Monday, December 31, 2012

New Year's Eve 2012

This was a pretty rough New Year's Eve. I won't go into detail about it, since it ended on a sweet note.

I finally got a proper New Year's kiss from Ian. <3

Here are some of my favorite pictures taken over the year:

























See you in 2013! Take care! ^w^

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Super Chill Or Weird? Your Pick

Today had some weird ups and downs. Here are my thoughts in a jumbled order:

I got electrocuted three times today. Respectively dealing with plugs that belonged to the hair styling tool my MIL got me, my cell phone charger, and my MIL's vacuum.

I got a new Neoboards avatar by beating my original score in the Gadgads game. So proud of that one. The last time I got that avatar, I was on one of my favorite accounts. That's a super good omen for me.

On that note, I beat several other game high scores on this new Neopets account. I was on a roll this morning, like a boss!

Evelyn is doing WAY better, and it shows.

It's J.R.'s birthday today. My baby brother is another year older! I finally got ahold of him past 9:30 p.m. tonight. He really loved the gifts we got him.

On that note, everyone at my folks' house is obsessed with the sock monkey pinball game we got for him. :P

Ian and Brett spontaneously planned a madness fueled DBZ marathon. I can't wait for it to start. Pity that we have to wait on Eli to show up, though.

Baron nipped at Evelyn for the first time, and gave her quite the fright, earlier tonight. He's now on my gray list, and he knows it. He got a deserved scolded. :/

I think the extra sleep did me good and helped me recover quite a bit today.

Purple is the lucky color for today and tomorrow. I can't wait to see what Laurie Cabot has posted for The Color of the Day for New Year's Day. My luck has been doing way better since I've been following her forecast.

The only day my luck dwindled was when we had to take Evelyn to the clinic-I hadn't been wearing the lucky color earlier that day!

I'm still debating how I want to go about painting my nails for New Year's Eve.

Mailing out any cards is going to be tricky with how the Post Office is going to be around here the next few days. :/

I really want to get ahold of a sequin covered dress for New Year's Eve.

Whatever I end up wearing for NYE, I want it to be purple! The AS post I saw earlier makes me want to create metallic purple shorts with black peaking through.

I'm really inspired by a bunch of photography projects I've seen today. My NYE post is probably going to be filled with pictures taken from this year that were my favorites.

On that note, I still really want to use my FIL's Rolleiflex. I want to know the condition on it soon. I want to use it!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

"Don't Break The Chain!"

I stumbled upon the "Don't Break the Chain" method of getting your goals done earlier this morning.

I plan on doing this for the entirety of 2013, as I'm convinced this method will work out in my favor. I'm tired of feeling lazy, and at least this way, I'll feel productive.

So far, I've printed out my goals I have in store, along with three yearly calendars with three specific goals that I'm shooting for. They happen to be labelled as "Photo 365," "Yoga/Meditation," and "Blogging Everyday."

If I think of any more goals that I'm comfortable posting, I'll post them on here.

Wish me luck! ^w^

Friday, December 28, 2012

Allergy Scares

Today was full of scares, especially with Evelyn.

With Snapchat, I sent over a picture to Ian with Evelyn's right eye bruising and then breaking out into tiny bumps. I thought she ran into the corner of her playpen again, and didn't think too much of it at the time. This was past 3 a.m.

Time passes, and Evelyn is totally content and happy. I go to the bathroom to shower and test out the new styling tool my MIL got me for Christmas. This was past 4 a.m.

...it's closer to five in the morning when I check my phone. I didn't expect eight missed calls, all from Ian.

Something was up, so I called him back immediately. He called me during break, saying that I needed to get Evelyn out of the playpen stat. Apparently, she had been breaking up pieces of fudge in her playpen that we suspected she may have been allergic to.

Ian took care of her when he got home, as my alarm didn't go off. The rashes went down.

Fast forward to dinner. She's not eating right, and is scratching herself all over. I check her chest, and it's covered in the rash. Yikes.

With a clinic visit, we come to find out that the rash was due to a viral infection, not allergies. Thank gosh.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Work With Tears

If it's not one thing, it's another.

Today was really frustrating on multiple accounts.

Plans were changed at the last moment, due to certain people being super flaky. *coughShanecough* Ian and I were not pleased whatsoever.

We learned that there were only two or three good shots on Rachael's film roll. The rest were blurry as hell in a near artistic manner due to the Holga being evil. I've never had problems with it during other photoshoots. I hope to the Gods that this Holga doesn't have camera shake done to it. Not the unsteady hands one, but the one dealing with toy cameras.

I dropped near forty bucks on this photo run due to the scanner being out...

I'm now honestly scared to see how my other batch of photos turned out. I really should have used my La Sardina or my FIL's Rolleiflex.

FML

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Moon Signs and Boxing Day

Happy Boxing Day, everyone! I hope you all either helped the poor, tipped heavily, or didn't get trampled by the shopping crowds today. My BIL, Logan, almost wasn't lucky in the third category mentioned.

Today was just one of those days where I've been contemplating life and thinking about the past.

I was really getting back into my astrology roots. I used to give astrology readings daily to my friends. It was so much fun.

As of late, I'm really into lunar astrology of sorts. In specific, western moon signs and Chinese astrology. I think it's partially due to my calling with voodoo hoodoo. I used to heavily celebrate and pray around the new and full moons every year. Fun fact: Ian and I got married on the first night of a full moon. Being a Chaote, my spiritual quest has led me to studying more of voodoo hoodoo (I blame dad on that one, ironically) and Buddhism. I need both in my life right now, especially with religious decisions and conversations Ian is pushing me into. Lately, it seems as if he doesn't respect my spiritual beliefs anymore, especially ever since I told him that I wanted a break. One of the biggest reasons Christmas Eve was so rough on me was the fact that Ian and I had a long heart-to-heart talk on my views and if I was going to convert to being LDS.

If people were wondering/didn't read my "more about me" section of this blog, my moon sign is in Libra, and my main Chinese zodiac animal is the earth snake.

