Scentsy Launch

With encouragement from my friend H that I was in boot camp with, I have become a Scentsy Consultant.
I am extremely excited to get my starter kit in the mail this week and hope that all of my friends and family will embrace this new direction in my life and spread the word to their friends.
My website is here and will be available 24 hours a day, obviously since it is online, for any of your home, car, or personal fragrance needs!!

Dont forget that Mother's Day is this Sunday, and you still have time to place your orders for those last minute gifts in case you forgot to get mom something already.

Again I Turn to Thoughts of Babies

As anyone who has ever spent more than an hour with me can attest to, I like to be prepared. Since we have come close to the halfway point of my husband's deployment and so very close to his leave, I have started getting checked for any medical issues that may arise to delay or inhibit getting pregnant. On one hand, I really wish I hadn't done this. Primarily for the reason that I am alone in dealing with it, even though I do have the support and comfort of my Aunt K, my sisters in law K and T, and a couple of the ladies at work. It is not the same as being able to have my husband there are the doctor's office holding my hand, or holding me when I cry because things are not as they should be.
I have done the hormonal tests, and everything seems ok, even if they are not the numbers they would expect to see from a 25 year old. I've said it for years and no one ever believes me, but my body has aged faster than the calender. Nearly 2 weeks ago I went to the doctor and they did a procedure that injects a dye into the uterus and fallopian tubes to check for blockages or tears. I see the images on the screen and I only really see 1 full tube, the other simply looks like a ball barely beyond the uterus.
Today I had my consultation with the doctor (which I have been freaking out about for the last 2 weeks) and she recommended surgery. For the life of me I can not remember the name, but basically they will put a camera in through my navel then make 2 punctures at my public line (one on each side) and try to figure out whether there is scar tissue or what ever is blocking the tube and fix it.
To be honest- I'm scared. I've never had a surgery that required anything more than opening my mouth. I've had my tonsils removed and I recovered quickly, and I've had my wisdom teeth removed but I was awake for that. I know this is an outpatient procedure, and that the recovery time is usually 48-72 hours but I am still very, very nervous. All of the "what ifs" keep plaguing my mind. What if I cannot have children? What if something goes wrong? What if after the surgery there is something else that goes wrong?

**5 days after starting this post***
My surgery is scheduled for Tuesday the 10th. I was hoping to get it done on Monday so I can do nothing all day Tuesday, but that didn't happen. Lucky for me I sit at a desk all day for work and answering phone calls/making reservations does not require much moving. I'm very nervous about this still, but a coworker/new favorite friend and my Aunt K both said they would be there with me if I need/want.

Hypocracy of our society

Sparked by a conversation we had Friday night after work, and due to the fact that I dwell on thoughts until I get them out, I must vent that I find out society to be extremely hypocritical.
Women have all of the power when it comes to children, child support, adoption, abortion, etc... Men have no legal right to tell a woman to keep a child, to abort it, not to put it up for adoption, anything really. If a man and a woman get pregnant, and the woman tells him she wants nothing from him- no contact, no child support, no nothing- she still has every legal right to change her mind at any point and require him to pay her money later on down the road.
If she decides to put the child up for adoption, she doesn't need the signature of the father (unless they are married) since she has every legal right to not put a name on the child's birth certificate. But should the father not want to be legally connected to said child, he has no option unless the woman agrees to have his rights severed in court and has another man willing to accept legal responsibility. But there are women that want the man to have nothing to do with the child except to send HER money every month. Not money for the child, but for her.
Our legal system is extremely screwed up when it comes to the rights of biological donors (male and female), I wont call them parents because that is a personality rather than a form of genetic connections. I'm not saying that people shouldn't take responsibility for their prior actions, but the court systems, child support offices, and such should also be reorganized to ensure that non custodial parents are not being raped by the custodial parents.
Put the money for child support in a separate trust for the child, in the name of the child. I'm definitely not saying that all single parents abuse the power that they have and are simply wanting to have more money in their pocket to do other things for entertainment, but there are enough of them that I think this does need to be implemented. You cannot tell me that you are a single parent struggling to take care of your child when you travel around the country going to cities every month that are at least 300 miles away from where you live, and spending $500 on Christmas presents for a 2 year old. I'm sorry but if you are struggling to get by, then you can't afford to do all of that. Especially when everyone knows exactly how much money you make and  your housing and utilities are free plus you get paid for food.
Its ridiculous when a woman tells the biological father of her child that she wants nothing from him, then finds out he is no longer single then demands child support (over a year after the last time they saw each other in fact). It is even more ridiculous when the legal system set in place to protect the rights of the child allow its practices to exploit the rights of the non custodial parent.

Great Week

Today is the first Friday at my new job with Delta. It has been a long week, but I have to admit that I really did enjoy it. I have gotten up between 04-0430 every morning, and have either gotten home after 9pm or around 3-430pm depending on the day. Needless to say after going from work to school on Monday and Wednesday, I was exhausted the next days at work.

