Crazy week

It's been a seriously crazy week. Just started new class. It was Mon-Wed all day. More than all day. 10 hrs of cramming in lectures. Statistics mostly. Could be interesting when I know more about it. Got off to a bad start on Monday, but that wasn't school-related. It did however affect my mood a bit. Oh well, I will probably survive. Tuesday was statistics day. Looked at graphs and diagrams all day. Felt like a rag when I got home and stumbled into bed. Who knew it was so tiring to just sit on behind and not do anything but listen?

I got new book yesterday, that was fun. I had a coupon, half price off on paperback novel of my choice. I think I spent 30 mins in bookstore to choose. And that was the bookstore on campus with limited options. I do not even dare to guess how long it would've taken me in a full fledged bookstore.

Today I worked a bit on assignment 1 and then went to pharmacy to get a wrist support. Wrists hurt because of too much time spent online so I got me one of those fancy supports that one can use on both hands. That's always nice. Can't afford to buy two of them. That and the fact that the hand is basically useless when having support on. It's good for me anyway. It helps. Being a behaviour scientist I have to ask if it's the support itself or the fact that wearing it makes me remember to be more careful that does the trick.

Card of the day will be one that Heather inspired with her striped card a couple of weeks ago. It lacks sentiment so far, because I do not yet know who will get it or when. There are space left for one though. Recognize the coloured paper Heather? :)

And one seriously pink one from when I had a pink-ish kind of day. I had fun with scalpel trying to cut out all those circles. It doesn't show very well in picture but the edge of the card is bubbly too.

Recent cards

Blue cardstock. Textured paper, brads, flowers and bow from Panduro. Ribbon, stamps and sentiment card from Heather. Or rather, I traced the outlines from one of the ones she sent me on paper I already had because it wasn't the right colour. The round stamp is clear and the word is a wooden one. Ink is Ballet Blue from Stampin'Up. Also from Heather.




This is the most recent card. I just finished it an hour ago or so. I got so inspired from the first card I made. I just love the Ballet Blue ink from Stampin'Up!
Anyway, here's the specs: Blue cardstock as above. Patterned paper and brads from Panduro. Leaves, ribbon and the blue square from Heather. The white square I got from printer. :) I just love the way the blue leaves makes the card look so much more sophisticated and expensive. :)

Christmas Cards

For this one I thought I'd think outside the box for a change. Black cardstock. Greyish paper. White patterned paper, black flower, silver brad and silver glitter gel from Panduro.



Red cardstock (do not know from where, I found it in a moving box a month or so ago). Stamps and ink from Panduro. Stamp coloured with felt tip pens. Sentiment hand drawn with silver glitter gel from Panduro.

Cards again

I once wrote a story about a tulip. Very romantic, very tragic. Very funny.:) Anyway, the same yellow cardstock as usual. Both patterned papers from Panduro. Tulip hand drawn by me. Ribbon woven into card holds it together. The ribbon is moss green. It didn't scan that well. Also from Heather.




It was warm and sunny and springtime outside. Of course I had to make a card with teacups. Green cardstock, stamps and ink from Panduro. Purple ribbon and sentiment from Heather.

More cards!

I finally managed to scan more cards. They weren't pink though. These are a couple of months old. I just have been seriously lazy. :)



Yellow cardstock, green patterned paper from Panduro Hobby scrap collection. Stamp also from Panduro.



I had just bought some eyelets and played around with. Yellow cardstock with patterned paper from Panduro Hobby. Blue paper from a multicolored block of paper. You know the small cubes you jot on when on the phone or writing shopping lists.

Both of these cards were made from sketch challenge sketches at Split Coast Stampers

Since I'm still new to this pictures in blog thingy I will settle for two for now and see how it works out.

Ta ta for now!

Nina

E-assignment 4 - Free format

It's been a ditzy sort of day so this will be a ditzy short story. I do hope I can bring a smile to your day. /N

The Spatula

“Oh great!”

The smoke detector went off again. Smoke filled the sorry excuse for a kitchen I had when I opened the door to the oven. I sent up a silent prayer to the powers that be that nobody had called the fire department on me... again. Last time they had let me off with a warning. This time there would be a fine. What can I say, I love to bake. I’m just not good at it yet. I shut the smoke detector up by throwing my spatula at it. That’ll teach it to not beep at false alarms!

You know those non-stick teflon muffin trays? Well, let’s say, they’re not non-stick. Last time I baked I had to pry the charcoal remains of my attempt to make chocolate muffins from the so-called non-stick tray with a chisel. Good thing I have a toolbox.

No sirens so far... Almost too good to be true. Not that I mind talking to a handsome firefighter, but the fine? Not so fine. But it seems to me I’m clear now. If the fire department doesn’t have better response time than this, it’s no use calling them at all. Maybe I’d better get rid of the latest disaster. Carrot cakes aren’t supposed to look like someone threw up in a barbecue right? At least the picture in the cookbook doesn’t look anything remotely like the result I got. Now, where did I put the potholders?

