Ambien affected my judgment, now I buy cool stuff!

I love perusing Etsy listings, I especially like to make my searches vague to see what I come up with.  I stumbled on a shop called Pieceful Design and I bought a few items on my first visit.  When I received my purchases I liked them so much I went back and bought some more.  


The woman who the shop belongs to is Jennifer Brown and her profile says:

A former teacher, I'm now trying to make a go of it as a fiber artist. Translation: I'm trying to find something to do to keep me sane while being at home with my kids. What can I say? Fabric makes me happy. Selling things made from fabric makes me ecstatic!

She makes bowls, baskets, er .. fabric bowls.  She calls them both.  I was looking for (aha I just remembered how I found her!) a basket to put in my bathroom to hold all the handmade lotions and scrubs and yummy goodies I had already bought on Etsy.  I think I bought 3 bowls the first time and one is in my bathroom while I used the other 2 for sorting my mosaics while working on my table.  


Now that I have a total of 7 of these baskets in various sizes, I am still just as happy with them as the day the first one arrived on my doorstep.  As soon as I receive them (cough *may have been shopping again* cough) I plan on putting some vintage hankies in one along with some beautiful lavender sachets (I am also waiting for..cough), I think they will look wonderful together!  


Anyway, I love these fabric bowls and thought I would share but I'm going to stop now before I tell you everything else I've shopped for without the Ambien excuse.  At least now I'm being more careful, Jennifer's bowls are very reasonably priced!

**Added - just found some more of Jennifer's profile - this is my kind of gal, too funny!

For international shipping (other than Canada), please convo with me and we'll figure out the appropriate shipping charges together. I have to admit, it scares me a bit-- but then, again, so do cupcakes.

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Another day another poop in my shoe.

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Adorable, right?

I've had a headache all day, and upon walking in the door from work what do I find?  Cat puke in the exact same spot I have been working on to getting the stain out from the 4362 OTHER times it has been puked on, and if that wasn't bad enough?  As I side-stepped the puke to go into my bedroom so I could at least change my clothes before I cleaned it up, what gift was waiting for me in there?  Yep.  Riley pooped in my new slippers.  My cute sheepie slippers.  


So, I was mad, right?  Get away from me Riley, you think I'm feeding you right this minute?  You've got another thing coming.  I turned on my computer and started to read my email.  


Apparently not a good idea.


Today was not the day to read an email from a family member who shall not be named - ever - forwarded to me.  Apparently she ..er .. he/she is not happy with the speed in which my mother's estate is being settled.  Estate, that's funny!  


Well .. let's just say my email in response was basically about how we might be genetically related but that's about all I'll ever admit to and how I thought it might be a good time for him/her to eff off and never contact me again.  


The sad thing is, I meant it.


To work off some anger and aggravate my headache (I didn't say I make the smartest decisions) I decided to go for a walk.  Wow!  Something positive, not self destructive or cruel to small animals but uh .. did I mention it's only 29 degrees here?????  


Tomorrow will be better, tomorrow will be better, tomorrow will be better, tomorrow will be better, tomorrow will be better, tomorrow will be better ..

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Maxine Monday

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Still tired and still confused and upset about Jason's kid!

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Last night was the second sleep study and it was different from the first in that the technician I had was more experienced than the first, and knew all the tricks to making the 592 wires (of course that is either approximate or wildly exaggerated) less obtrusive.  She ran wires under my pajamas so they weren't as easy for me to get caught up in and made it easier to turn over and generally get into a more comfortable position.  Her name was Janet and I cannot tell you what self restraint it took on my part to not say "damn-it Janet" lest I use the reference she has probably heard every day since Rocky Horror came out.


This time I slept using the cpap machine, forcing humidified air into my nose all night.  Once I got past my initial twinge of claustrophobia (the only air I can breathe is coming through this mask and I'm not sure it feels like enough ...!) I was fine.  A friend of mine uses one of these and says that she frequently wakes up with the mask on the floor next to the bed or on the pillow next to her head so I was surprised I slept with it on my face with little difficulty all night.


I took a sleeping pill when I got there which I'm sure helped me fall asleep, but it apparently still took me a good 4 hours before I got into REM sleep.  I don't know what any of it means, I have to wait for the pulmonologist to review the results to see what the recommendations are.