I really dig moon sign calculators.

LibraDegree: 29° 37'
People with the Moon in the same degree
Diplomatic, aesthetical, avoiding confrontation, understanding and attentive. Likes to spend time with the partner, hates situations that require to make a choice.
The Moon in Libra people have a desire to conciliate conflicting interests, to help even complete opposites to meet somewhere, to find a peaceful solution for a conflict situation. In short - they are inborn diplomates. Intuitively, they feel that everything in this world has two sides - a positive and a negative - and try to restore harmony where, as they think, there is no balance. If someone is praised onesidedly, the Moon in Libra will add something negative about that person. But if someone is criticized, the same Moon in Libra will add something positive to the mixture.
It is quite typical for the Moon in Libra individuals to hezitate endlessly in situations where some choice is required. The result of their decision doesn't become better from the amount of time spent in hezitations - they just pick something at random when there is no possibility to delay anymore.
Relationships can often be the most important part of life for the Moon in Libra people. Not only their emotional well-being, but even the state of their health might depend on how successfully they find mutual understanding with their partner. In order to restore their balance after a significant stress, they need to spend some time together with someone who is dear to them, to speak about their problem, to feel compassion and understanding. And if they don't have such an opportunity for a long time, if stress continues to build up, the Moon in Libra can become inconstant and erratic. They can develop a problem with kidneys and get lower back pain as a result. Another typical health problem for them is a migraine-like headache, which also often has its roots in kidneys.The Moon in Libra gives aesthetical perception. These people know quite well what they like and what they don't, which colours and styles look right and which do not match. Parents with such a Moon are often worried about how to dress their children elegantly and fashionably so that nobody could say that there is something wrong in their family. The image of their family means a lot for the Moon in Libra individuals, and being good diplomates they try to always make a good impression and to hide any existing problems.
(Source)

Also,  this post from Rookie really hit home today. These type of journal pages are such an inspiration to me. I used to do journal pages like these when I was younger. They were the best. I always had amazing ideas when my journal pages were laid out in a collage like manner. I plan on making a new visual journal when the New Year starts.

On the last note, I think I have my New Year's goals (not resolutions, since they don't stick!) ready:

  1. Try my best in anything I do.
  2. Work on my relationships with people, little by little, especially if they deal with Ian or Evelyn.
  3. Meditate and do yoga on a regular basis (part one of getting healthy over the next year).
  4. Eat, as best as I can, according to my blood type (part two of getting healthy over the next year).
  5. Take more analogue pictures, whether they're personal or if they deal with work.
  6. Obtain my own TLR camera, bike, first Blythe doll, and an updated passport. A car would be nice, but if I have a bike, it's not needed as bad. If worse comes to worst, I'll have Ian or somebody else drive me around.
  7. Earn enough money to put into savings, getting Lasik surgery, getting my back adjusted, getting heavy dental work done, getting Invisalign, emergency nest egg, play money account, and to travel.
  8. Have more sheet monster time. ;P
  9. Do more tarot readings, photography sessions, and crafting for myself and other people.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Christmas Wishes Fulfilled

Ian took a better picture of our Yule/Christmas tree than I did, so I'm posting his take on it.

Today has been one of the best Christmases I have experienced in years.

Here are the reasons why:
  1. I got a good majority of what I requested on my wishlist. That usually never happens, like ever.
  2. If I got a gift that wasn't on my wishlist, it was still pretty awesome/useful.
  3. I didn't get hosed for once!!! I had a good cry after realizing that. Another thing that usually never happens.
  4. There were some minor squabbles, but they were resolved quickly.
  5. No major fights happened today! On my family's side, that's a first in thirteen years!
  6. Amazing sheet monster time... XD
  7. Our tree might be small, but it looks pretty awesome!
  8. I got to watch Adventure Time with my in-laws. Adventure Time is the best anytime.
  9. Hello, White Christmas! I totally wasn't expecting snow.
  10. Delicious meals, prepared and eaten with, family
  11. My husband being completely awesome on multiple accounts today. He went above and beyond today.
  12. Evelyn got to spend time with my side of the family more via being babysat after having a late lunch with them. Mom recalling the time spent with her was worth it. My parents got their wish, and Ian got much needed sleep. Major win-win on everyone's part.
  13. Watching the original version of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas with Ian, Logan, Brett, and Evelyn. Totally worth it for the Who Hash jokes alone that followed the rest of the day/night.

So yeah... that's this Christmas in a nutshell in my point of view.

If you celebrate Christmas, I wish you the merriest of times. Take care now! <3

Monday, December 24, 2012

Christmas Eve Blues

(This post went to drafts. UGH... =.=)

Today was another heart wrenching day.

There were a lot of tears, baring of souls, and a huge heart-to-heart talk.

I'm just glad that things were resolved in the end. Not going to lie-I really don't want another day like this. If Christmas is like this day, then I'm probably going to lose it. 

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Yikes (Belated Birthday Edition)!

If yesterday was meant to bring about cheer, today was meant to bum me out beyond all measure, save a few points.

I'm going to leave this blog post with that lingering thought.

*sighs*

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Happy Birthday To Me!

Wow...

I can't believe another year has flown by in my life. They really weren't kidding when they said that time flies by when you have kids.

