Translator

I've added a translator by Google to the blog. Apparently I am unable to test it myself for some unknown and probably asinine reason. Perhaps the Google thinks I don't understand any other languages enough to read it properly or something and thus they must protect what is very likely "a small American mind". Blah!

So, if my readers from non-English speaking countries would leave me feedback as to this translator gadget's working ability, I would be grateful.

Another Welcome

Welcome to MiniAlev! I found her blog via Brenda. She has several great tutorials and patterns for furniture and some great pictures of her finished miniatures. Have a visit and say hello if you are of a mind. http://minialev.blogspot.com/

Fun Filler

Morning everyone! :-)

I haven't had my morning tea yet, so I haven't starting making cakes at the moment. Once I'm awake enough to not slice into my fingers with a tissue blade I will get started.

I ran through pictures of food I've done recently and thought this piece might interest you. A friend needed table and hostess gifts for last year's N.A.M.E. national event. The theme was "Castles and Cottages." After years of sewing gowns for a Renaissance choir when I think of castles I think the Renaissance.

This piece is a Renaissance gingerbread, sculpted to resemble the Tudor Rose, and gilded because that's what cooks to the wealthy did back then. Early gingerbread was not cakey like it is now, it's more like a thick taffy texture, so it was often sculpted for special occasions or to flatter dinner guests.

Inspiration for this piece came from Gode Cookery, a website dedicated to the preservation of Medieval and Renaissance recipes.

Current Projects and Goals

I've been rummaging through my supply room looking through the stash of polymer clay. I've finally decided what kind of cakes I'm going to make for my friends' birthdays and how I will decorate them. I will get the pictures up sometime after Friday. Don't want to ruin the surprise accidentally.

Lately I've been having trouble coming up with ideas for miniature food to sell in my web-store. I come up with ideas and other extremely talented artists from other locals have beaten me to the punch. Since I don't want to seem like I'm copying other people's work, I end up thinking more than sculpting. I definitely don't want to step on toes or hurt feelings since my eventual goal is to join IGMA and start trying for artisan status.

The show that I am planning on attending as a dealer this fall may or may not actually happen. This would be my first show ever. The economy being what it is, and with bigger shows within a 200-mile radius forcing a date change, means that I may have to look farther away and end up with greater expense and less certain profit return. That's the same story I'm hearing from other artists everywhere.

For now I guess I will get these cakes done for my friends and get some stock built up. If the show I'm supposed to go to doesn't happen, I can always try for the St. Louis show in October. It's more expensive, but I wouldn't have to worry about lodging and meals since our families are there.

More Hellos

Hello to Mary and Tiny Delights! I hope you enjoy your visits here. Mary is new to the blog world but will soon have pictures of miniatures posted. Tiny Delights is full of wonderful pictures of miniature food. Hop over and say hello if you already haven't.

Along a similar topic, has anyone else noticed a difference in their "Followers" widget? In the space of a few hours I can no longer click on a follower's picture and be directed to their profile. It's quite odd.

Blogger Widget Question

Can anyone recommend a good English to multiple language translator that I can attach to the blog? I've tried a few today but I can't tell if they work or not. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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edit: FH and I tried the gadgets to allow us to add HTML to the blog and it didn't work right. Adding the code directly into the blog's layout didn't work right either. Anyone know what we're doing incorrectly?

Welcome Katerina

I wanted to take a moment and welcome my newest follower, Katerina. She has three blogs full of wonderful miniature goodness. Please stop over and say hello to her.

Las Minis de Katy

Petit Bleu

Casita Roma

Even More Lovely People

I have the pleasure of welcoming two more followers to this blog. Hello to Kim at It's A Miniature Life and Tullalah~Belle at Tallulah~Belle Originals. Check out their gorgeous minis if you haven't had the chance to already. Again, be prepared to stay awhile.

Gift From A Friend

More post inspirations today. This time it came from Alice.

She mentioned in a comment about Brenna's nursery about knowing my friend, Fay, through some outline groups. I thought people might like to see one of Fay's miniatures that I'm lucky enough to own.

