Getting Close to 5K

I've lengthened my running route, and last Wednesday and today I ran 2.64 miles! I'm almost to 3.1 which is a 5K.  


Luckily it is still relatively cool in the mornings when I run, but I know that soon it will be in the 90's as early as 7am.  I'm going to need to buy some running shorts as sweat pants aren't going to cut it for too much longer.


I'm still not a huge fan of the actual running part. I really have to force myself to go. I am a huge fan of the weight I've lost, and I'm also a fan of how I feel after the run.  My body is so exhausted that after a couple glasses of water, I feel like I've drunk half a bottle of wine. Maybe I just get my "runner's high" a little too late...lol

Shmetsy is awesome!

For those of you that haven't created a treasury on using the tools at www.shmetsy.com, you don't know what you're missing.  I finally downloaded the extension, and made yesterday's Friday's Favorites treasury using it. 


Once you have opened the extension, a button appears on the listed items that you can click, this automatically adds it to your treasury without having to cut and paste.  You can then move the items around like you would normally do.  If you don't want to finish your treasury right away, you can save it as a draft and come back to it later.


The best part for me was the treasury convo feature.  You can write one convo and send it to everyone in the treasury.  Talk about a super time saver.  I recommend it to everyone who loves to make treasuries!

Friday's Favorites: Turquoise

I think that turquoise is the happiest shade of all the blues. It brightens up outfits, or even entire rooms. Who's life doesn't need to be a little brighter? Maybe one of these gems will get you on your way.








Here is the actual link to the treasury if you want to blog, Facebook or tweet about it:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NjI1NjY2NHwyNzIwMTc4Mjk5/turquoise-fun-to-say-and-wear


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Submissions: Turquoise

Every Friday, I put together a treasury of some of my favorite items made by other etsy sellers, post it on my blog and call it the Friday's Favorites.

Blue Hair Kerchief

Last week's treasury, I Love to Cry at Weddings, had 133 views, 35 comments, 76 clicks and 20 admirers.


This week, I'm looking for TURQUOISE.  If you have anything turquoise in your shop, post the link in the comments, and check back tomorrow for the Friday's Favorites.


Don't have turquoise?  Feel free to nominate a friend's item and help spread the love.

New items listed!

I finally got a couple of my newest items up on etsy.  


I'm really proud of this Halter Top.  It's so great for summer as it is stylish and cool.  Many people only think of knits for the cold season, but knits can be very cooling for summer too.  They absorb perspiration on those hot days, plus they allow breezes to reach your body instead of blocking them.






I also made this Hair Kerchief. It is a great addition to any summer wardrobe as it adds a little bit of style while keeping your hair off of your face. It is knit with a delicate yarn in order to let the lace pattern shine through.


Hope you guys like it!

Dogs and Cats

I have two dogs and one cat. They get along pretty well. Sometimes the cat likes to dive bomb the dogs, and they don't seem to mind, and sometimes the dogs try to move the cat with their noses and he doesn't seem to mind.

L to R: Alfred, Bess and Gibbs

The cat's name is Alfred, and he's half house cat half panther (lol).  He's an indoor/outdoor cat and he comes on walks with the dogs. 


It used to be the dogs (Bess and Gibbs) would ignore other black cats thinking they were Alfred.  As they seem to hate all other cats, this was helpful; there are 3 black cats in our complex.


Now, they've gotten smart, and can tell the difference between Alfred and Girl Panther (don't know the cat's name, but it's a girl so that's what I call her). Usually they know before I know. 


Alfred, of course, is no help. We'll be on our walks, run into a cat, the dogs go crazy, and Alfred lays down (sometimes on his back) to watch the entertainment. He gets along with all the other cats in the neighborhood, you'd think he'd offer some assistance.

Kind or Stupid: Stopping Violence

I went out for my Sunday run today and took a new route.  Now I don't live in a dangerous area, but I don't live in the nicest area either.  I hadn't even gone a tenth of a mile when I saw a woman struggling with a guy.  I couldn't tell if they were horsing around or if she was in trouble, until I heard her say, "You're hurting me!", but she wasn't screaming or anything.

I stopped and asked if she was ok.

She said, "No." meanwhile the guy was trying to get his keys from her and wouldn't let her go.