Highlights of the day:

  • Birthday greetings from my youngest brother past midnight via phone call
  • Amazing luck during games on Neopets (first round I played them today)
  • Being treated to breakfast over at Cracker Barrel
  • Finally completed shopping for my close family
  • The weather was so nice out (both day and night), despite it being windy (I got to wear dresses without tights for a change without completely freezing myself silly!)
  • The lettering that I did for the stockings turned out pretty well, even though I used puff paint
  • Mario's, Jeanine's, and Chia's birthday wishes were pretty freaking epic
  • The bazillion birthday wishes, on that note, on multiple social media sites (I feel loved! Thanks everyone! ^w^ )
  • I got a good majority of the presents I needed to wrapped (the only ones left that I need to work on are my close family's)
  • Being treated to dinner over at Ha' Penny (the lamb stew was so amazing!...the hot buttered rum, not so much, at least when paired with the lamb stew; it was also quite strong/bitter beyond belief [you would think that the hot buttered rum would be a bit more sweeter! I can't wait to try the recipe that Denise is sending over!])
  • Katrina got me a Sailor Saturn t-shirt!!!
  • Ian got me the limited edition set of the Halloween themed Calico Critters I have been wanting forever!!!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go pass out now. Today has been so awesome that I'm tuckered out. Peace. ^w^

Friday, December 21, 2012

Yuletide Greetings And A Graduation

(I noticed that this went to drafts instead of posting on schedule like I wanted it to. Sorry everyone! >.> )

I hope that everyone is having a pretty awesome Solstice so far.

This day had quite a few awesome parts to it. If the world ended today, I would have been fine with it.

Highlights of the day:

  • Yay! No Mayan apocalypse! (the Chinese lunar calendar is way more accurate anyway!)
  • On that note, the apocalypse memes
  • Katrina graduated from BSU! (pictures are on my Flickr account if you want to see them)
  • Being treated to a really late lunch by Katrina's family (we went to Chuck-O-Rama)
  • Going to Crone's Cupboard for the first time in years
  • Getting mom's and grandma's Christmas present shopping out of the way

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Distractions Of The Day

  • Ian insisted on me seeing Dr. Strangelove, since I only heard of it. So, we watched it. It's pretty twisted. For the most part I loved it.


Perfect for crazy things happening tomorrow. Stupid Mayan predictions.
  • A New Trick 'r Treat short!!! YAY!!!
  • Rewatching an oldie, but goodie Kyaru Pamyu Pamyu video ^w^

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

New Calling: Peace Edition

I think I may have found a new calling...or at least revamped something I should have been doing more often.

When the new year rolls around, I'm going to take The Muse 30 Day Challenge-an oldie, but goodie that I've been wanting to try for awhile now but haven't had the time to do. If I'm going to do a challenge, I want to be focused.

I'm going to focus on challenge number 4: meditation.

I used to meditate at least a couple of days every week for a month. It kept me at peace when my life was a mess. It started when I was shunned from my old group and was forced to recuperate my life as a whole. I think a lack of meditation in my life, as of late, has added to the stress factor. Might as well take it back, you know? If it works, it works.

I realize that new year's resolutions are too difficult to keep, especially if you word them wrong. I think just saying I'll try my best in general is the best solution overall. I'll take that, and break that up into little goals as I go along.

In the meantime, I'm going to plan out my month long challenge of meditation. I think I'll pick out music and incense to go with. ^w^

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Feeling Warm And Fuzzy Inside: Holiday Edition

I love being able to donate things/time to local charities or thrift shops, especially this time of year.

My parents made it a tradition to help out the needy somehow during this month. I've been doing this tradition ever since I was three years old.

Last year, I made care packages for tsunami survivors and military personnel. This year, I donated a good portion of my clothes to the nearby Deseret Industries store since they were in real need of winter items.

I didn't know what to expect, so I decided to check it out with Ian. The two best options were either ReStore or Deseret Industries, but I decided that Deseret Industries had better hours to work with and were in more need in the end.

It was really odd pulling around to the D.I. donation drop-off site, and seeing it nearly bare. It was kind of scary. I've never seen it like that before. Usually, there are tons of donations. What happened?

We dropped off four bags full of my clothes. I felt really good about helping them out.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Ian's Birthday Party Festivities

Highlights of the day:
  • Ian got to marathon through the Megaman games through Megaman 6 (I helped him out by live tweeting)
  • Ard was randomly the first person at the house for Ian's birthday party festivities (which is unheard of)
  • We got to hangout with Sean and Shump during dinner (we went to Goodwood!)
  • I was told exactly what people in my old group thought of me during dinner (the blunt truth was oddly refreshing, and I now have closure)
  • J.R. and Jon both got to play Halo 4 multiplayer with Ian
  • Today was just a super happy day in general, which was extremely refreshing
In an edit, I'm going to post up pictures. The links are being too stubborn at the moment. D:

Oh, and for the people that were wondering, his birthday was actually yesterday, but we were celebrating it today.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Ridiculousness Is Happening...

The whole thing with the WBC is so insane right now.

If you haven't heard, they were planning on picketing the funerals of the CT victims. Major BS on their part.

The situation has gotten so bad that the KKK and the Anonymous have taken stands in counter protest against the WBC.

The WBC got DoXed. O.o!

Honestly, I'm glad that measures are finally being taken against the WBC. There's a petition going around that's declaring the WBC a hate group. I'm going to sign it when I find it.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Party Vibes

Today was an overall awesome day (compared to a good portion of yesterday!). ^w^

Here are the reasons:

  • Pretty productive morning in general
  • The library book I was waiting on was finally shipped in
  • I was treated to breakfast by Katrina
  • Got a good portion of shopping I wanted done due to Katrina being awesome
  • Had amazing luck with shopping deals (especially at Michael's and Hobby Lobby)
  • The flourless Nutella cake got baked before Denise's Christmas party
  • My makeup turned out awesome
  • Got to eat awesome food and drink tasty drinks
  • Got plenty of compliments on the dress I wore to the party (it was the same dress I wore to my Sweetheart's dance in high school and as Haruhi for the OHSHC roadshow)
  • Got to mingle with people I usually don't get to see that often at the party, like Denise, Jeanine, Sonja, Sano, and Callahan
  • Ian was able to order Jose's Christmas present during the Christmas party
  • Ian had a blast the party while actually having time to enjoy himself, causing me to enjoy the party more
  • Plum wine and mulled wine are AWESOME (I had some plum wine before Ian came home in the morning and some mulled wine at the Christmas party. The recipe that Denise had on hand for the mulled wine was fantastic!) !!!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Weep For The Dead

I usually don't like posting stuff like this, but today struck a chord within myself.