When FH and I were married we eloped right before Christmas of 2007. The following April we threw a reception for our friends and family. Fay surprised us with this beautiful miniature that I will treasure forever.
As soon as I stopped crying I rearranged the cake table to showcase the miniature. Of course whoever took the next picture thought the cake was more important, but you can see most of the room. This room became the star of the party. Every camera brought to the reception has at least one picture of it. Currently it sits far away from the cats on a shelf in our living room.


All but two members of my St.Louis mini group were able to attend. Our aunt (I think) snapped this picture.

(Yes, I know the dress is too tight. Blame my mother... I did every time I tried to take a breath.)

These are the best mini friends a person could ever dream of. This Friday I will be lucky enough to see everyone again. I haven't been for a visit since July. It will be good to see everyone and catch up on everything I've missed.

Inspiration for a Post

Thanks to Brenda posting an adorable mini of her oldest dog, Kasey, I was reminded that I have mini version of my critters that I haven't posted here yet.

So here they are: 'Bert



Castor

Confetti


Pollux

and Tempie


They're all posed specifically for a scene I put them in. I will dig up the pictures and post that eventually. Right now I should go work on some new miniatures since I haven't all weekend... or finish the shawl for my MIL.

Lovely People... Lots of Them

I wanted to say hello to three more lovely folks who have started visiting.

Golden Unicorn Miniatures has a wonderful blog full of gorgeous miniatures. If you want to see some beautiful pictures, go have a look!

Doreen, not to be confused with my mother-in-law of the same name, has to great blogs full of miniatures! One is for miniature projects, the other is filled with adorable miniatures. Both are a treat to read through.

Daisy Carpi has four blogs that will make you lose time going through the pictures: 1/12 scale miniatures, her life-size paintings, handmade miniatures, and building a set of shops.

Be warned. I lost my Sunday between these six blogs. But is was so wonderful.

I also thought I should publicly say how wonderful Sharon at In Stitches, Karen at Karen's Shetlands, Leigh over at Leigh's Fiber Journal, Miz Minka over at Miz Minka's Musings, Michelle at Boulderneigh are. These great fiber artists have life-sized fun, beautiful landscapes, and multitudes of critter adventures on their blogs.

Paper art. That's what I call Alice's cards. Alice not only makes drop dead gorgeous cards, but she is occasionally allowed by life and her feline "helpers" to make miniatures. Visit her at Double Purr.

For a portrait, landscape, or still-life painted in words please visit Pamella and Edward at From the House of Edward. You will be breathless.

Last but not in any way least, are Catzee and Rascal. They are Leigh's four-footed kids. Their antics and perspectives on life make me think and laugh. Especially since I have a multitude of pets.

These wonderful people have been following/visiting me from the beginning. Their presence makes the world a more beautiful place and stretch my horizons. They are beautiful.

I hope I haven't forgotten anyone. There are just so many wonderful bloggers out there. If I left anyone out, I will remedy the situation quickly I promise.

Thank you to everyone!

**
I did nearly forget someone and didn't catch it until I had published the post. Eek!

Maia, at Maia's Twinkle Miniatures, is a wonderful artist and has many gorgeous pictures of her miniatures. Go for a visit and see what I mean. She's also the only person who decided to play the Pay it Forward game with me this time around. Amidst the planning for this year's miniature show, my bright spot has been brainstorming ideas for her gift! And I've settled on... well, you'll just have to wait until she's received it! ;-)

More New Friends

Just a quick welcome to Sam, a "mini making mum" from across the pond. Go check out her work if you haven't already. You're in for a treat.

Glad you are here, Sam, and I hope you enjoy your visits.

Brenna's Nursery

It's been a while since I thought about this miniature. I built it for our friends, Adam and Tiffani, to welcome their first child into the world. This room was the first project I worked on in our house after we moved here. It sat in my dining room until a friend came to visit and was able to personally deliver it to Rolla, MO. Until I did Shabby Chic, Brenna's room was the most "girly" setting I had put together.

The room is set in a gift bag, a technique I learned from Fay Zerbolio years ago. Brenna's real room is decorated with fairies and butterflies. Her parents are both biologists and I guessed correctly with the photos of real butterflies on the wall. The border was pieced together in a paint program using an image from the bedding they chose.

The furniture was repainted and decoupaged to using leftover bits of the border and pieces of the bag's original front. All but one of the books are printies. The gift bags and boxes came from a wonderful free printie site located here, "Jennifer's Printables."


