my system. All the employees were treated so bad there it was like they sucked out our souls. I'm not even kidding. So I am starting to feel a lot more like me than I have in a long time. Which probably has a little to do with me rediscovering my love of music photography. And I cut off my hair and got some fun new clothes to go with my rediscovery. Because while I was rediscovering me, I discovered Torrid, a trendy clothing shop for those of us who aren't quite a size 6.

This past weekend, I really identified with my inner child. In fact I let her out and that's where she's staying! At least for the time being. I went with two of my friends and my 11-year-old cousin Ally to Hershey Park, PA to go to the amusement park and see the Jonas Brothers in concert. We had such a great time! The park was fun, the company was awesome, and the concert was amazing; we saw Jonas Brothers, Avril Lavigne, and Demi Lovato (who is like a young Pat Benatar, I swear).

I call this shot, 'Shirt by Clandestine, Body by Milk Duds.' We were in chocolate world.

We kissed on the kissing tower...

spun on the tilt a whirl...

drooled over the giant hershey's kiss...

rode the rides....

anticipated a great show...

Donned our Chucks...

got 80s glamorous...

looked fantastic doing it....

and finally...

Rocked Out to an awesome show!!! It was such a fun weekend. And that was just Friday.

I will try to post a longer post later, I just wanted to touch base so people didn't think I fell off the face of the earth. I hope you have a great week!!

The 200

I got this from My Crazy Lil' World and it originated at Neighbor Jane Payne and it looked fun so here it is, the 200 things list.

All you need to do is copy this list on your blog (or anywhere you prefer) and bold the things you've done. Sounds simple enough right? Pictures and comments on different activities would be fun too!

200 Things
1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
(I wish!! haha, just kidding)

(I don't think they were actually fighting but it kind of looks like it...)

4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
(laying on the soccer field in college. for some reason the soccer field was in the woods. weird.)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
(even though it was a hill, I call it a mountain cuz it was high)
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
(we were in 8th grade and sang "Anything you want, you got it, Anything you need, you got it, Anything at all, you got it SPARROWS POINT MIDDLE SCHOOL, WE GOT IT! all the way up. We were so cool)
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
(Not due to lack of trying
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
My friend's baby was being baptised and it was the middle of mass....)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
(a trifecta no less, my first try, at preakness)
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
(Thought technically they are mental health days)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
(this is debatable. I have a pretty vivid memory of it when I was really little but underpants were involved. the cute girly ruffly kind)
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
(I do that at the grocery store singing along to the muzak like it's my job)
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
(I'd love to see Poland or Italy or Ireland)
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
(though I think it was really more like 2am.)
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
(I wish! It's on my list)
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
(Does alphabetizing my CDs count? I have like 600)
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
(Um, who hasn't?)
49. Sung karaoke
(even when there is no machine.)
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
(we have one just 15 minutes from our house, we try to go at least once every year. They have triPPPle features for like $10)
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
(I'm working on that right now)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
(I've made brownies from scratch so I'm counting that)
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
(My dogs have, twice, and I made the costumes so....)
63. Got flowers for no reason
(I was the one buying them but yeah)
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
(Hubby laughed at me because I recently bought a box of 96 crayons and a barbie and a strawberry shortcake coloring book and just went to town!)
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
(Toes, several times)
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
(Dramamine will do that to you. It was from Amsterdam to Newark. People said I ate and changed CDs on my player but I don't remember any of it. I was out in the middle of the security briefing)
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
(Didn't like it but I tried it.)
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
(I'm assuming marriage counts)
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
(I taught myself to crochet and I'm learning how to use a sewing machine right now. And I taught myself hand embroidery)
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
(Well I didn't do it directly but I've seen family members go in which is painful enough)
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
(This is technical, I worked for a radio station and was often used by the DJ to fill in breaks)
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
(I'd like to think so)
108. Brought out the worst in people
(I have a pretty vicious temper when provoked)
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
(Nightclubs anyway)
118. Played in a band
(It was a school band and I was in elementary school. I played the saxophone)
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
(I think I do that all the time!)
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant

(The local Rennaisance Festival. It was a little scary and a lot of stinky. My friend Laura is behind me. )
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
(The neighborhood where I grew up was the site of a battle from the War of 1812
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
(Once upon a time in Putt-Putt land.)
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
(I LOVE roller skating! I went just recently to a roller rink and broke the truck on one of my skates that I've had since like 7th grade! Now I need new skates)