When I heard about what happened in Connecticut and China today, I honestly broke down and held Evelyn and Ian close to me. Earlier tonight, I prayed and lit pine incense for all the souls lost as of late worldwide. I prayed for peace and healing, especially for the poor families and their friends that lost their loved ones. Another sigil making session is in order too.

What has this world come to when children are attacked like that? And before more of the holidays?

Also, hearing about gun control is all good and all, but that doesn't solve everything. I agree with my younger brother that did his Senior Project on gun control that the better solution would be regulating ammunition sold, along with a mental health evaluation. A bad situation would be a person hitting another person with the gun, unless the top of the gun had a bayonet attachment.

Mental health needs to be looked at in both situations of the people that started these tragedies. Situations like this remind us to love one another and treat each other with kindness. Did these people do what they did because of bullying? Depression? Anger? Revenge? All of the above? None of the above? We won't know unless we reach out to people like this.

On an ending note, what happened today just reassures me that hybrid homeschooling will be good for Evelyn and any other kids that Ian and I may have in the future.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

On The Thirteenth Day of Creepmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

... a nostalgic couple thinking about their kids.


When we think of this time of year, let's look back and remember the good times that were.

If bad memories were there, make new ones.

People are only on this earth for so long, you know? Make your time count. Don't take your life for granted. Count your blessings.

...when I see this picture, I think of my grandma on my dad's side that passed away back in October. I will always treasure the time we had during the holidays that we spent together. She made the best homemade pies, cookies, and fruitcake during this time of year that I can only taste in memory now.

On another bittersweet note, today is the last day of this Creepmas 2012 countdown. It was an honor and privilege to write for it. I had a blast coming up with posts. Thank you so much. Everyone take care, and have an amazing rest of this holiday season! <3

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

On The Twelfth Day Of Creepmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

... a pretty awesome piece of artwork based on The Nightmare Before Christmas!


I love Jack Skellington. He's such a cool character.

I have loved The Nightmare Before Christmas since I watched it when it was first released in theaters. That was a seriously fun time.

I love watching this movie this time of year and around Halloween. Watching this movie is a tradition for me. It also is fun watching around my birthday, which is coming up here soon. I was born on the twenty-second of this month, literally a "nightmare before Christmas!" :P

If you want a break between all the scary movies based upon this time of year, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a good movie to watch.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

On The Eleventh Day Of Creepmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

... Garfield giving Jon a fright during the holidays!


Garfield is one of my favorite ongoing comics to date.

Here is the comic strip that was shown last Sunday (12/9/2012) in the Idaho Statesman (one of the best local newspapers around here).

Jon's reaction is priceless. XD

Monday, December 10, 2012

On The Tenth Day of Creepmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

... a Tales of the Crypt episode I love!

(Part one)

(Part two)

(Part three)

In all seriousness, if you haven't seen Tales From the Crypt, you're missing out.

This episode from season one is by far one of the best episodes that was directed.

I remember that this episode scared the hell out of me when I was younger. It was on tv late one night on HBO, and my dad was watching it. I told him that I didn't want to grow older so I wouldn't be attacked by the serial killer Santa.

He didn't blame me. That Santa is a creeper.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

On The Ninth Day Of Creepmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

... a DIY creepy terrarium idea!


I saw this floating terrarium idea by Meg Allan Cole, and loved it.

You can do so much with terrariums.

For people that are Pagan, little mini floating altars depicting Yule would be lovely.

For the rest of the Creepmas lovers, creepy details are a must. Maybe you can add a bloody ax to a mini Santa that's in bloodied up snow? How about a scene showing Frosty's revenge for melting? Krampus in chains dragging little children away in his sack? Maybe a mini graveyard covered in snow?

If you wanted to add living plants, the sand can be subbed out for soil. The tweaks wouldn't be difficult.

The possibilities are endless.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

On The Eighth Day Of Creepmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

... a Kate Bush Christmas special!

(Part one of the Christmas special)

(Part two of the Christmas special)

If you know me, you know I love Kate Bush's music.

I love her music so much that I plan on putting "Running Up That Hill" as one of the songs on my will listed to play at my funeral.

If you haven't listened to her music ever, you should go to Youtube right now and watch all of her videos. You know you want to. ;P

She has a shrill witchy voice that just sounds dreamy.

That dress that she wears while she opens up the Christmas special reminds me of the bat pinup dress I was working on for Halloween. I majorly approve of it.

I'm highly inspired to finish up that bat pinup dress, and wear it for a holiday party or my birthday now. ^w^

Kate Bush = Tasteful Creepmas listening music for sure <3

Friday, December 7, 2012

On The Seventh Day Of Creepmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

... the folklore about how tinsel came to be!


My mom used to tell me this story when I was younger. It was one of my favorite holiday stories. She had heard it from her uncle who traveled around the world, especially in Europe.

Once, there was a poor mother who had a couple of children. She wanted very much for her children to have presents, but she couldn't afford anything at the time. Wanting to try to make her children happy, she put her children to bed after supper, then sneaked out of the house as quietly as possible not to wake them. She searched for a tree to cut down by candlelight. 

In the forest, some spiders saw what the woman was doing. In curiosity, they followed her home as she was dragging the huge tree to her house. After putting up the tree, she busied herself by baking cookies, and then putting up fruits, nuts, and the cookies she baked on the tree. After that, she cleaned every nook and cranny of her house. Being exhausted, she stumbled up the stairs to her bed. She felt as if she hadn't done the best job for her children. She wept as she fell asleep. 

The spiders, feeling bad for the poor mother, called their friends that hid around the house and out in the woods nearby. Away they weaved their webs, to the very top, all around the tree in the most prettiest patterns. Satisfied, all the spiders then slipped away from the house.

Father Christmas watched from the shadows the whole time, and saw this act of kindness for the poor woman and her children. He decided to take the look of the webs up a notch, and turned the webs into gold and silver.