The growth chart on the wall is my own design and stitched on 14 count Aida. The butterflies are easy enough to recognize, but this picture doesn't show the caterpillars above and below the butterflies very well.

The duckie picture on the wall was made from a salvaged section of the gift bag's front. He's attached to a piece of mat board and the frame is built directly to the backing. The bunny pull-toy is made from several pieces of confetti, some bits of wood, and thread with a seed bead. The improvised jack-in-the-box was made with butterfly confetti. I found the perfect spring in the carcass of a broken pen.


I crocheted this blanket from tatting thread, using a size 14 steel hook. The pattern is my own design. The mobile is made from the same pieces of butterfly confetti as the "butterfly in a box" and some small cuts of wood.


Brenna will be a year old this summer. It's hard to beleive how much time has passed. This miniature sits on her dresser. Eventually they will move the scene to "higher ground" until Brenna is old enough to not drag it around as she toddles around.

I hope you enjoyed peeking into this room. It was hard to give up after I finished it. But her mother's reaction to it made all the difference. If you want to see more pictures, you can pop over here to my website's gallery and see more. I don't think Blogger would like that many pictures at once.

Welcome

Just a quick note of welcome to the new followers of Little Thoughts. All three happen to be miniaturists who have gigantic shares of talent. Hop on over to visit them and see what I mean.

Jean Day Miniatures, Tiny Treasures, and Brenda's Miniatures.

If you're just interested in peeking into little worlds, or starting to listen to a voice in your head reminding you of a long-forgotten dream of having a dollhouse, you will love the work of these wonderful ladies.

Midnight Musings

Do I try to get a dog? Not just any dog. A support dog.

Here are the dilemmas:
1. Money
2. Space
3. I'm not working or in a place where I can even work (or study) so why get a dog to be under foot when I'm not out in the field?
4. Am I "disabled enough" to even qualify?

Where I used to live I could get one of those hang-tag things for my rearview mirror for parking. I never did. There have been cold days here where I almost wish I had, but then I figure I should really walk on my own while I still have youth on my side.

But carrying things and bending are becoming more difficult. The bending will be helped with yoga once I find a place to go and learn. I'm more concerned with carrying things and the desire to still go out into the field for geo-paleo work. The random occurrences of falling have scared the crap out of me too. Especially with FH at work and my friend, Holly, having an irregular schedule at the department store.

After falling out of the shower a few monthes ago I've become more paranoid. I carry my cell phone with me everywhere. But... what happens the next time if I hit my head? Who calls for help? Not me. It's scary enough that I will only bathe if FH is home, on the way home, or Holly is expecting me by a certain time. I've had a couple of shakey moments since the intial fall. Yes, I am going to see my doctor about this. I go in for some tests in April. I'm wondering if she'll want me to go see a neuro guy.

The one neuro guy I've found in the area who specializes in spina bifida doesn't have good reviews. I miss the guy I had in St. Louis. Ironically he never saw me for the spina bifida, he saw me for a pinched nerve. For the record, if you are ever recommended for nerve conduction study of your arms be prepared for excrushiating pain. You know it's bad when the doctor asks if you would like him to end the test because tears are involentarily pouring out of your eyes.

I have a feeling the strange boughts of numbness in my feet are related to my back and probably caused by injuries I accumulated while we were moving. Not knowing where my feet end at random intervals doesn't help with the balancing issue either.

We really don't have space in this house for another animal. If we didn't have as many cats and could invest in a different hutch set-up for the rabbits it could work. But I can't bear the thought of not doing everything I can to keep the cats healthy and happy. Castor and Pollux turn 10 next month. Castor is still no doing well, even on the food change.

The bunnies would have heart attacks. Well 'Bert would at least. The poor baby is terrified of our feet walking past him. I hate to think what having a dog around would do to him. Tempie would probably try to eat the dog. She's my brave girl. Her teeth need trimming again. We have to be able to afford care for the critters we have. And that's getting harder to do with the changes in medical needs.

I supose what I should do at this point is to have a discussion with the doctor and call the support dog organization to see how long their waiting list is and what information they need from me. If the wait is several years long, then perhaps I should get onto it now.