I'm in the pink top kind of in the middle. Yay roller skating!!!
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
(Does business class on Air Tran count?)
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
(I don't know about 5 star but it was pretty luxurious. The Trump Taj Mahal hotel in Atlantic City made an error when booking my comp room. I wanted an adjoining room with my mom and ended up in this awesome suite. FOR FREE! It had two bathrooms, a bidet, a huge kind sized bed, TVs that popped out of the counter at a press of a button and a whirlpool tub! )
140. Flown in a helicopter
(An LAPD helicopter no less)
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
(Sometimes though I'm still not great at it)
145. Written a love-story
(Not published or anything but I finished it)
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
(It actually belonged to my aunt but I'm counting it anyway)
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
(Before I was laid off I carried my lunch in either a Pirates of the Caribbean or a Wolverine lunch box, depending on my mood)
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
(It wasn't a park bench but I've definitely fed ducks)
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
(Those fan letters paid off, even if the were form letters and 'stamped' autograph pictures)
166. Worn knickers
(This I can't be sure of but my mom was always putting me in something crazy)
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
(I only wish. And I only wish this about the winter olympics)
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
It all goes back to working at the radio station.
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
(A few times, it's my favorite)


(These are both from a swamp tour I took in New Orleans)
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
(I grew up on the water so we tried it once)
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
(Mine was through My Space)
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

I tag anyone who wants to have a little fun and share a little too!

20 Qestions

I've joined the Parasols, Pink Lemonade, and Polka Dots Swap at Sweet Goodness Swaps and they asked me to play a little get to know you game for the fun of the swap so here goes...


1. What is your favorite Summer Drink(s)?
I guess I should get more creative than water with lime. I like light, refreshing citrus drinks and citrus pop like Sierra Mist. I also love Margaritas (regular and fruity frozen with sugar) and pina coladas.
2. What is your favorite Summer Activity?
I love amusement parks and going to the pool on a hot day or taking the puppies out to the park if the weather isn't too hot.
3. If you could spend a lazy afternoon reading, what would be in your hands?
I've read it several times before but probably Harry Potter, although I did just enjoy reading a Nora Roberts series (Blue Dahlia) so maybe I'll try her again.
4. What is your favorite type of craft/art medium?
I love paper crafts like scrapbooking, stamping, and card making but I've been getting into sewing and embroidery lately.
5. What is one art/craft supply you absolutely have been dying to have or try?
There are so many. I don't know much about craft supplies outside of the paper craft realm so I'll stick to that. I'd love to try the crop o dile, the big, fancy sizzix, and using chalk when I do stamping instead of ink.
6. What are your favorite colors in our 'rainbow sherbet' theme? Pink, lime green, yellow, orange, aqua (or blue)?
I love the pink and lime green combo but I love aqua. I have to admit I love most colors, especially bright summery ones but I think aqua (blue) would be my favorite out of the choices.
7. What is your favorite sweet treat?
What isn't! I like tropical skittles, and smooth milk chocolate like cadbury and dove promises. And I love Lindor truffles.
8. Are there any craft or art supplies you would NOT be interested in receiving?
Hmmm....I don't really know of too many supplies but I guess since I don't do much with painting I wouldn't want to receive paint supplies. But then again who know what I may try next!
9. What is your favorite song today?
I can never pick one. I love that song Bubbly by Colbie Caillet and Lucky by Jason Mraz and (oddly enough) Colbie Caillet. My little playlist on the blog is a good representation of the music I like. Also my other playlist on my pirate's log on my space is a representation of some of the more rockin stuff
10. How do you 'pamper' yourself during the hot summer days?
When it's in the budget I love to get pedicures!
11. Do you have any kidlets or pets?
Three Dogs (Brussels Griffons), Chip, Pepper, and Teach.
12. What is your best potluck dish for summer get togethers?
Cheesecake or apple pie
13. If you could take a summer vacation anywhere, where would it be?
To an all inclusive, couples only resort. I'd take any of the Sandals resorts.
14. Describe your decorating style. Does that say anything about your personality?
I can't describe my decorating style. I do know that I am far from shabby chic. My decorating definitely says lots about my personality; I have movie posters (Lord of the Rings mainly) framed for the living room as well as a big framed picture of Yoda (we love Yoda here. But then my dining room is green and dark red (maroon-ish) and has a grape/wine theme going on with it. I usually get inspired by one piece and go kind of nuts.
15. What are your initials?
ALL like the detergent
16. Why do you like to join swaps?
I like to meet and/or learn more about people and see their creativity and style.
17. You have 25 dollars to spend just on you for a little treat. What do you buy? ((you can list more than one thing)
Another toughie....maybe a new CD (because I still buy CDs) or a DVD. Or maybe I'd go to the movies or get a pedicure.
18. What's one craft supply or art supply you absolutely can not live without?
Just one? Probably my paper cutter because I can't cut straight to save my life. Although I'm a little Cricut obsessed too.
19. Who's the last person you hugged?
Ryan, my hubby.
20. What's your favorite number and why?
Well 6 is my bday. Although 99 is always the number I have on jerseys (not that I play sports but I used it for powder puff football in high school and on my Anaheim Ducks Hockey jersey). I don't actually know why.