The next morning, the family awoke and came downstairs. The mother was still brokenhearted as she walked down the stairs since she didn't want to disappoint her kids. Everyone's eyes grew wide in amazement as they saw the tree. It was a very merry Christmas indeed, and they were thankful of this miracle.

It is a tradition to put tinsel and a spider on your tree in remembrance and tribute to the kind spiders.
Keep that in mind when you decorate your Creepmas tree. ^w^  

Thursday, December 6, 2012

On The Sixth Day of Creepmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

... a really awesome book featuring Krampus!


Today is the night of St. Nicholas (the sixth of December). St. Nicholas rewards good children on this night.

The other night was Krampus Nacht (the fifth of December). Krampus is the opposite force/friend (in some cases) of St. Nicholas that punishes bad children with a branch, and captures them in his bag. He pulls pranks too.

In honor of Krampus Nacht, I'm posting up this book. It's called Krampus: The Yule Lord.

I REALLY want to read it!!! It has been on my reading to-do list for quite some time since I've heard about it.

So far, I have heard only good reviews about it.

The author who made this book has become one of my favorite artists in general. His works are so pretty.

If you want to get this book, check out this fantastic excerpt beforehand. If you want no spoilers and just want to buy the book, Amazon currently has the best pricing. For more information on Krampus in general, check out this fan site dedicated to him.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Creepmas Bonus #2


The Minimalist is selling these skull ornaments on their website!

Aren't these awesome?

These ornaments would make a perfect addition to your Creepmas tree.

Get them while you can! ^w^

On The Fifth Day of Creepmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

... a life size, animated Santa!


I'm not going to lie-I think this Santa comes to life when it thinks everyone else is sleeping, just like the porcelain dolls that still reside in my friend's bedroom...

As most of you already know, Ian, Evelyn, and I are staying with our in-laws on Ian's side to save up cash for a house. My FIL that lives with us has a tendency to go all out during any holiday, and get life size, animated figures to decorate the house with during the late holiday season (Halloween through Christmas).

This Santa is one of those figures.

It really creeps me out. I always get weird vibes whenever I'm around it. I wouldn't be surprised if it was possessed.

I have the tendency to be a night owl, so I'm usually awake when everyone's asleep. I don't like going upstairs by myself late at night when there's an animated figure about. It usually stands right by the door, looming close to the staircase by our room.

When the lights are dim in the computer room close by, this Santa casts an eerie, evil glow.

It also doesn't help that whenever I'm by myself, it seems as if its eyes are following me...

*Shivers*

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

On The Fourth Day Of Creepmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

... a really awesome Japanese street fashion inspired outfit!


Being obsessed with Japanese street fashion, this is one outfit I wouldn't mind wearing around Creepmas.

The plaid shirt made me think of this time of year right off the bat.

Seriously, how fantastic is that vest?!? *.*

I'm also a sucker for suspenders.

I think both the vest and suspenders are Creepmas wishlist worthy.

That hair color is also really awesome. Being a person insistent on keeping my original hair color knowing what I know with what happens to naturally dark hair after it's colored (it's an intense brown that becomes more black or red depending on the time of the year), I would find a wig in this color.

I think the only thing I would change with this outfit would be the pants. I love the color, but not the style. Skinny jeans would have been more flattering. I think she wore the boyfriend jeans for comfort.

I would also switch out the hat for a beret (I'm also a sucker for berets too! >.> )

This outfit would work with the weather around here in Idaho.

If it got too cold, I think this outfit would look fantastic with either a long, dark trench coat or a leather biker jacket. A grey circle scarf would also be welcome too.

This look would be a fresh change with current holiday fashions. I think it would get a bunch of compliments at parties.

Monday, December 3, 2012

On The Third Day of Creepmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

... a very awesome Creepmas tree! (So what if it's out of order! :P )


If I had my way about it, I would have a black Christmas tree, string purple, orange, and green lights through it, and put Halloween related ornaments all over it. Unfortunately, my husband finds the idea of Creepmas a little weird, so that idea was kaput. In the small living space that we have, we have a tiny twenty inch tree that we plan on decorating soon. As a compromise, the color scheme is going to be purple and green, and I have free reign to decorate this living space area in a Yule fashion. I was even thinking about a gold and green color scheme to mimic Lurlinemas from Wicked at one point (since it sounds so awesome!). Whatever happens, pictures will definitely be up when this living space is fully decorated!

Enough about my situation. Time to help you Creepmas stalkers find awesome stuff for your Creepmas tree (especially if you're stuck on ideas)!

Amazing Party Store has a fantastic Creepmas tree for sale. It's six feet tall, and would make a wonderful addition to any household fully celebrating Creepmas. You can also pick out a tree that's green, purple, white, or orange, if you're a person that needs color. If you're needing a tiny tree since you don't have a lot of space (like us), then you should look into getting a tiny Christmas tree, and spray paint it whatever color you want. A bunch of retail stores offer Christmas trees in multiple colors too, if you're feeling lazy/are allergic to spray paint/don't want a bunch of chemicals in your system. Another good alternative for a space saving tree is a wall wreath/tree. French By Design has some amazing wall tree solutions. I love how the washi tape tree design is totally a simplified Creepmas tree design! If you're not feeling wall tree/wreath related, people make trees out of non-living objects all the time. Maybe you can take mini skulls, and build a tree out of those, perhaps (if you do, please post me a picture in the comments below for sure!!!)? The possibilities are endless.

Next up is lights (since you don't want to make the mistake of dressing a tree in ornaments first!). Are you going to go all traditional, and get candles to put in your tree?  If that's the case, make sure you are around the tree constantly when the candles are lit, and put them in candle holders.You can get different colors of candles to get into the Creepmas mood. You can make mini jack o' lanterns to put in the tree if you're feeling creative. A safer solution (since most trees are highly flammable) is to use LED tea lights to keep a traditional, yet modern look. Another good solution for traditional is to get plain white lights (on a black tree, that would look pretty cool!). Colored lights are always a safe bet. Purple, green, red, blue, and orange are constant winners, and don't cost an arm and a leg this time of year. Target has a pretty amazing selection.