I asked if she wanted me to call someone.  She didn't seem in mortal danger, so I didn't want to call 911 unless she wanted me to do so.

I got no answer and they started arguing.  I couldn't understand all that they were saying as it was a mixture of English and perhaps an African or Caribbean language.  They both had accents when they spoke in English.

I kept asking again and again if she wanted me to call someone.

Eventually, she got free and jogged one way while he jogged to his car.  She thanked me for stopping and assured me that she was OK, so I went on my way.

I'm not an especially brave person, but relying on my instincts I didn't feel that I was in danger, so I stopped.  Could have been really stupid of me, but I felt I needed too.

The rest of my run I thought about what I would have done if I did feel I was in danger. I wouldn't have stopped, but I couldn't let someone be hurt.  I probably would have run into the hospital (which is the closest building to where this happened) and tried to get help that way.

There are so many stories of people in trouble where no one stops to help, and so many stories where people do stop and help.  I can understand the reasoning on both sides, but now I know which side I am on.

Ad Box Change

As I wasn't getting enough bids on my ad boxes, I had to lower the amount of boxes available to keep them from being de-listed.  In order to do this, I had to cancel the existing bids.


Now there are three instead of five.


If your bid was canceled, I do apologize for the inconvenience. 


Check them out and get them while they're cheep!

Friday's Favorites: Weddings

Of course weddings are beautiful because of the vows of undying love and to be together forever, but lets face it, they're also beautiful because of all the beautiful things that go with it... take a look!








Here is the actual link for those that want to blog, tweet or Facebook about it:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NjI1NjY2NHwyNzIyNzEwMDU2/i-love-to-cry-at-weddings


Don't miss another submissions! Like me and find out the weekly submissions via Facebook!
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Submissions: Wedding

Every Friday, I put together a treasury of some of my favorite items made by other etsy sellers, post it on my blog and call it the Friday's Favorites.

Last week's treasury, This Will Come in Handy, had 168 views, 43 comments, 68 clicks and 24 admirers.

This week, I'm looking for WEDDING STUFF.  If you have any wedding stuff in your shop, post the link in the comments and check back tomorrow for the Friday's Favorites.

Don't have wedding stuff?  Feel free to nominate a friend and help spread the love.

New things to come...

I finished my newest halter top yesterday, but you won't find it in my shop just yet.  I still have to photograph it and list it.  I'm really happy with how it turned out, and I have some new yarn to start another one.


I also have an idea for an american flag halter top.  I figure it will go great with the American Flag Dog Sweater and the American Flag Headband.  Soon I'll be all ready for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.


I also have some yarn that I bought for a lace head bandana.  


It's so much more fun making the projects than taking pictures of them and listing them.  I wish the boyfriend was a photographer so I could just make the stuff and say, "here, your turn." ... sigh... but he is a mechanic, which has come in handy on numerous occasions.


Tune in tomorrow to submit for the Friday's Favorites Treasury!

Book Review: The Night Circus

This month we read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern for my book club.  I can't say enough about what a beautiful book it was.


It's written in a non chronological order of events, and yet you get the complete story.  The characters were colorful and I developed a bond with each and every one.  Even the character I didn't quite like still managed to move me by the end of the story.


If you are a fan of the circus and of odd things, then this book is for you.  I could totally see it done in a Tim Burton movie, at least, that's how I saw the story in my head.


Synopsis:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

Running Sunday

I have a busy day ahead of me, so I'll just cover the basics...


Longest run to date was today: 2.4 miles (before it was 2.3), now I'm .7 away from the 5K my sister wants me to run.


I ran at a pretty good pace too!  Today was 12.6 minutes/mile, the record is still 12.5, but I'll take it.


Now I'm sweaty and gross, and yet I feel accomplished.  Now it's off to Sam's Club and the knitting store for me, I got some projects to finish.

Beer Butt Chicken

For my "un-birthday", I got a beer butt chicken roaster, and last night, I tried it out.

These aren't mine, but you get the idea

For those of you who aren't familiar with beer butt chicken, it's where you take half a can of beer, insert it in the chicken with the chicken standing upright, coat the chicken with a little oil and seasonings of your choice then when it cooks, the beer bastes it from the inside.  It's an easy and yummy way to cook it.


