Philosophy for FREE

Look what I discovered on the net. A series of lectures you can listen to on ITunes from an Oxford proffessor on Philosophy. Question "Define COOL"!!!!
Here's the link www.anotherpanacea.com/2010/05/how-to-get-a-philosophical-education-for-free/
I have a natural bent towards this kind of thing . I remember as a kid asking my Dad questions like "How do we know we exist? How do we know we are not just the figment of someone elses imagination or a part of somebody eles dream?". Dad used to laugh and say I should be a philosopher when I grew up. He also used to laugh at my questions and say things like "Plato answered that in the year (dot)" and "nothing new has been discovered, they've all been answered over the years" which kinda put a damper on my questioning.... but I am discovering I still find this stuff really interesting.
On another note, though similar, I've finally got my head around another concept Catherines Dad managed to pass onto my subconcious reasoning which I am now attempting to SMOTHER...no... REMOVE.
It goes like this:
"Why can't I do what I want? I should be able to say or do anything I please and you should just accept it. It's not me that's cruel...it's the universe for not letting me do anything I want without it affecting other people. I should be able to say the cruelist things and it should just wash off your back like water off a duck."
DIE, DIE, DIE oh untruth.
Of course it was never verbalised like that, which is why I've only just been able to grasp the concept. I'm glad I have now summerised it into a concept I can now DISTROY within myself. And move on. A little bit more.

I'm grateful

Just came home and found deep gashes in my computer monitor. But you know what, I'm grateful I even have a computer and can afford the internet. I'm grateful I had a sermon almost entirely tailored to me what I prayed tonight for God to help me with my bent towards greed and ingratitude and the whole sermon was on generousity.

Also, yesterday, our antique sewing machine belonging to Nana (my mum) that was given to her by her parents has been tampered with by sticky little fingers and a screw is now missing which will mean another $110 repair fee if they can find the part at all.... but you know I'm still grateful that I can sew at all. That I have fingers and eye sight, and the luxury of sewing for a hobbie when there are super-talented people in Asia slaving away in factories painting eye-dots on plastic Mcdonalds toys.

I'm grateful that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Once again, I'm thankful for tonights sermon. That generousity blesses the giver as well as the reciever and that when we give to others of our time, money, resources, attention he gives us enough for them and ourselves.

And, yes, I guess I'm grateful just to have a daughter at all.... destructive habbits and all.

More clutches in my FELT shop

I have just added some more clutches in my Felt shop. These are priced at $40 each. I take these to the craft shows and get a bit of interest :) and it's about time I uploaded them online!

frilly dress

Dress Number 2!! She said to me "I like this one more than my fairy dress!"... I'll take that as a compliment.

Also, enquired about Irish dancing lessons today.... yet to hear back, but according to face book the teachers are having a wee reunion, so I guess it may be a day or two before I hear back.

Charlie Brown

This is really cool. The Philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip.

floral and pretty

Here's another dress I made Catherine. (I'm seriously thinking about starting up a wordpress blog to add my patterns to, coz you can add files to the wordpress blogs, but that might just be another thing that adds too much activity to my life, so I'm just gonna think on it at this stage).

ANYWHO.... this is the exact same pattern I made up about a year ago. She has 2 dresses like this and she thrashes them. A whole wardrobe full of (lovely) hand-me-downs, yet people at church probably think she only has two dresses, coz she chooses them every week (thinks: "maybe that's why people keep giving us clothes!!").

The best thing about it, is she can put it on herself. No buttons/zips at the back, and it's the same back and front.

And here's the original dress I made for her when she was four.... see how it looks as they grow...

Reoccurring Dreams...