Yikes! The potholders! Yellow flames flared up from the potholder caught on fire. Soon the curtains would go up in flames and everything. More smoke filled the little apartment. I heard sirens in the distance drawing nearer. Then nothing.

When I woke up I was dangling upside down. And moving.

“Hey! What’s going on?” I coughed.

I noticed my spatula beside the phone and grabbed it as I passed by the table. I started to whack whatever it was that was carrying me. All I could see was a pair of legs dressed in seriously dirty yellow pants and a pair of booted feet.

The “whatever” did not stop until it had carried me out of the building and dropped me unceremoniously into a waiting ambulance. The spatula was gently removed from my hand.
The doors to the ambulance closed and all I remember from the drive to the hospital was the oxygen mask I didn’t want to wear and coughing. Lots of coughing.

Apparently one of my neighbours had called the fire department from the beeping of the smoke detector. Probably to teach me a lesson. And it did. I had to stay at the hospital for two days due to smoke inhalation. With no cell phone and no internet connection. Not even a cute doctor. What I did get was two visitors.

First to see me was my best friend. We giggled. Well, she giggled, I coughed. She told me that just about everything I owned, including my books had turned to ashes, but that I was welcome to stay at her place until I could get somewhere else to live. It wasn’t even a request, it was an order.

Day two I had almost worn out the remote control to the tv by channel surfing. Nothing good on anyway, except a couple of cooking shows. I threw a pillow at the tv for those. I had laid down for a nap when I heard giggling in the hallway outside my door. Giggling? Okay, no more sulking. I gotta know what this is about.

I hauled my butt out of bed. Trying to straighten the, uglier than just about anything, hospital thingy they make you wear, I made my way to the door. I peeked out. The giggling seemed to emanate from the nurses station around the corner down the hall. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it had certainly not harmed me any. Not yet anyway and you’re supposed to be quite safe in a hospital. Right?

I checked behind me to make sure nobody saw my behind and skulked to the corner and peeked around it. A seriously handsome man with a bunch of flowers and a bag leaned against the counter. So that’s what the nurse on duty was giggling about. Well, heck, I would probably be giggling too. Or mumbling gibberish and acting like a fool in general. Like usual.

In an attempt to sneak around the corner without actually being noticed I stepped on the hem of the hospital gown and toppled over a nearby table sending a potted plant straight into a wall. So much for sneaking... I probably wouldn’t be a very good spy. On the other hand, maybe I would be. Nobody would ever think of clumsy me as a spy.

The nurse came running to check on me of course. That was her job. She tried to help me up. No good. Legs wouldn’t keep steady. I was probably still weak from smoke inhalation. The handsome stranger had dropped both flowers and bag and come over. Suddenly I found myself dangling upside down again.

“Hey! What’s going on? Put me down! My butt is showing in this gown!”

“It looks good from my point of view” he said. “Where do you want her?” he asked the stunned nurse.

“Well, room 14... It is actually her you’re looking for.”

What? A stranger, and handsome at that, looking for me? Why? A foggy memory of dangling upside down entered my brain. Nah! This isn’t happening. Seriously?

He put me down on my bed and went to fetch his stuff while the nurse checked me for damages. There were none, thankfully. I would probably get a bruise or two in a couple of days, but nothing serious.

He came back into the room, put the flowers in a vase and sat down on a chair.

“Hello, I’m Zack.” He extended his hand in greeting. “I believe I have something of yours.” He reached into the bag and hauled out my spatula.

I closed my eyes. This isn’t happening. It can’t be happening. I had spanked a firefighter saving my life with a plastic spatula. Of all the stupid things to do...

“I have something else for you. He’s a bit singed, but probably happy to see you anyway. I was looking for you in your bed first and found him. I figured he was some well-loved childhood memento you wanted to keep.”

He pulled out my old, scruffy, stuffed dog from the bag. I hugged my most precious possession and realized that everything would be okay. I had my friends, I had my dog and maybe even a new man-friend if I read the sparkling blue eyes right....

New card!

I made this card about a month or so ago. It has been sitting on top of scanner waiting to be scanned in. Today I decided to send it off to friend who I thought needed it so of course I needed to scan it first to save the image. Ah well. 'nuff said. Here's the card:

Ok, so it looks a bit crooked, but that's only me not good with scanner. I promise it was ruler straight when I made it. So I made it from light blue cardstock which I sponged with "Garden Green" from Stampin' Up (Thank you again Heather!) to make it more green. I used an ordinary kitchen sponge which I cut some holes in to make it more patterened. Second layer is from a green scrap kit I got from friend for b-day. Very nice. Thank you H for that one! Oval was white from the goodie bags Heather sent me and covering that is some light green vellum also from those goodie bags. The flower is fabric and bought in a kit along with the buttons. The tiny brad was from another kit. All from Panduro Hobby. Last but not least. The text is ordinary felt pen, the kind you buy for kids as are the "stitches" along the border since I am not allowed to use the sewing machine at home.