The roaster (and I use the term roaster loosely), is basically a can in a holder on a tray.  The beauty of it is that you don't have to use beer, you can use any liquid that you like!


I glazed the chicken with a bourbon glaze and used apple juice in the can.  It turned out wonderful!  


Now we're probably having our last cold snap of the season, just in time for me to use the leftovers to make some chicken and dumplings.  Soon, it will be too hot to enjoy such a treat.

Friday's Favorites: Hand Stuff

Hands say so much about a person. What do your hands say about you? Express yourself through your hands with some of these treasures.








Here is the link to the actual treasury for those that want to blog, Facebook or tweet about it:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NjI1NjY2NHwyNzIwMTEzNTgz/t
his-will-come-in-handy


Find out the weekly submissions via Facebook! Like me:


www.facebook.com/AllThingsTangled

Submissions: Hand Stuff

Every Friday I put together a treasury of some of my favorite items made by other etsy sellers, post it on my blog and call it the Friday's Favorites!


Last week's treasury, April Flowers bring April Showers, had 133 views, 30 comments, 78 clicks, 21 admirers and 1 sale! Congrats LollysCubbyhole!




This week, I'm looking for HAND STUFF, like rings, bracelets, gloves or anything that has to do with your hands.  If you have any hand stuff in your shop, post the link in the comments and then check back tomorrow for the Friday's Favorites!


Don't have hand stuff? Feel free to nominate a friend's item and help spread the love.

Running longer

Ok, I'm almost ready to increase my distance, though not by much.  I'm currently running 2.3 miles, and I'm ready to up it to 2.5. I'm at the point now where the 2.3 is tiring, but I'm actually making it through more easily.

My sister wants me to run a 5K with her this summer.  To most runners this is no big deal, but since I started in September only being able to do a half a mile, it's a huge deal to me.  I'm hoping that by the time I see her in August, it will be no problem.

For people like me, who don't do the whole metric conversion (yes, I had to look it up) a 5K is about 3.1 miles, so I'm really less than a mile away from this goal.  We shall see...

Out of Yarn

...well, not out, out of yarn, but out of the yarn I need for my projects.  Usually when I get ideas to make things, it's not during normal yarn store hours, so I go into my stash and start picking out colors that will be good for the piece.


Then what ends up happening is I run out of yarn before I finish the piece and end up starting something new with the stuff that I have.  By the time I make it to the store, I have about three projects to finish. Thank goodness for yarns with no dye lots.


Once at the store, I buy what I need, then I buy what I like, and then I stock up on some yarns that I use frequently.


Well, it's time to start another project, as I'm working today and won't have time to go to the store... *sigh*

Book Review: Life Expectancy

The other day I finished reading Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz. It was absolutely wonderful.  Unlike some of his older books, this one is not horror, and actually is quite funny.  The ridiculousness of it all made me laugh, and there were also parts that got me a little misty.  I love it that at times the narrator is messing with the reader, it really made me feel even more a part of the story.


Plus, there's clowns in it and I love clowns.  The boyfriend is a former Ringling Brother's clown.  And even though there weren't any nice clowns in the book, I still enjoyed it.


Synopsis: Jimmy Tock comes into the world on the very night his grandfather leaves it. As a violent storm rages outside the hospital, Rudy Tock spends long hours walking the corridors between the expectant fathers' waiting room and his dying father's bedside. It's a strange vigil made all the stranger when, at the very height of the storm's fury, Josef Tock suddenly sits up in bed and speaks coherently for the frist and last time since his stroke.

What he says before he dies is that there will be five dark days in the life of his grandson—five dates whose terrible events Jimmy will have to prepare himself to face. The first is to occur in his twentieth year; the second in his twent-third year; the third in his twenty-eighth; the fourth in his twenty-ninth; the fifth in his thirtieth.

Rudy is all too ready to discount his father's last words as a dying man's delusional rambling. But then he discovers that Josef also predicted the time of his grandson's birth to the minute, as well as his exact height and weight, and the fact that Jimmy would be born with syndactyly—the unexplained anomal of fused digits—on his left foot. Suddenly the old man's predictions take on a chilling significance.