 Today was even better because I got to pick up some of my ceramics projects. Some didn't turn out so great, like my trivet/coasters. But its ok, because who really looks at a trivet? You don't even see them underneath the pan.

 I made my dad a popcorn box. While not really practical for actual popcorn use, it is the right side for pens or straws or something else like that. The color didn't really work out as I planned, but I do like the result. I dunked the container in the glaze and it should've dried in a few minutes, but it was still soaking wet an hour later so I sponged off a lot of the wet glaze. This did result in a worn and weathered look rather than a nice, shiny color like you see inside the "g" in Big Al's name.












I also have a cute little bowl on the potter's wheel. I am very proud of this bowl, I didn't think I would be able to make a relatively even, balanced bowl so quickly on the wheel. I love the blue, it is so deep and vibrant. I don't remember what color I used on the bottom but it looks as though there was no color what so ever. Again, it may not have been intended, but I do like the result. I'm not sure what I will do with this, but I am happy with the bowl.

I also threw a small votive. I did add a ton of little holes to allow light through, but the glaze plugged the holes so I am a little disappointed in this. Even using a dremel tool, I couldn't drill through the glaze for fear of breaking the entire thing. I guess I will have to find a new function for this bowl as well. Sad a little bit, but I still like the bowl.

I made a wall art piece that has flowers and leaves. I was completely unaware of the color that I put in, but used it at the suggestion of my instructor. It is a little dark, and you don't get any of the detail that I put into the flowers or leaves, but I do think it turned out pretty. Definitely something I will hang up outside once I have a place to live besides borrowing the space here from my dad. Don't get me wrong, I completely appreciate him letting me stay with him while A is deployed, but I just cannot wait to have our own home and not feel like an over grown child living at home.

My abstract bank- it isn't exactly a work of modern art but I do like it. I love the color- Ginny's Rutile. I'm not sure what you would call the shape, but its my interpretation of abstract,  I guess being something that isn't exactly anything specific makes it abstract.

I am extremely happy with my angry frog bank, although he did lose a foot in the kiln. His foot must have had an air bubble so it split. Luckily it was a smooth break and fit back together perfectly so I just super glued it back together.


I also got my book stack finished. Even though the top book didn't hold the color as I planned it, I still like the coloring. There is only a little bit of red on the top and side of that book, I think it gives it a weathered look. Like it is such a good read that someone couldn't put it down and wore through the leather. I did carve book titles in each spine, but the bottom one was buried under the thicker glaze. I think because you can't see any part of it that it doesn't take away from the book, whereas if you could see the lines but not read it, it would look cheaply done. I did double check the coin slot on the top and it definitely fits quarters and there is a hole for a stopper on the bottom for easy removal of coins.

I also got my originally little piggy who sparked this whole banking habit. I was so worried that he would lose an ear after being glazed since he was cracked a little bit. Luckily the glaze did solidify the head to the ear. I was so happy, I was prepared for my one eared little piggy since cracks tend to spread in the kiln rather than seal by glaze.

Additional News

I was hoping to be able to post a picture of my embroidery Dr Suess baby quilt that I made, but due to a mistake on my part in allowing someone else to help in the edging, I have to redo that. The quilt was done, but I washed it and when it came out of the dryer 3/4 of the edging that someone else did had come out, fraying a lot of the backing material. I am in the process of trying to get it back to completion but you will have to be patient seeing as I have a few other things on my plate right now.

I start my new job on Monday, and I have quite a few codes and things to memorize. I also had a dental appointment today, and I am proud to announce that even after 25 years of horrible eating and drinking habits, I am still cavity and filling free.
I also received a steroid injection on Monday into my elbow. Apparently I have Tennis Elbow- despite never playing tennis or doing anything that resembles that type of movement. My pinky and ring finger on my left hand have been tingly/numb since my dad's 50th Birthday Party and this shot should help relieve the inflammation that is pressing on my ulnar nerve. If this doesn't help, I will receive a referral to an Orthopedist, and then possibly surgery.

Third Times a Charm or Three Strikes you're Out?

For my littlest niece I stove to build her a toadstool bank. Attempt number 1 was adorable. It had a butterfly and a caterpillar. However, the base was not even (it curled a little) so it was only sitting on 3 of the 5 feet and where the top of the mushroom met with the underside didn't seal properly. I attempted to fix these. The seam by wetting and adding more clay, the base by sanding it down. Looking back, I should have waited until the piece was bisque so it was stronger, but I am forever impatient and decided to sand it anyway- with my dad's belt sander. To be perfectly honest- It worked GREAT. except I put too much downward pressure at the front, under the caterpillar and rock and snapped that part off. But the other legs were golden! However because of that break, I couldn't get it to reconnect and the crack just spread.  So I smashed the whole thing and recycled the clay. 

