Tag: photos

Putting Your Minds at Ease

You guys have been pretty worried, haven’t you, that I might have suffered a vampire-free Christmas? Not so!


Score from Michael; game from Lynne. When’s everybody coming over for game night?!?

By the way, writers: Just as the soundtracks from the Twilight movies are UH-mazing, the scores provide great instrumental music to accompany writing sessions. I’m betting they’d be a nice break from Celtic music for body and energy workers, too.

Somewhat related: the Ongoing Saga of the Coasters. Last year, if you recall, I received FOUR sets. One I sent to Marika to match those matching citrus dishes (regifted to her after Christmas 2008). One set I regifted to Laura on her birthday in January–with ART. This year, I snuck Set 3 into a gift basket for Laura and Jess, and individually wrapped Set 4 with ornaments delivered to Lynne in a festive box. Since Laura gave Lynne the original lime coasters this year, I am currently COASTER FREE. I don’t remember the last time this was true.

However, I swear that somewhere out in the ‘burbs there’s a store called Citrus ‘R Us. How else do you explain these little items I received from Laura and Lynne?

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I will find this retail mecca before Christmas 2012. Less than 365 shopping days left!

If you ever want to review the coaster saga:

Laura’s Birthday 2011
Christmas 2010
And previously:
Those coasters Part 1
Those coasters Part 2
Those coasters Part 3
Those coasters Part 4
Those coasters Part 5

Magnetic Poetry 365:362

Only three more to go!

This is Penelope the Pig, a gift from Lynne. Her literature says: With her head-strong determination and good fortune, Penelope is the perfect depiction of overcoming impossible odds! Her personal wager against anyone using the phrase ‘When pigs fly!’ has brought much prosperity and abundance indeed.

Headstrong…determined…. Sounds familiar. Bring on the prosperity, Universe!

And thanks, Lynne. =)

Crafty Christmas

Just a few crafty things I did during the holidays…


My sister wrote a story for one of her granddaughters about a little gnome, and she wanted to give her one for Christmas who’d be like the gnome in the story. The online gnomes she could find didn’t fit the bill, and though she (and Tom and I) shopped in three cities at all kinds of stores, there wasn’t a girl gnome anywhere. I finally offered to create one. I found this little Fisher-Price Snap and Style Gabriela Doll and made her an outfit, including an apron and hat. Girl gnome!


All the little kids I’ve known like toys that make noise. Generally, parents do not. So it falls to kindly aunties to make sure they get them. Along with books (quiet time!) and Pier One’s jingle bell shakers, I found these pink maracas to give to Lila and Hanley. Only I bedazzled them to give them a little more magic. In doing so, the noise was a tiny bit muffled. You’re welcome, parents.


I think affirmations are a good thing–after all, look where Stuart Smalley is now!–so I created 30 family-related affirmations and put them in these little wooden boxes I painted to give to some of my family members. After all, I love these people and think they’re great; I want them to think so, too!


Speaking of crafty goodness and lovable family members, here’s an ornament Lila painted and gave to me, along with one of the cookies she baked with G (the name she calls her grandmother Lynne). She also sort of colored an angel for me. It may have been her first time using colored pencils, and my favorite part was that I, too, was coloring an angel next to her, and she’d periodically pull a pencil from the box and command, “Use this one!” I respect a bossy Aries. I think every year, I’ll coerce her into coloring another angel, so when the days of coloring are behind her (never!), she can see how her technique changed over the years. Another tradition!

And yes, Tim did keep his personal tradition alive and put up the angels on Christmas Eve, with a little help from Lindsey and Tom. Thanks, all!


You’re looking at the book titles, aren’t you? Stop it! Angels!

More hoochie mama

Here is the doll Marika said she would never buy me:

Here is the doll Marika said she would never buy me wearing an ensemble that came as part of the Stardoll fashion given to me by The Brides:

We’re not sure. Is this inspired by Gaga? Flava Flav? Hos ‘R Us? And what’s that hairpiece thing? Shriveled black bunny ears? Bow? Bat-tastic Rodent? Whatever, the boots are FAB.

Same deal as as with these dolls. Girl needs a name. Marika has provided a plethora to choose from, but she DIDN’T GIVE ME THIS DOLL. She was true to her word.

I have SO MANY PRESENTS

It’s like Santa exploded at The Compound last night, if Santa is named TomTimRhondaLindseyMarikaMichael/Katie. I can stretch this amazing haul over a sleigh-load of blog posts, but earlier today, I was reminded of the thrill of one of my favorite Christmases from childhood. It was the morning I ripped the Christmas paper off my Barbie and Ken Bride and Groom fashions and Barbie’s honeymoon trousseau. To a little girl who loved Barbies, opening those clothes and smelling everything new and plastic-y was heady stuff, and I played Wedding all day long. And all night. And all forever. Oh, how glad my family was.

This morning, as I was playing with a few of this year’s gifts, I felt like a total kid again. I dressed two new Barbie Basics from Tom in fashion I received from Rhonda and Lindsey and my Tom-family-Santa, Michael (though I feel like shopping for Barbie clothes may have fallen to Michael’s wife/Tom’s sister Katie).

Here’s how my dolls look in their new duds:

They’re standing on a black-and-pink woven basket that The Brides gave me, posed in front of a Barbie calendar page, also from The Brides. And therein lies the contrast between Young Becky’s Mattel and Old Adult Becky’s Mattel. The illustration is so chic, so classic, so Audrey Hepburn. And my Basics look very “So Lindsay Lohan and Tara Reid walk into a bar.”

Which leads me to the cautionary cross-stitch that is Marika’s gift:

I’m using it differently here, but “Don’t be a hooch” comes from a fantastic Tom Hanks spoof of “Toddlers and Tiaras,” which you can see here.

My new Model Muses have no names yet, so if you have suggestions, don’t judge them by their flashy fashion. They’re lovely girls. You can see names I’ve already used in this Flickr set. If I choose your name, there’s no prize EXCEPT GLORY! Don’t be so greedy–I’m sure Santa was good to you, too.