What terrifying events await Jimmy on these five dark days? What nightmares will he face? What challenges must he survive? As the novel unfolds, picking up Jimmy's story at each of these crisis points, the path he must follow will defy every expectation. And with each crisis he faces, he will move closer to a fate he could never have imagined. For who Jimmy Tock is and what he must accomplish on the five days when his world turns is a mystery as dangerous as it is wondrous—a struggle against an evil so dark and pervasive, only the most extraordinary of human spirits can shine through.

New Stuff!

I finally have some new items listed!


For mother's day, I have two "Mom" coffee cup cozies! One in purple (click here) and one in blue and green (click here).  Both I think will be great gifts for that special mother. Moms need coffee, at least I would if I were a mom, and keeping it warm is important.






I also listed an American Flag Dog Sweater. This will be great for memorial day or the forth of July.  I'll also be listing the pattern for this soon, I just need someone to test out the directions for making the star.  Just because I think its clear, doesn't mean other people will.



Hope everyone is having a great day!

Friday's Favorites: Flowers

Spring is here, the birds are singing the flowers are blooming. Why not get into the spirit of spring with some of the wonderful flower items. Or make someone else smile by giving them a flower.








Here's the actual link for those that want to blog, Facebook or tweet about it:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NjI1NjY2NHwyNjgwODI5Njg5/april-flowers-bring-april-flowers


Like me on Facebook, and never miss a submissions theme again!


http://www.facebook.com/AllThingsTangled

Submissions: Flowers

Every Friday, I put together a treasury of some of my favorite items made by other etsy sellers, post it on my blog and call it the Friday's Favorites.


Last week's treasury: Yellow! How are you? had 185 views, 44 comments, 58 clicks, 23 admirers and 1 sale!


This week, I'm looking for FLOWERS.  If you have something with flowers in your shop, post the link in the comments, then check back tomorrow for the Friday's Favorites.


Don't have flowers?  Feel free to nominate a friend's and help spread the love.

Crafting and Gigs

I did not get the new pictures done yesterday.  Now they probably won't get done until Thursday. 

I did get the buttons I won from a tophatter auction.  Now I can finish the coffee mug cozies that I started.  I have a couple for mother's day that I can't wait to list.  It's probably good that I didn't get the pictures done, as now I can do the dog sweater and the cozies all at once.


Today, none of that will be happening as I have 6 shows at the Venetian, and then I have a strolling magic and juggling gig till very late tonight.  Gigs have been really slow as of late, but I think they're going to start picking up finally.  Plus, one of the Venetian performers is going on vacation to Italy, so I will be performing on extra days there.

My American Flag headband will be going up tonight if anyone wants to try for it.  Click here!

While the Boyfriend's Away...

No, the mice will not play.

I still have this stupid cold, and so after doing only the errands that were absolutely necessary, I sat in HIS chair and dozed the rest of the day and into the evening.

I made today's to do list, but I think it still might be too ambitious, as now I have a headache from all of yesterday's nose blowing.  I'm going to follow the list from most important to least important, so that way, when I give up, at least things like bills have gotten paid.

I really need to take pictures of Bess in the new crochet dog sweater I designed.  I really want to put it up on etsy, but it will be difficult without the boyfriend to distract the other dog.  Gibbs doesn't want to do what you tell him to, and only wants to do what Bess is doing.

I wrote out the pattern for the sweater too, but I want to get my friend to try out the tricky section to see if I wrote it out right before I list it.  It makes sense to me, but that doesn't mean it will make sense to anyone else.

So for a week the boyfriend is at his mechanics training thing, and while I could be out with friends or watching the trashy tv shows that he hates, so far none of that has happened.

Running with a Cold

I usually get a cold once a winter, but I guess since my winter cold was really mild, life decided to give me another one.  I still did my running, which I don't know if it is the healthiest choice, but I feel better for doing it.


I only did 2.15 miles instead of 2.3, I had to walk the last little bit.  Not because of my lungs, but my legs were threatening to go on strike and without them, getting home would have been tough.


Surprisingly, I did my best time ever! I was averaging 12.3 minutes per mile.  Before my best was 12.6.  Woot! Woot!


So hopefully next run, I'll keep the pace, but actually finish the run.  Fingers crossed.