The last main component to a Creepmas tree is the decorations. Good tree topper starting ideas would be scary clown masks, jack o' lantern trick or treat buckets, a creepy doll, a fallen angel, and a bleeding star. Again, anything goes. Really make this tree for you! Do you have any awesome collectible Halloween toys that you don't mind modifying? Make them into ornaments! Take a pretty ribbon, form it into a loop, and then hot glue that sucker onto the toy. Done! Homemade and awesome! Pretty color ribbons are always awesome to decorate trees with by themselves too. For the lazy people, Amazing Party Store is also offering Creepmas ornaments. Another good place for buying a bunch of Creepmas related ornaments is Etsy.

What you do now is up to you. You can add a tree cover or whatever else you like!

Still stuck? Look up Creepmas tree images on Google.

P.S. If you have already have your Creepmas tree up, you should post pictures of it in the comments below! Thanks! ^w^

Sunday, December 2, 2012

On The Second Day of Creepmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

... a Santa with the need to murder naughty children!


...yeah. I think I'd rather have coal, but whatever. O.o

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Creepmas Bonus #1

Ever since I have stumbled upon this site I'm about to reveal, I have been slightly creeped out yet intrigued by it.

It deals with Instagram.

Basically, it shows you pictures that people have taken. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Wrong. It also shows the EXACT location of where the picture sending location is at. That mostly shows up as people's houses a gtood portion of the time. O.o

During this time of year, a bunch of holiday photos are sent in and tagged. Those pictures show up on this timeline somehow like clockwork. If you check in any other time of the year, the photos will adapt...

Happy holidays! ...I know where your decorating your Christmas tree right now. O.o

*Shivers*

Here's the site: The Beat

On The First Day of Creepmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

(Keeping this short, but pretty sweet!)


...An oldie, but goodie song that puts me in the spirit for Creepmas!


Do you have any favorite tunes that get you into the spirit to creep people out during this jolly time of year?

Welcome, and happy first screams of this holiday season! ^w^

Friday, November 30, 2012

Goodbye, November...

...and thank you.

I'm not going to lie- even though this month rolled around pretty fast, it was probably one of my better months in the whole entire year, so far (we've still got next month, silly!...though, my hopes aren't that high this holiday season, and it's probably better to keep them that way to prevent disappointment five years running...).

Now, onto today's story...

This morning was mostly bittersweet.

Ian took me over to Michael's to find stuff to make holiday gifts with. I was dropped off a good five minutes early, so I watched as employees prepped the store front around me. They were pretty polite, and let me in the store right on time.

Finding all of the stuff I needed was a bust. Feathers were nowhere to be found, so I think that they might have sold out around this area. No wonder there were multiple reminders around the store telling customers that they should order in bulk while they could. By the time I got most of the stuff together, Ian got back from his chiropractic appointment with Evelyn, and basically killed any ideas I had with shipping worries.

My mind was in panic mode, and I was slightly depressed and angry. To make matters worse, I barely checked my bank account before Ian arrived to pick me up to see how much money I had left after Christmas spending just on Ian alone, and I didn't have enough to pay off photography expenses for a client and pay for website fees for my other work (my paycheck from one of my clients was not going to be here until after Brett's birthday, and we can't wait until then with shipping for the holidays being as crazy as it is around here). I was completely SoL. I had to make a choice, so I did...

...I asked Ian if he could foot the bill. He did so, grumbling. He got me the memory box that was on sale outside (we desperately needed one since the box that all of our other cards were in is starting to rip pretty badly), a Crayola airbrush system (the most logical way to ship anything to my relatives was to create artwork on a flat surface. It was either going to be huge fees in ink for the printer [if I was going the digital route], or canvas [for traditional works; which might still happen for mounting later on], and manila envelopes [which is still is, for shipping], and a dinosaur plushie for Evelyn (for Christmas) that she had grabbed on the way in, and refused to part with (there were tears galore when we tried to take it away. Bright side is that we know exactly what else on what to get her for Christmas now!).

The rest of the morning it felt as if he was annoyed with me, and he sure was. It was uncomfortable.

We drove over to Jared to get my rings inspected. It was a good thing that I had checked the paperwork before we left, or else we probably would have done the inspection tomorrow. That would have totally null and voided the insurance we had on the rings... We plan on picking them up tomorrow, since I went on 24 hours of no sleep with how Evelyn was these last couple of days.

Next stop was the mall for the last pickup of my clients' photos. Ian made me run into the mall, claiming that he was exhausted (I think he was to a point, but I think he just wanted a break from me being around him, for the time being). Made a beeline toward Idaho Camera. When I got there, the guy that was usually dealing with my orders wasn't there, so I had to deal with the other two people that was in there constantly. They looked all over searching for my negatives, even claiming that the main store hadn't even sent them over. After a good eight minutes, they finally found my negatives. I didn't realize that the film I was using (that was expired) needed to be in an E-6 format. The regular development only for black and white film for 35mm was only $3.50 plus tax-the E-6 format that was used bumped up the price to $9.99 (yikes)! At least, I know with them I'm getting a good deal for my money, compared to a bunch of competitors around here, so complaining for only momentary.

On my way back, I made a stop over at The Body Shop with my hands being dry due to the weather. After being stopped by an employee, I made my rounds around the store, finally finding lotion. I probably should have used one of the body creams, but my hands were full and I didn't want something that could possibly mess with the negatives. I ended up putting on some of their signature cherry blossom scent. Oldie, but a goodie. That was a small happiness that I had felt the whole morning.

Back to the car, it was. By the time I had gotten back, Ian seemed to be more awake until he saw me. I got in the car to check the slides for the prints. They were pretty decent sized.