I don't expect miracles but I would like to feel rested - at least some of the time.  Came home and napped for a good part of the day, now I have a headache and am all stuffed up after watching some episodes of General Hospital from last week that made me cry, cry, and cry some more.  Y'know they have pulled this before, killing somebodies kid so another kid can be saved because of the miracle of their friend giving one of their organs to their child .. but this time the kid who died was Jason's.  Jason doesn't cry.  So when Jason cried, I cried.  A lot.  Sheesh.


Going to go to bed early and sleep some more so I can get some things done tomorrow.  The weekend is never long enough.


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Move to Illinois! (If you're CRAZY!!)

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Last week (or was it the week before?) the temps were in the 60's.  The last couple of days it has been so gray I have had to check the time when I wake up because it's so dark out.  GRAY.  Today?  It snowed.

On a sweeter note, if you're old and cold cause you don't have much meat on your bones, it's nice to have a big floofy friend to sleep on.

Nice.  Almost makes up for the lack of Spring.


Almost.


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Feedback, what's it to ya?

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I'm likely to offend some or many but since many do not read this blog I will retract that part of the statement.  Let's talk about feedback.


Grrrrrr....

When I buy something from eBay or Etsy I leave feedback after I receive my purchase.  I may not be incredibly quick about it, but I always do it.  The way I look at it, if I sell you something and you like it I would love to know.  But I do not see feedback as a requirement and I do not request it.  Feedback should be given willingly, not because someone has sent you an email suggesting you might have forgotten to leave feedback for them.  WTF???  Since when do people ask others to say nice things to them?  It's just weird.


Plus, if someone buys something from me, I go and give them feedback right away.  As long as they have paid me really, that is all that is expected of a customer, right?  So I give them feedback thanking them for immediate payment, great communication, simple transaction, whatever nice thing I feel like at that moment.  I've never said anything bad about a customer.  But what about those sellers that wait until you receive the item you have purchased from them before they leave feedback for you?  So ... I'm guessing if you leave them a bad comment like "This thing I bought is an ugly piece of trash" they will reciprocate in kind?  I mean, why else do they wait?  And why should the 2 things be tied together? 

If you are a seller and a customer purchases and pays, you leave them feedback.  If you are a buyer and receive your item you leave feedback.  Sellers shouldn't wait until they see the buyers feedback, and if the seller does not receive feedback - I just don't think it's cool for them to email to remind a customer to leave it.


Maybe I am sensitive about this because admittedly I'm not always prompt leaving feedback.  I know it and I'm sorry, OKAY?  But asking someone for feedback kind of negates the legitimacy of it.  Doesn't it?  And for a seller to wait until the buyer leaves them feedback - means they are not commenting on what a good customer the person is to pay right away which all I ever expect (c'mon - the customer is always right, right?) but are commenting on what kind of comment THEY get.


PPfffffttttttttt!  It's just all so much bad manners.  Or something.


It annoys me.  Can you tell?


I will say though, it happens much more on eBay than Etsy.  Just sayin'.  But wherever it happens it just burns my butt.  


Rant over, please return to your regularly scheduled programming.  Thank you for listening.


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Maxine Monday

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It's Wednesday?

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What happened to Monday and Tuesday?  Not sure what I've been doing.  Just very tired so much of the time.  Saw my doc for my "supervised diet" - lost 6 lbs.  Personally I think someone there likes me and rigged the scale so I wouldn't break down and cry.  Been reading blogs but rarely commenting, just haven't felt like it.  Like it's too much effort which is just not nice or true.  


My daughter and I went thrift/resale shopping on Saturday, that was fun.  It was nice to spend a day with her, she doesn't live at home anymore and I don't get her all to myself that often.  We went shopping and bought some things we did not need, but for very little money so it didn't feel wasteful.  Went to dinner and ate salads and fat free frozen yogurt.  Yes.  There were sprinkles.  

Click to see bigger

Also did some work on my mosaic table project.  It's a table that looks like it started as maybe a rough cabinet door or something, and was screwed onto a wrought iron base.  The wood is unfinished around the edges and it is definitely make-shift.  Finished the mosaic on top, still have to seal the grout, put some trim on the sides and paint the base.  But here's what it looks like so far.  It isn't entirely level .. I read about how to make sure all your pieces of tile are even .. after I glued them all down.  But I am happy with it - with all it's imperfections.  It is my first try at this and it's made out of my dishes - well not my dishes, but broken pieces of my dishes - some Birds and Bees and some Sweet Shoppe, by Sue Zipkin.  Love my dishes, figured I would love my table and I do.  


