Showing posts with label larimeloom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label larimeloom. Show all posts

Whining Wednesday or it's time to live the dream, folks

Now I know it's Wednesday, which is usually a good excuse for me to whine about a few things, but lately I've been feeling much too positive about my future and

(maybe due to this never-ending cold that keeps me from thinking straight)

I find my dreams really reaching for the sky ...

for instance, Dream 1 - I sent my media kit

(yes, I have a media kit- it does contain a picture of Meg Ryan- but I don't think anyone will notice, since you don't really see her around much anymore and no one remembers her real face anyway)

to some magazines and am hoping for a product mention, but what I really want is to be described in print somewhere as being incredibly fit and attractive.

(I mean, other than in something I've written about myself.)

(oh, and maybe if the word 'annoying' wasn't used, that would be cool, too.)

So, the magazine could show a picture of my cork jewelry and say something like, Uncorked's incredibly fit and attractive designer Catherine Ivins ... yadda yadda yadda - there must be some way a clever copywriter can work this in for me.

Dream 2 - The other thing I really want is to be driving at some ridiculously high rate of speed and have to perform some challenging yet delicate maneuver - like swerving to stop a burning, runaway school bus full of orphans or avoid a little parade of baby ducks

(or maybe just once I won't hit the curb when I pull out of the bank drive-thru)

my passenger - perhaps Ben Stiller - he seems like a good sidekick - will be screaming obscenities, partly out of relief and partly out of total awe for my amazing driving skills, but I won't even notice.

Then, I'll park the car, doing one of those amazing swerve into a parking space backwards thing, and we'll get out to go to the station - because we're undercover FBI agents too, I forgot that part - and he'll have to jog to keep up with me

and then he'll kind of slap me on the back and say, "Hey, nice driving back there partner."

And I'll just shrug and say something like, "Yeah, well ... I do what I can."

And then he'll tell me that I look incredibly fit and attractive.

The days when you can extinguish an orphan and help a baby duck back to the pond ... well, those are the days when you're really living the dream, folks.

and I know these dreams are big and bold, but that's just the kind of girl I am ...


1. Searching for Fairy Tales print by This Years Girl
2. Larimeloom's dreamy silk camisole
3. Dreaming print by Corid
4. AKACinders Dreamy Cotton Candy Eco Felt Necklace
5. RoughMagicCreations A Robin's Pearls has me dreaming of spring

Whining Wednesday or what your gifts are trying to tell you


I think you can tell what people really think of you by the gifts they give you or don't give you.

So, when I was unChristmas-ing my house the other day I took a look at the gifts I was given and the thought that the people who know me best had put into them.

I mean we give our kids gifts that they 'want' - within reason and price and age appropriateness (of course this is because they tell us what they want- they drag us over to watch tv commercials, give us lists to mail and are smart enough to tell people what they want- we could learn alot from these short people we live with).

But we give most people what we think they want.

Anyhoo, I got 2 pocketbooks-both Fossil cross-bodies- one red and one black. So what is the message here? I need alot of places to keep all my loot? I need alot of places to keep my broken Sephora bronzers? Maybe people are thinking of me as an abundant, organized person... yeah, I think I will go with that one.

I got alot of things that smell nice- like soaps and lotions and candles.

(hmmm... this could be saying good or not so good things about me)

We got alot of packaged meat and cheese

(I am sadly serious here)

mostly from hubby's customers and when I say to hubby "look at all this meat" he says- "well when Jerry - you know, the dog trainer guy- gave me that box- he said you would really like it."

(huh?? I would really like it)

Me "What did he mean by that?"

Hubby "Huh, I guess there is something in there he thought you would like."

Me "I wonder if he thinks I'm fat?"

Hubby "No."

Me "Well, maybe not as a human, but if I were a dog and were wearing a collar, would I have a roll of fat that is squeezed out over the collar?"

Hubby "Um…"

Me "Would my collar have to be adjusted or could I wear it off the rack?"

Then we laughed and proceeded to eat all the Hickory out of Hickory Farms.

P.S. There is a little post script to this story because today hubby remembered that the customer who told him 'your wife will like this' had given him a bottle of wine (not a case of beef sticks and monteray jack)

so was probably referring to my drinking habit the cork.


1. Awesome Ipod/Iphone case by FannyAlioli
2. Adorable My Little Bird Ring by MGMart
3. Beautiful red infinity scarf by Mojospastyle
4. Blue halter dress by the amazing Larimeloom
5. You Are So Loved framed print by the incredible Jess Gonacha Swift.
6. Stunning burgundy earrings by CoolJewelryDesign.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree


We have a very large, very old black walnut tree in our yard. My husband has hated this tree for years. Normally, George loves trees; I mean he has planted trees and cared for trees. When the sole dogwood in our front yard started to go after a particularly terrible ice storm a few years back he used herculean methods that winter to try to save it and shed a few tears when it died anyway. But the black walnut tree is another story.

There are a couple problems with this particular black walnut tree. Its dripline is over our roof and it drops gigantic green 'fruit' (you need to run these babies over with your car to crack them open) every fall. I am sure this tree is one of the reasons we have so many squirrels (another of hubby's nemesis lately since he is convinced they are getting into the garage out back and eating into our gas cans and lawnmower gas caps - no idea why our squirrels or maybe one particular squirrel would want to do this, but George is convinced).