Strike 1

Attempt number 2 came the same day that I trashed Strike 1. I used the same basic design, but instead of letting this one dry as quickly, which is why the seam never would seal properly, I would make sure it was given plenty of time to dry slowly.  Same basic design, but I made the base bigger and made sure that it was flat when I connected the pieces together. This did great for 3 days, until I came out on Sunday morning and saw a HUGE crack up the shaft of the toadstool, on both sides. I think maybe the weight of the mushroom top was too much and it just buckled under the pressure. I was so upset, I loved the little mushrooms at its base and the little snail! Luckily my class is Monday and Wednesday nights so I was able to ask my instructor for her opinion.

Strike 2

 Her opinion was that my clay was too weak and that I should add some paper to it to stiffen it up. Great idea, but because I really didn't feel like doing anything else Monday night, I decided to play with the potter's wheel, where I tried my hand at making a ball. Well, needless to say, my ball was no where near round, but it was enclosed. So I decided to make this my mushroom top. I made a base/bowl as well on the wheel, then Wednesday I worked to put them together. Since I am still very green when it comes to using the wheel, both pieces were way too thick, an inch thick rather than 1/4-1/2 inch thick, I spent a majority of my Wednesday night thinning them down. Tonight I finished what I hope will by my Third Times a Charm rather than my third strike on this bank style. I added circles to the top, which will be a different color than the rest of the head, a snail climbing it, a lady bug on the base, and a butterfly. Also, even though I have it blurred for privacy reasons, Frog's name is etched into it. There is a rubber stopper in the bottom to allow an easy release of money when needed, and the coin slot is on the other side of the bank.

Strike or Charm?

Keep your fingers crossed that this bank actually makes it to the kiln to be fired to bisque. If it fails, I guess I will have to think of another design for poor little Frog. Am I out? or Charmed?

Dear Fashion Designers

Dear Fashion Designers,
I am your average client. I am a woman in my middle twenties who has self image issues and wants clothing to flatter the parts I like and hide the parts I don't. I am not your 5'10" 100lbs girl who has no more hips than she does doctorates or your 5'4" 130 lbs girl with boobs bigger than her hips, that you apparently design all of your clothing for. I am pear shaped, I have a relatively standard waist and rather large hips and ass.

 


I do not dislike my hips or ass in the least bit, in fact, they are one of my favorite physical aspects. BUT, you and your design skills make me loathe them every time I try to buy clothing. From dresses, to skirts, to jeans, and especially shorts, my hips and butt eliminate me from wearing the cutest of items. I love your flowy little skirts that were inspired by the 70s, but why can you only create them in the micro, micro minis that are of a reasonable length in the front, but do not cover my panties in the back, or the ankle length skirts that because of my height only reach the bottom of my calf?

I love the look of pencil skirts, but unless I buy 2 sizes or more bigger than I really need and have someone basically remake it for me, I cannot wear them. You design for women without hips, without a butt, truly without curves. I HAVE CURVES (at least to my lower body). Even if I wear Spanx, I cannot reduce enough of that tush to wear that classic skirt. Do I even want to reduce the size of my derriere?  Quite honestly no. I love that part of my body that screams, "I am a woman, here are my curve! If you can't handle it, walk away!" Especially since due to my lack of a chest, I have always felt that I had a very boyish figure. I've even been called a "9 year old boy" while we were overseas in 2009, repeatedly. Did this bother me? No, for 2 reasons, the person who initially said it was joking and I knew he was joking, but mostly because in my uniforms (thankfully) there was so much bulk material that any shape was camouflaged. I didn't want them to notice me, I would rather be a little boy to them, but I'm not in the military anymore and damnit I want to be able to dress like a woman!

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, I enjoy my little butt, and I'm sure when the time comes for me to have my children, I will appreciate my wide hips even more than I already do. But right now, simply because of clothing designers, I am frustrated with my shape. I want to feel pretty in clothing and not have to buy everything in the largest size possible and have it remade. I tried on the cutest dress today at Kohls, which I cannot find on their website, but they had only a medium and extra large. I'm sure a large would've fit nearly perfectly since the medium fit my top half, and the extra large fit my hips.

Also, why are all shirts so low cut? I am not well endowed by anyone's standard when it comes to a chest but I do like shirts with an interesting neckline, rather than tee shirt style necks. But at the same time, I don't want to have to pull my shirt up every 5 minutes because my bra is showing- yesterday is a perfect example because that's what I did ALL DAY, and I had an undershirt on as well. I wear undershirts every day now, unless I'm wearing a tee shirt. I shouldn't have to, but I do because all of the shirts that are large enough for my arms- which are not fat by any means, and long enough to cover the tops of my pants, have such deep necks that you could see my entire bra, or are such a thin material that you can tell exactly what shapes and colors are on my bra (including and bow or design in the center of the chest piece).
Please, please, please! Clothing designers! Please make clothing that fits the average woman!! I do not think that my body type is so entirely different than a lot of other women. 33, 31, 41.5- besides maybe a larger chest, I think I'm pretty normal. Design things for my body type!!