I have them alot. I had one last night in fact... one of my dancing dreams. I keep dreaming I've gone back to dancing lessons, but it's been so long my legs are really arthiritic and I can't jump or point my toes, and kind of hobble around the room. The dresses have also changed in recent years , and I'll often dream I've come up with the latest fad, which when I wake up, turns out to be upholstry fabric, or two-tiered skirts like jack-o-lanterns.
I used to also have reoccurring dreams about school, where I'm repeating 7th form for the 5th year in a row and it's the end of the year and I have to cram for exams because I havnt studied anything all year. One of the funny things is that, I now drive to school. But I told enough people about that dream that they stopped. The last time I had it I was sitting in class thinking "hey, it's just like that reoccurring dream I keep having, but this time it's real!".
Maybe that's why I keep having the dancing dreams.... I havn't told anyone about them.
And our memories must be amazing, because I also revisit places I've dreamed about say five years ago. I've invented shopping malls I've come back to, and houses or flats I've lived in. And areas, which because I have no sense of direction, the floor plan is always pretty simple.... basically forward and back.
Oh, and my garden is spectacular. Little nooks and crannies full of leeks and marigolds, sunflowers and veges all growing lush and wonderful, in a little back yard paridise.
I love my dreams. It's the one time I get back some of my childhood, and remember life when imagination reigned and dirty dishes didn't matter.

stumble

Just wanted to share a cool website I found. www.stumbleupon.com
If you don't open an account it will let you stumble across websites on random . I was unable to signin for ages for some reason, but still found it interesting. Then the other day I was able to sign in, and choose my own subjects of interest. I've spent sooooo much time reading some really interesting stuff. I highly recommend this site :)

Catherine's Fairy dress

Now this is the fairy dress I've made Catherine for the fairy party. It's really baggy around the waiste... she looks a bit pot belly.... but I wanted a dress she could just slip on and off herself, so she would wear it (She dresses herself and she has a favourite dress I made her she wears for that reason). This dress is not perfect... needs some leggings too...its soooo short!! I wonder if a belt would fix the waiste line? I want to make her another one soon, but I'll have to think of some way to make a dress she can slip on herself, but still looks good...

Chip off the old block

How cute is this? Just came home from bible study and found this on my computer screen... and look, she even wrote her name with the mouse. Pretty impressive if you ask me :)

Well, I just thought I'd blog about life without tea. As you can see, it's been a while without tea.Since July in fact. My pastor is not very impressed with the fact that I still have the occassional cup. He has not had a drop of caffine in 20 years, and when I said I'd had a few but wasn't addicted he said "so you say"!!!!!. Well, let me tell YOU mister... I have the occasional cup when offered and to be polite, and until July of this year I was drinking 15 to 20 cups a day. I tried to limit it a couple of times to 4 a day, but I be twitching and hanging out looking at my watch thinking... c'mon 12 oclock, c'mon 12 oclock! And depressed... let me tell you! I think my depression had a lot to do with it too! Because I basically lived off caffine and sometimes would only have one meal a day.... dinner. And I guess after a night of no tea, I would wake up depressed and extremely groggy and would feel awful until I'd downed at least 3 cups. I mean REALLY groggy. Like I wouldnt really be awake until 11 or 12 in the morning (day). And it just occurred to me on Saturday that there's been a big improvement, because I had to wake up at 6.30 in the morning and I thought, "oh no, I'm going to be so groggy and sleepy, I won't remember anything so I'll have to pack the night before, and i'll be grumpy and I probably won't even remember to brush my hair"...and then the morning came and it felt like 12 in the afternoon and I was FINE! and I realised then how much things have become. That coupled with 9 oclock regular bedtimes and a piece of fruit each day. I tell you, I'm the poster child of a changed life due to healthy choices. It just goes to show there's a lot to say for wisdom and treating our bodies the way God designed them.

phew!

Just finished this for a friend's daughter. She is turning one year old and is having a fairy party. Aparently even the

adults are to be wearing wings. Well, now to make something for Catherine to wear...