I do know that as our cherished critters age and fade away we will not be able to get as many new ones so a dog can be afforded. It's vexing.

Shabby Chic in 1 inch scale, pt.4

Here is the next-to-last installment of Shabby Chic. The additional items were all in my stash or put together from found items for this project. I think my favorite additions are the jewelry findings and shells on the windowsill and the white elephant on the shell-shelf. That elephant once graced a necklace belonging to my mother's best-friend. When she passed away and her family told me I could pick through her costume jewelry for anything I could use for my miniatures, I latched onto that necklace. It felt right putting the elephant in this piece. The shelf seemed to be waiting for him.



The final piece on Shabby Chic will be a while in coming as I must wait for me to find two identical hatboxes or decorative storage boxes that I can use to build a structure to house the scene. I have to keep paws, little fingers, and dust out somehow. ;-)

Promises, Promises

Here is the promised photo of the picture on the in Shabby Chic. P.T. did an absolutely wonderful job with them. The center was different in each one. It looks like a sparkly, little insect of some sort, doesn't it? Whatever it is, it's adorable.

Shabby Chic in 1 inch scale, pt.3

In this installment of pictures the lovely tote bag favors have been added to the scene. In my haste to get things together I forget to ask the ladies if I could mention their names. So in order to give credit and keep privacy, I will credit with their initials.

The gorgeous picture on the wall is from P.T. I'm kicking myself for only getting a placement shot and not a photo of the actual piece. I shall remedy the situation when time allows, I promise.


The hassock was made by P.V. I'm glad she made those since I was trying hard to decide between a hassock and the pillow. Of course you all already knew which direction I chose based on an earlier post. P.V. also provided the lovely basket next to the bench. I filled it with white roses from my stash.

M.W. gave all of those tiny Valentine cards in the open drawer of the dresser. She also provided the books on the dresser. The friend that went with me, E.G., drove us there, so I made the little fabric baskets for her give as gifts.


It never ceases to amaze me how the addition of just a few items can really start to bring a miniature room alive. The next post on Shabby Chic will feature the final arrangement of the room with the addition of items I had in my stash. I'm not sure if I will get them up tomorrow or later in the week. I have to scale them all down and get them posted in my store's gallery as well. We shall see how much time I have for such things. I hope you are enjoying the blossoming of this particular room.

Valentines

Since I was otherwise occupied this weekend, here are a few pictures of the fun on Saturday.



Apparently FH had two Valentines this year. ;-)

Shabby Chic in 1 inch scale, pt.2

I decided the best way to show off the three different aspects of the Shabby Chic setting was to do three different posts with three different sets of pictures.

This post will have pictures of the items made in the class only.

Below is an overview of the entire room. The window was not actually part of the class but is very hard to remove for the sake of a picture.

The bench was made from a kit provided by Joyce. The table was actually provided by one of the participants but the painting technique was covered in the workshop. Also I thought the flowers and bunny cookie jar would look silly on the floor in this picture.


The dress form was constructed from the torso of an "el cheapo" doll from the local dollar store, some cardstock, a piece of wallpaper, fabric, and trims. the quilted pocket of posey on the dresser is polymer clay that was stamped, baked, and painted. Joyce provided the baked clay pocket for the class. We filled them with dried flowers.


The center of the floor is supposed to look like an oilcloth had been incorporated into the flooring. I'm wishing I had either trimmed around it or simply attached on top of the carpet as opposed to cutting a hole in the carpet.


All in all it was an awesome workshop. Joyce is a wonderful instructor and a great hostess. I'm very much looking forward to the next time she hosts a project.

The next installment of Shabby Chic will show off the gifts the participants exchanged.

Helping hands from a hemisphere away

A call to any quilters and stitchers who have overflowing stashes and big hearts. Due to the fires in Australia many people have lost everything: family, friends, clothes, and their hobbies. A friend in a cross stitching community (live journal) I belong to has passed along a message from The Stitching Post, one of the biggest stitching stores in Australia: if any crafters have excess DMC, Aida, fat quarters, kits, patterns, etc and would like to share them with people who have lost their own stashes, please mail them to the shop for distribution.