Every time George has to go up on the roof, which believe me is surprisingly often considering the terrible state our gutters are in - what he does up there I have no idea - he gripes and complains for days about the pits in the roof left by these fruit. When we replaced our roof a couple years back, George tried to get that roofer to agree with him and tell me that this black walnut tree needed to be cut back; way, way back, like into the last century kind of back. Fortunately, the roofer could see that he was stepping into a little domestic landmine and safely did not choose sides.

The other problem with a black walnut tree is that it emits a certain poison that restricts the growth of some plants which are planted within 75 feet of it; these plants include tomatoes and peppers which are our favorite vegetables to grow. Now, we didn't know this for a long time. We had a couple summers of wilted vegetables before we realized the problem was the nearby black walnut tree and George, being very stubborn and slow to reach forgiveness still begrudges the tree those missed seasons.

Now that we are trying to grow as much of our own food as we can, he is trying to use this to turn me against the tree (even though we have enough yard to avoid this area and the solution of raised beds in this area is very do-able also). We both know that I am the only thing standing between that tree and the chain saw which he does not get to use nearly as often as he would like to. For a man who likes to build things- he really likes to unbuild them.

There are many things working against his ever swaying me to do anything about this tree. First of all this tree provides lots of backyard privacy between our house and our nearest neighbor (privacy is not a word my husband really understands but something I will not give away willingly). Its nuts attract the squirrels that I do not see as pests but as outdoor pets (how would Olive spend her afternoons if she was not chasing squirrels?). And the new firehouse being built across the street from our house has resulted in so many trees being cut down that I have wept openly and often (once so out of control I had to call upon my inner Norwegian to get a grip on myself) for their loss.

So when hubby starts griping again about this "problem" that we need to do something about - which although I am no home improvement expert I hardly see as our biggest "problem" around here- (I mean, I don't think most people have to mow their asphalt driveways and most fence gates probably do not need to be lifted and twisted in a certain sequence of about fourteen steps, that only a handful of people on the planet could ever possibly remember, to get them to latch as ours has since the Clinton administration) when he starts to gripe - I will just tell him he is barking up the wrong tree.

Through Thursday May 14th get a free pair of matching earrings with any necklace purchase from either of my shops Uncorked or Polarity by writing Black Walnut Tree, Barking Up the Wrong Tree, Annoying Husband or some such something in the comments to seller section of your order.

A. SnappingTwig - Walnut Light Photograph
1. GollyBard - Logs Print
2. LydiaLayne - Large Tree of Life Necklace
3. GetReadySetGo - Upcycled Train Case
4. Larimeloom - Olive V Neck
5. UnderGlass - Twisted Oak Necklace
6. BareTree - Woodland Green Cap
7. 3BeesDesign - Tree Baby Quilt

Time for a Life Swap

Not the cheesy TV show (although if I had a wife, I'd definitely swap her because my house is a total mess).

This swap is a PARTY and we never need a reason to throw another party. With money tighter for many and most of us with more stuff than we need and still coveting our neighbor's turquoise cuisinart (now, I know she probably won't swap her turquoise cuisinart but maybe some hints tossed out pre-party about how orange kitchens are all the rage now, will help you get lucky) a party where you can reduce, reuse, recycle AND land some of your coolest friends coolest stuff - well, where's my invitation! A swap party will get your closets cleaned out and it's much more fun, and less work, than a yard sale!

The key is to set some ground rules for your Life Swap party. Invite friends with similar taste - 10 guests is about right, but if you have alot of cool friends, up to 20 should still be manageable. No hurt feelings if someone brings something someone else has given them- even the best, most thoughtful gifts may need a new home eventually. Be clear about what is swap-worthy. Clean goods, gently used. Guests should bring their own bags to take home their loot. This type of party is perfect for e-vites.

You can have each person bring some finger food or just serve up some easy goodies yourself. I'm going to set this up in the backyard- have the guests drop off their stuff a couple days early - and sort it by type so I can lay everything out like a backyard department store. Clothes, accessories, kids stuff, books, CDs, housewares; maybe nothing bigger than a breadbox (as long as this doesn't leave out that cuisinart!).
Give each guest a name sticker for each item they donate and then they take turns choosing items and attaching their name; limit the number of items per turn to keep it fair and to keep things moving along. Now the idea is NOT to take home a bunch of stuff you can't use and don't want, so have some plans for the leftovers. Plan for the Goodwill, Salvation Army or Dress For Success for clothing or houseware drop-offs. Newborns in Need with gently used newborn items. Books can go to libraries and book and CDs can also go to Books for Soldiers.

There are also some swap sites online if your friends goodies are lame and you want to just skip the party and swap your good stuff outside of your own circle!

Clothing: Rehash, Swapstyle Kids Stuff: Hand Me Downs, The Baby Chain Books, CDS: Bookins, Swaptree Anything Else: Freecycle, Neighborrow, Swap Thing, Title Trader

1. Jessjamesjake - Awesome Vintage Suitcase
2. Elinart - Stunning Fiber Art
3. June Shin - Gorgeous Icarus Earrings
4. ButtonEnvy - Adorable Go Fly A Kite Necklace
5. TwoLeftHands - Amazing Owl Brooch
6. Larimeloom - Dusty Blue Pirate Pants