Big gardening day today. My mantra was "there is no condemnation now for those who are in Christ..." repeated every time I got a burst of guilt over gardening on a Monday... all day. And if there's anyone who can make themselves feel guilty over anything, it's me! Apart from that, I was really pleased with the result... but the work continues tonight! I've actually got to plant out all those seedlings once the sun sets a bit. I'm a bit overdue doing this. Hopefully it just means we get a latish crop of potatoes and corn this year. And the last photo is a reminder to get stuck in again and finish the job off! Yip...it's a jungle all right.

Guy Fawks and a tatting shuttle

Well, I think there's a new tradition in our house. Ever since I've had a camera with a fireworks setting I get such a kick out making shapes out of sparklers. I couldn't get any real cool shapes, coz I couldn't get Mum to press the shutter and say "NOW" at the same time.... so we had to go random, but still, it was fun. Catherine ended up making some cool ones, and then tried to decided what they were afterwards... ('that ones a monster lying on a bed').

And of old Guy Fawks memories, with my Dad's typical sense of humour, loved telling me as an incredulous child how we cellebrate the guy who tried to blow up the government.
Lastly, look at the tatting shuttle I made.... I wanna make more!! It's sanded, varnished, sanded and varnished again. And it's my own shape too! I think it looks like a bird... I may have to burn a shape into the next one.

decals

This is how far I got with decal design today....photos... see anything promising?
I've decided to sit in the sun and draw from what I see... hopefully in the next day or so. Hope I can stick to my declaration for once.

stickers!

Well, I went to the Kingsway evening last night, and sold some decals. I could be negative about it but I'm choosing not to be (I'm naturally a melancoly personality type). Here's what I've taken from the evening:

People ARE interested in wall stickers. I just need to spend some time researching and putting together some nice designs that people will actually want to put on their wall. I have some ideas too... flower designs, maybe some christmas/seasonal designs. Butterflies and fairies. And I need to take my time, possibly a week for each design so I'm not just hurridly throwing things together and hoping someone will want it. So that's the breif I wrote down for myself last night... professional, presentable wall sticker designs.

I'm going to take some photos of foilage today too, to get some ideas. May put them on my blog if I remember!

PS. Its Guy Fawks tonight... yay!!!!! I splurged and bought some decent ones this year.

Kingsway Designer night

I am selling at the Kingsway Designers shoppers night, tonight. Here is the website. I will take some photo's and see how I go. I have to pop out and get some stuff to do some last minute packaging!

Gift Packaged and everything!

Well, I have another craft show coming up tomorrow... and apparently this is an "upmarket" event of "designer" products, and so we needed to think seriously about our presentation, and I had a look at my raggidy bits of paper with a ribbon tied around it and realised it just wasnt going to cut it. So I had some labels printed and bought some tubes and packaged my decals, along with instructions and a squeegy. If I run out, I will also be taking orders with a $10 deposit. I am also going to update all my sites, like Trade Me, Etsy and Felt... with pictures of the packaging. Hey, it may encourage people to buy them as gifts now!

stuff...

First, I want to say, yes these are my photos. I guess I've been naughty taking photos off the net, but when I just want to ramble and add a bit of colour, say, I grab a flower pic from somewhere and stick it on... but no more! My own photo's only from now on, no matter how lame.

Well, it's interesting to follow ppls blogs. I don't often comment, but it's interesting to follow the lives of some ppl, and I wonder if anyone follows my life that way? appart from my actual "followers" (hello to you), google analitics tells me there have been a few regular viewers... although they could be those spider/robot things I don't know much about).

Well, if anyone out there is interested... this is what I've done so far with my tatting. I've made up a little bit of tatted lace which I want to use for a dress for Catherine. This will happen in the next week or so.

This week I am making up some packaging for my wall stickers, which I hope will add a bit of value to them, and also encourage ppl to buy them as gifts for others. Hopefully I will have some photos within the next day or two..

The other photos are of our recent long weekend up at our bach. Catherine enjoyed the playground, while I read a book. The park is just opposite a camping ground (pictured), and as I sat there I could hear ppl singing to a guitar having a good ol' time.

And back to the tatting, I've made myself a tatting shuttle! Once it's varnished I will put up the pics.