Now this may seem like a strange request, but when you think about the stresses and levels of anxiety these people are experiencing without the calming affects of their hobbies... it makes sense. At least to me. I am more anxious without something in my hands when the world is falling down around my ears.

So this weekend I will be going through my own stash and seeing what I can send them. Anyone who wishes, and is able, to do the same can use this address:

The Stitching Post
PO Box 267
Wentworth Falls NSW 2782

I just wish I could do more. But at least I can do this. Perhaps a random kits from my stash that I got from someone a while ago can bring someone comfort and a smile.

Neural Tube Defect

This post is to organize some thoughts floating around in my head.

I once met an eight-year old girl who has spina bifidia worse than I do. She was fascinated with a demonstration on rivers that I was giving. I had a lot of fun telling her about how I became a scientist and that if she really wanted to do what I do, that she should figure out ways to make it work for her. Her smile has stayed with me for years.

She was a sharp one. She'd make an awesome lab rat with her attention to detail. Independent too. She left her dog at home when she came to museum because she didn't want to deal with him that afternoon. I know she'd make a great Earth scientist. Other than her, I have only met one other person with the same affliction.

In fact most days I forget about the x-rays that finally explained why I had trouble with balance, mobility, and dyslexia. I thought constant pain in my back was normal for my entire life. I actually have to remind myself to not go into the field alone, climb up short outcrops to grab "quick samples" with no safety equipment, or play tackle football with my friends anymore. I'm just grateful for each day I have the ability to walk on my own.

If FH and I were to try and have a child, every OB I've spoken to would have me in for a scheduled c-section at 37 weeks. I cannot have an epidural, so I would be out. I force myself to get up and walk these days. If I was in the same shape now as I was in high school, prior to the diagnostic x-rays, I am pretty sure I'd not be in as much pain. Getting fat has not helped the issue.

When I go back to school for my master's I will have to get a dog to help me in the field. I cannot carry the same amount of equipment as my peers and be able to put in a full, productive day. Apparently in the city of St. Louis, MO I qualify for disabled parking. I will refuse the honor for as long as I am able. I'm one of the luckier ones. And I refuse to forget that.

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The miniatures will continue in the next post. Curtains are up, but the furniture is not in yet.

Projects evolve...

Projects have a way of evolving without me even thinking about it. It can result from random, unrelated statements made by other people or even me seeing a different commercial on T.V. This time it's born of my desire to keep dust and the three cats out of the Shabby Chic room.

This workshop was designed and taught by the lovely Joyce Mori, who is a contributer to American Miniaturist magazine.For the record Joyce is a wonderful teacher and is incredibly creative. The five people who took the class all had a great time and are looking forward to it again.

The setting itself is a room with three walls and a floor. No top, no plexi-glass on the 4th side. This design would be fine if I had a curio cabinet that could hold several settings of similar size. But sadly I am not that fortunate yet. Someday perhaps...

Here's the setting sans furniture. The window was not part of the original project. There was a window dressing attached to the wall , but nothing behind it. That didn't sit well in my mind. I kept wanting to see something behind the curtains. I debated between a window or a door with an "Employees Only" sign on it.
The window won because I keep toying with the idea of transforming the entire setting from a shop into a bedroom. But I really don't know if I will or not. At the very least I can create more depth with something beyond the window.

Thus again I come to the issue of dust and helpful kitties. A while back there was a project by Joanne Swanson in Dollhouse Miniatures that involved using two hat boxes to create a room. I've started looking for hexagonal hatboxes or decorative storage boxes to make a more cat-proof covering. I will have to sojourn to Peoria to look for a nice selection, since I don't know of many places to find nice hat boxes where I live.

What I am going to do in my next post is put up pictures of the acceossires and furniture from the workshop and then the pictures with the items I added from my own stash. I want to really make sure I can show the original workshop was much more than three walls and a floor.

FH has been sick. So until he's a bit better I won't have a chance to really get things finished. I did work on everything this weekend with my friend, but on Sunday we were working in the break room of a Christmas tree farm that was not well heated. The paint and glue were definately unhappy with us, so our drying times were affected and our productivity was affected. Not to mention that it was bloody cold for our fingers. By the time the Hunter Safety class that FH was teaching ended and the MVLR (Mackinaw Valley Long-Rifles) meeting was over my back was in screaming pain. Between the cold and the chair I was sitting in, my nerves and muscles were less than happy and I could feel the ache in my vertebrae.