What a week

Sometimes, going to the movies can just be scary. What was supposed to be a reward for making it through a craptacular week end up being just a little frightening when I found this in the middle of the theater lobby.

And while I can be pretty scary, I'm talking about that big, scary thing behind me. And I thought you didn't want to see ME when I was angry. Big mistake ticking this guy off.

I won't bore you with all the details of my crappy week so I'll try to sum it up. Let's see, I got the sever run-around regarding a debt consolidation loan I'd been dreaming about since I got the debt in the first place. And this wasn't one of those 'get rid of all your credit cards' loans which always worry me because I wouldn't have credit back up for emergency. This loan should have been through my bank, but the run-around was ridiculous: They couldn't give me the amount I requested (apparently my debt was too high to get a debt consolidation loan. who knew?) and the interest they offered was 10% higher than the "best available" and I had to make the decision right that second which meant not discussing it with my hubby. So I did make my decision right away and it was that they were crazy and I was taking my business elsewhere. Since it was a personal loan, my bank uses an external company for it as opposed to doing home equity loans or something along those lines. I think that was why it was so annoying because I was practically dealing with a credit card company. Ugh....

On Wednesday, when I was coming back from one of my myriad doctor's visits regarding my knee, there was a police barricade making it REALLY difficult to get home (mind you I was only gone for about 20-25 minutes and there was no police when I left). I was detoured all over the place and for some reason, my street was the only one you could get to that was behind the barricade. You'd think that was lucky until I found out there was a fully armed swat team 1 block over. Um....can you say YIKES!!! I still don't know all the details but I'm going to try to get it out of my neighbors, they have family on the block that was calling them with the info as they figured it out....So back to the detour, while I was all over the place trying to get home, I was at a stop sign waiting to turn left to go home and there was a girl in front of me already turning left that I guess couldn't get to her block so she decided to back up and turn around. But guess what? I was still behind her so she backed right into me!! YAY! A big hole in my bumper!! Luckily Geico handled it smoothly and quickly and I even got a rental car. So that was nice.

Now the loan we applied for was not only to consolidate debt but also to pay for our new roof that's likely to cost us $3000 and to get our poor tree taken down in our front yard. There were other things that added some insult to injury but that was the gist of my week. I'm glad it's a new one anyway.

On to some happier things; during my week of craziness, I relaxed in the evening by trying out another crocheted project. I didn't use a pattern since I really just wanted to work on the stitching so I figure a baby-sized blanket would be a good project to try out without needing a pattern. I'm pretty happy with the results:

I even tried a little Picot edging around it. All of the yarn came from my sister, luckily it all matched! While the blank is intended for a baby, furrier four legged creatures appreciate it as well.

While you may not recognize him in his super need for a haircut, this is my favorite Ewok Teach getting all snuggly warm. You can click to enlarge the pic and see his cute little teefers and his black lips that give him that Ewok appearance.

Last night I spent the evening going through the manual of the 'it's new to me' sewing machine I picked up at the thrift store for $30. Here are the promised pics of the machine:

Nothing had me too confused so I went ahead and tried my first sewing machine project since middle school. I made a pillow using two cute bandanas from Walmart ($1 each!!). This has been a project I've wanted to do for a while but it would have been quite a lot of hand sewing so I passed. Here's how it turned out.

This is the side I consider 'the front' with the bigger button fitting right in the middle of the little 'target' design.

Rather than using the same bandana for both sides I went for a flower print in the same color. I am calling this 'the back'

Here is a close up of the front with it's pretty pink button. The button also came from Walmart in a big bag of buttons they sell for $1.50.

Now if I could only get over my hatred of cutting fabric (can't cut straight to save my life!!!), we'd be good to go.

I think Christmas in June might be coming soon to really cheer me up! Enjoy your week!