Was that enough info?

Next up will probably be from my very pink collection. LOL!

Ta ta for now!

Nina

Chocolate!

What Your Taste in Chocolate Says About You

You are sophisticated, modern, and high class. Your taste is refined, but you are not picky. You are often the first to try something new. You are mellow, spiritual, and philosophical. You are a true humanitarian. You enjoy helping people. Your heart can be too open at times. You sometimes over-extend yourself. You love new adventures and activities. You enjoy living a full life, even if it is chaotic. You feel lost when things are quiet. You rather not think... you prefer to just do!

The Chocolate Oracle

No more cookies!

Ok, it's official. I am throwing out the cookies. I can't have them at home. If there are cookies around I will eat them. I will do as Dr Phil says and create a failproof environment. No more cookies at home.

Oh and let's see if this works... Yay! It did! I now know how to put pics in my blog! :)

This is a card I made a couple of months ago. I haven't scanned the latest creations yet. That I will leave to another day when it's not in the middle of the night and I have school tomorrow.

Ta ta for now!

Nina

Cookies!!

Today I made the most delicious chocolate chip cookies. YUM!

Ok, I know I am a weightwatcher and I know it's not good eating gigantic cookies when trying to lose weight, but once in a while... And then I found this great recipe in the newspaper.

I read in newspaper online (not the same as the one mentioned above) that it was leftie day today. Yay for all us left handed people! Celebrate! There was also a poll. Do you think lefties have special talents? Heck yes! Why not? There's got to be some benefits to being a leftie. I mean, look at the world, it's made for righties. Not too long ago writing with left hand was prohibited here. You had to learn how to write with your right hand. Thankfully that was all over by the time I started my journey through the public school system. I know how to do it, but it looks like a five-year-old wrote the letters. Anyway, I had to learn how to cut with scissors with right hand. When I do my cross-stitching I am a rightie. Also crocheting and knitting are the right way. Not right as in correct, but right as in opposite left. Most likely because the people that taught me are righties.

When it comes to cutting things with knife it's a bit complicated. When I cut something like a slice of bread from a loaf I hold the knife in my left hand. Everyone thinks it looks funny. Even me when I see other lefties. Probably because I'm not used to seeing it. But when I peel cucumber with a knife I hold knife in right hand and cucumber in left hand. I have to switch when slicing it though. Very strange situation indeed.

Where was I going with this? Ah yes, cookies! I strayed off the topic here a while.

The recipe said there should be 16 cookies. I have no idea how big those people make their cookies, but I kinda like it when the cookie does not become a full meal. I thought I made gigantic cookies and I got 18 out of the batch. Next time I will make at least 32 cookies. They are huge! You know the cookies they sell in the coffee shops? The big ones? The ones that are bigger than the plate you put them on? Well, these are almost the same size. They would be if one took a rolling pin to them because my cookies are thicker than the ones bought in the cafés.

It was good that the oven baked potatoes took a while to get ready because I would not have the space in tummy to eat them otherwise. We were supposed to eat shrimp today but the shrimp was not good. They tasted kinda funny and was all dry and crumbling. Ok, I am no experts on shrimp, but crumbling? So I followed my instincts and try to think of it in terms of "I avoided food poisoning" rather than "money down the drain".

Now, what to do with the rest of the cookies? Can't eat them all myself now can I? I can just picture it, Nina bloating up like a hippo... That so ain't gonna happen!

Bedtime! Z-time! Tomorrow my friends I will learn how to put pictures of my latest creations on blog.

Ta ta for now!

Nina

E-assignment 3: Poetry

This was one of the harder tasks really. I am not used to write poetry at all. Especially not poetry with restraints like haikus, sonnets and such. I tried to have some fun with it. Here's my attempt at it.


1) Limerick

There once was a man from Fairfax
He overdosed daily on cheese snacks.
Cheez doodles are great!
Twelve packets he ate
And now he’s addicted to ex-lax...

And for those of you who does not know what ex-lax is, it's a brand of laxatives sold in the U.S.


2) Haiku

Pruned to perfection
Festive in tinsel and lights
Soon needless, needle-less

I do know I have one syllable too many, but when I googled haiku poems several websites said that the poetry and the content was more important than the form.


3) Free format

I do not read books,
I experience them.
All senses on alert
reacting to the plot.
My mind is focused
on the text alone.
Transforming it
into a movie in my head.
My ears are straining
to hear the bad guys approaching.
My eyes see landscapes
so beautiful it almost hurts.
The sweet taste of the hero’s last kiss
still lingers on my tongue.
My fingers desperately cling
to the silky mane of a galloping horse.
The smell of death chokes me
in the ancient catacombs.
Within the covers of a book
I am a hero, a warrior,
a villain, a magician,
a queen, a mistress...
I fight the battles,
I solve the mysteries,
I feel the pain and the love.
So if I’m not easy to talk to when I’m reading,
blame not me, blame the author.