With the Mormon Channel playing in the background (they have one of the best selections of holiday music this time of year. I can hardly stand using the regular radio with some of the garbage remixes I've heard in dealing with any sort of holiday music. There's only a couple of radio exceptions to date), we drove over to Hastings so Ian could find a holiday CD in dealing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. As he looked, I checked out the comics section to mostly check up on any of the Witchblade and Artifacts comics. With Witchblade, I mostly knew how far I was behind on the series, with Artifacts, I was completely in the dark. I'm so far behind on that series that it isn't even funny. The worst part was that there were huge gaps in the selection, which meant that store was cleaned out by some of the local Topcow collections I know around here. I was pretty bummed.

I accidentally found Marceline and the Scream Queens. I only found the fourth and fifth issues, but decided on not getting them since Ian pointed out that they were probably going to put out a compendium later (I sure hope to the Gods and Goddesses that he's right, or I'm going to be super bummed out), since it was Adventure Time related (Cartoon Network put out weird groups of episodes together on DVD).

We drove home afterward, with Ian claiming that he could barely keep his eyes open (which I hardly thought that was the case, but whatever). As we pulled up into the driveway, I voiced the thought of him being angry with me. It totally was. After multiple requests, I had a mini breakdown. After making a beeline downstairs, I grabbed the rest of the stuff from upstairs that I thought I had to grab. It hurt hearing Ian seem way more awake as he walked through the doorway, and greeted Logan.

Everything still looked pretty drear on our end, until Steph showed up. I think he presence was welcomed by the both of us. We all watched The Cleveland Show (I can hardly stand that show with how tasteless some of the jokes are, but randomly watched it anyway) together while we found stuff to eat. Ian headed off to bed after watching a couple of the episodes (which also hurt, with him claiming how exhausted he was earlier). Being forced to stay up to watch Evelyn, I hungout with Steph. She cheered me up quite a bit, especially when we talked about Neopets. Good times. On the downside, when I went to go and show her the striped Kacheek plushie that Christina bought me years back, it was completely MIA. I started tearing up pretty badly after that.

This day just kept turning into a downward spiral. Was it ever going to look up?

After getting some sleep, I was feeling better, but not by much. I was still on edge with how Ian treated me earlier. I debated on going over to Jared to pick up my rings since I had asked to have them plated. I held out since Ian plans on taking me over there tomorrow.

Fast forward to when Ian was about to wake up. I had another mini meltdown, and I said things when I wasn't in the right mind. After Ian showered, we kissed and made up after I told Ian what was going on. We both apologized to each other for how we treated one another.

As one of my favorite actors Matthew Davis said recently, "We forget that the preparatory step to peace is always justice."

Apologies are nice.

P.S. See you all tomorrow for the first day of Creepmas! I'm so excited for it to start! ^w^

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Twisted Cowl Project



Most of the time, my best ideas tend to strike during the wee hours of the morning.

I know I said that I was going to create a circle scarf the other night, but had no idea if I would actually get to it with so much stuff I had to do.

After a depressing talk with Ian during his break, I decided to cheer myself up by immediately taking a break, pushing most of my plans aside. I started creating a random circle scarf and read a little bit more of the Chinese birthday book I picked up from the library while drinking some green tea. 

I decided to create this scarf in a neutral color, since last year I learned that the dark gray cowl I gave my grandma (my mom received a scarf in dusty blue) practically goes with everything (the dusty blue one didn't go with a bunch of stuff, which surprised me since I had jeans in that color!). I wore both of the circle scarfs before I gave them away as presents to my mom and grandma (shameful, I know!), to test them out. Where ever I went, I got so many compliments on those scarves. They were hits, especially at the holiday parties I attended.

The scarf this time is a light gray. I'm using up more of the Red Heart yarn I had bought awhile back. I twisted some stitches on purpose to give the scarf a more unique look. I plan on making this scarf twenty rows long, and from a 181 stitch foundation (I gave it one more stitch to make it more even). After I'm done, I plan on sewing beads and sequins into the yarn. When folded around, I can either make it into a necklace, wear it barely layered, or wearing it over my head in a hoodlike fashion.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Game Plan of the Night (11/28/2012 edition)

  • Finish writing up all of the holiday cards I have planned to do
  • Try to finish up the rest of the Chinese birthday book that's due back to the library on the first of December
  • Plan to head over to Idaho Camera tomorrow to pick up the rest of the negatives, hopefully (it's like they haven't seen expired film before :/ )
  • Do a long session of yoga (sadly, no collaboration with my friend tonight since she's sick D: ); I will probably do combined sessions of Namaste Yoga
  • Work on scanning in the black and white negatives I've received the other day onto my Macbook, and arrange/make multiples of the pictures I think are best for my clients (they said to surprise them, so I will!)
  • Continue to plan out the Cozy Sweater Holiday Party (Adventure Time inspired) (birthday plans are put on hold at the moment; I don't think I'm going to have a birthday party this year since I've been disappointed year after year now)
  • More cleaning (specifically the bedroom tonight) and organizing
  • Crochet another circle scarf for myself (still debating on what design I plan on making. A ripoff Infinity or rippled effect design sounds promising...)
  • Finding twinkle lights to put around the Yule/Christmas tree base (the tree I got from Michael's is so tiny that it can only hold small ornaments and bows)
  • Decorating the rest of the living space for this holiday season (so I will have a complete peace of mind when the first week of December rolls around)
  • Work on (and hopefully finish!) Katrina's graduation announcements
  • Figure out how I'm going to pick up the expired film negatives tomorrow (since my transportation options are heavily limited this week) >.>

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Giving Tuesday

I'm really glad that a day like this was put into effect. I love helping people out.