I'm sure I will start commenting more again soon, maybe after a few naps.  SO sleepy!

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Maxine Monday

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Be careful what you wish for!

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I really always did want to do a sleep study.  And while it was miserable and I felt like I never slept what with all those wires all over me, I was still glad I did it.  But I never wished to do it TWICE!


Yeah, got my results today.  Mild sleep apnea during non-REM sleep.  If there is apnea during non-REM sleep, there is probably more severe apnea during REM sleep.  Unfortunately when I had my sleep study, I never got into a good REM stage of sleep.  So basically I was barely asleep all night which is how I feel most nights.  And they want me to do it again, with something to help me get into REM sleep.  Not Ambien but something similar.  


Won't have my laptop with me so I won't shop.


One sleep study is cool, two?  Cruel and unusual punishment.  


But, since I would like to know what it feels like to wake up actually feeling like I have rested, I will do it again.  Besides, did you know that if you do not sleep well your metabolism slows down and makes it more difficult to lose weight?  


Me neither.  And either that's true or these people have already figured me out and know what to tell me to motivate me.


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Maxine Monday

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Cable, tags, and broken dishes.

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Internet has been up and down here, cable company came out today and replaced the bad cable outside. Thank the Lord I thought my son was going to lose his mind.  I have projects going on, for real and in my head.  I'm working on doing a mosaic on a table-top, with broken ceramic tiles.  I bought the tiles a few years ago and finally decided to try the table.  Most people start with a trivet but I guess I'm not most people.  I'm not Charlie Sheen either, omg what's UP with that guy?  

Click to go to shop

So I showed my office roommate at work some pics of the table and she said "it's pretty . . . um . . . aren't some of the pieces too far apart?"  Bitch.  Oops. Was that my outside voice?


Anyway, I realize I had no experience or pattern or idea what I was doing.  But it's mine and I like it.  And I will like it when it's done whether or not some of the pieces are farther apart then others - geez - it's made of broken dishes for goodness sakes!  


The other project is also a table, an end table I sanded (not sure I sanded enough but whatever) and have painted white.  Will sand it and paint it some more, and then I will do a collage on the bottom shelf, made out of tags I bought on Etsy.  If I like it - I may do a collage on top as well. Mod podge, doncha know. 

Click to go to shop

I have a bunch of other things I want to do but I think my brain is way more active than my body is.  Still, gonna try to get some fun things done.


Tired of feeling guilty about not getting the dishes done, or the sheets washed or whatever else I should be doing.  This is about what I want to be doing.  I work hard all day (yes, I still have my job) so I can do some fun things when I get home.


Speaking of fun work tomorrow is the conference call we have every week that I melted down on last week. This week?  It's called MUTE.

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Gary Cooper doesn't have the clout he used to.

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I’m not good with mailing things these days.  Since I started paying all of my bills online, writing a check by hand is foreign to me, and putting a stamp on an envelope and putting it in a mailbox is totally not done anymore.  Well, by me.  I get copious amounts of mail, but I don’t sent copious amounts out.

So when I had to send some stuff to my brother in a large envelope, I had no idea how much postage to put on it.  It was light, I just didn’t want to fold it.  I thought Gary Cooper would cover it.  I mean, it was a big stamp!  It doesn’t work that way?

Oh. 

You are correct, apparently. Gary Cooper batting his baby blues wasn’t enough to mail this large envelope from the Midwest to the east coast.  If it were me I would have let it go I mean – who uses big stamps with pictures of fabulous dead celebrities on them, anyway?  The pleasure it brought to some postal worker should have made up for a few cents.

But NO-O-O-o-o-o-o … !!

I had to get my hand slapped with this!

Now it’s been a really long time since I’ve seen that message stamped on a piece of mail, but the last time I recall seeing the amount of postage due written in that little space.  And I believe I took the amount due, put it in another envelope and put it in my mailbox for my letter carrier who had generously fronted me the due-age.  Couldn’t they have done that?? 

Instead they never delivered it to my brother, they just sent it back to me, marring Gary’s face with that inky stamp covering his handsome visage. 

Oh the humanity.  It’s just sad, it's true - there is no civility left in America. 


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