Here are some great charities, organizations, and movements that are near and dear to my heart (besides the ones I have already mentioned in this blog so far. Check previous posts, especially if they deal with bats):

  • Girl Scouts (I have mentioned this group all the time, but I haven't actually posted up the link), or more specifically, the Girl Scouts of the Silver Sage Council-I was involved in the Girl Scouts for a long time. I learned a bunch of awesome stuff from this group, and got to travel everywhere. Such good times. It wasn't too long ago, actually, that I was recently accepted into the Alumni group. I will always hold Troop #551 close. Many of us have kept in contact to this day.
  • Heifer International-It's always awesome to help someone become self sufficient, especially if they are less than fortunate and need to help feed their families. This organization helps people by providing services by how much you donate. You can help feed a family for weeks with help from an cute animal, for example.
  • Ian Somerhalder Foundation-Not only is this guy from TVD pretty hot, but he also has a big heart and a passion to help others.
  • World Wildlife Fund-I am a sucker for helping wild animals.
  • ASPCA-I'm also a sucker for helping abused and neglected animals.
  • Pictures of Hope Foundation-I love this group of photographers that help photograph families with a baby in the NICU. I've had several friends have a baby go straight to the NICU after they were born. This foundation really hit it close to home for me, especially when a volunteer stayed with one of my friends who had a premie. A project I plan on taking a part of when Evelyn becomes older.
  • Dog Meets World-I plan on participating in this when I receive my Foto plushie and portable printer. This organization uses photographers that help provide unfortunate people for a picture for the first time.
  • Operation Love ReUnited-I love this group so much. Yet another group I want to be apart of. This group takes photographers, and makes the photographers take pictures of military personnel and their families. Not going to lie-I've teared up whenever I've witnessed a person from the military reuniting with their loved ones. This group really hits close to home.
  • Help Portrait-Another project I want to be involved with. On December 8th, photographers will get involved with their communities, supporting personal causes.
  • TED-These ideas are really worth spreading. I love the talks from this site. Thank you, Mr. Zimmerman, for introducing this to me while I was at SHC. It really changed my life. I plan on using this site when I homeschool Evelyn.
  • Women Hold Up Half The Sky-This group empowers women and girls to be awesome, no matter what part of the world they're from.
  • Human Rights Campaign-Everyone should be treated as equals, no matter if they're LGBTQ or not.
  • It Gets Better Project-No kid should have to be bullied and commit suicide because they're different.
  • American Institute of Bisexuality-Growing up bi had it's challenges. This group hits close to home.
This list is just a taste of what I love. More organizations I love will be posted next year around this time, and scattered throughout my blog throughout the year to come (since everyone should be helping out more than one day a year!). ^w^

Monday, November 26, 2012

Vinyl Goodness

Today was a pretty awesome day. It started off on an uneasy note, but it gradually turned out pretty fun and carefree. So much stuff got done, and I got to hangout with Ian a good portion of the day without him falling asleep... wait, I take that back. He did fall asleep, but I was in his arms. :P

After he went out to early in the morning to run errands, he picked me up, and took me to the bank to get the check I received cashed.

Next, we headed over to the Target on Milwaukee to get part of my Shopkicks spree done. (After today, if I go in at least one more time, I get a free giftcard. SCORE!)

We roamed around that first Target for a bit. I scanned some items for Shopkicks. I found two of the three items of the day. We picked up a limited edition holiday apple cider scented Chapstick three-pack and various flavors of Hershey's kisses. Chocolate mint truffle is the best! >w<

We made a beeline toward the other Target, near Eagle, to further continue the Shopkicks giftcard spree. No walk in credit, sadly, but that's alright.

What I found later on from there made my day...

I was looking for castor oil (which I totally forgot about due to getting sidetracked >.> ) at first, since I couldn't scan anything else. I wanted to try the oil cleansing treatment I had heard about, due to my acne still being out of control (sorry if that's TMI!). I look over to see if the photo area is open, and it's not. I randomly go looking for film for Ian's Holga (that I have seriously gotten attached to!).

Good things tend to happen when I search for film.

I came across this:


I had seriously been wishing for one of these for quite awhile. Portable record players are a super rare find in this area. Most of the ones I have come across are supposed to be stationary. I hadn't even checked out the ads on this so I was totally surprised (not sure if they were Black Friday or regular ads, but my FIL spazzed when I showed him this!). It was the last red one in the store, and on sale too! SCORE!!! I cried happy tears in store. I deem this record player as an early Yule present to myself. <3

After I paid for the record player, Ian treated me to some KFC for my late brunch (3 p.m. I was so hungry! T.T), and we drove home.

We proceeded to chill out with each other while Ian played more Happy Wars, a free game on XBox Live arcade. It's pretty cute.

Nearly 6 p.m. ish, we headed out to get some of my client's pictures developed. We first headed over to Walgreens, since that was a sensible option. Lesson learned: Don't go to Walgreens if you have expired or black and white films. It's a total waste of time!

Idaho Camera was the best option overall. I wish we went there first. >.>

After getting everything all set up, I received receipt tickets. All the developments should be done by tomorrow around 4 p.m. What's left to do is to scan them immediately after I get home, print them out, quote my client, and collect payments. ^.^

We roamed around the Boise Towne Square Mall for bit after. We looked through different stores for gift ideas. It's always awesome seeing Ian's face light up after finding something he really likes/loves. We didn't purchase anything, but it window shopping is free fun.

Panda Express was in store for dinner. Our orders were to-go. I picked out an order of chow mein and double dose of orange chicken. Ian picked out fried rice, orange chicken, and Kung Pow chicken. The batch  of orange chicken for tonight was way too spicy. We watched Family Guy while we ate. I was thankful for old episodes. The latest episodes are tasteless, IMHO.

After changing out of my day clothes, Ian and I took a power nap together. We just barely woke up.

I tested out my record player for the first time ever soon after. Not going to lie-mP3 < vinyl. I really missed this. The last time I had heard anything on vinyl was over at Amber's house. Good times. :3

Here's a picture of my first test run of my portable record player:


Ian, Evelyn, and I listened to the first Bioshock official score together. So perfect. <3

P.S. *Wishlist alert!!!* If anyone wants to know, I'm been wanting the Lana Del Rey vinyl featuring the song "Born To Die." I was going to post it up on my Wishpot Holiday 2012 wishlist, but keep forgotting to. I probably should after this...