Fortunately I was able to still walk and keep some semblence of balance when it was time to finally go home. I did decide that if it's still this cold in March for our meeting I am going to skip it and let FH fill me in after. Normally it wouldn't be bad except for the inadvertant overlap with the Hunter Safety class. The class is always packed and they are in the room with the woodstove. In retrospect it's probably why FH is under the weather. We were in the cold for about six hours Sunday. It was much nicer for him during the longer section of the class on Saturday. To paraphrase Terry Pratchett, spina bifida is "a bit of buggery."

Pay It Forward

Through shear luck and happy accident I am happily participating in a Pay It Forward exchange with Michelle at Boulderneigh.

Here's the deal. For the first five people who respond to this post, I will make a small gift and send it to you. Remember that I mostly work in miniature, but I also do fiber things. I will duly attempt in some fashion to tailor the gifts to the people who respond.

Limitations:
1. You might not like it, I make no guarantees.
2. Until it arrives at your doorstep you will not know what it is.
3. They will arrive by the middle of July. Michelle said "end of June", but she posted at the end of January. I'm giving myself a bit of time to compensate.

Here's the catch:
You must make the same offer on your blog.

I think this is a wonderful way to take "virtual" friendships into reality and spread the love of our crafts to others to will appreciate them. Besides, Michelle makes a great point. Who doesn't love to get little gifts in the mail?

Blame it on the brain

Shabby Chic is still not done. I've had a severe lack of motivation this week to work on anything and finally got to spend time with a girlfriend who was stuck working retail over Christmas.

However the friend who went with me to the workshop and I are getting together on Saturday to get both of our rooms finished. So I will have no choice but to actually play with it. Oh darn. *snicker*

I've also been attempting to come up with ideas for our miniature group's mini mixer this fall. We've done lots of Christmas themed things and the consensus is we need something new. The trick is we need to try and keep the cost around $20-$25. The other issue is if people are going to travel to our area they will want to leave with a mostly completed scene, not just a miniature to store until they come up with a place to put it. So right now I have the following points to think about:
1. not Christmas
2. mostly completed scene inside a provided (or built) setting
3. cost between $20 and $25
4. can be completed (or mostly completed) in 7 hours, with a break for lunch

At the moment I'm thinking:
1. pumpkin patch with dressed scarecrow
2. Thanksgiving prep kitchen
3. dinner for two on a patio
4. indoor tea for two
5. bakery
6. some sort of garden

The one thing I think for sure is that we should consider a tote bag exchange for the participants. Everyone makes a little something that fits into the scene's theme for each person. Then everyone goes home with lots of little things that will help complete the whole scene. I've done that before with workshops and had a great time doing it. And if we get our act together now and send out the invitations in August, the people would have more than enough time to get some objects made. Of course participation in the exchange could be optional. But generally people tend to like that sort of thing.

Scale is something to keep in mind. There are people who prefer one scale over another. I'm one of them, so I know. Generally I work in 1:12" scale. However 1:48" scale has become a seductive mistress over the last few years. One to 144" scale has also been beckoning like a siren. However most people we've talked to and worked with want to do things in 1:12" scale.

What to put a scene into is another concern. I've taken classes on putting rooms into gift bags but once you get the cost of the thin plexi-glass to make the front and top, the wallpaper, and something to make a floor... it costs around $20. That's without anything to go inside it. But it only takes about 3 hours, with drying time, to get the room-bags put together. That leaves a bit of time to build kits, make window dressings, or whatever applies to the scene.

Providing stuff to build a wooden structure takes times and money. Depending on the design it might eat up the entire project budget and won't necessarily get finished during a 7 hour period. A pre-made wooden shadow box or shelf can work great as a setting, but the cost just doesn't work.

Using foam-core board as a building material is debatable. I'm not a huge fan of using it as material for a finished structure, but it does have it's place. It's too flimsy to fill and hang on a wall and it can look very incomplete as outside walls. If you're papering over the edges or putting a stucco effect onto it, then it can look good. Especially if it will fit into a display case nicely. Going back to the rooms in bags for a moment, I use foam-core for the walls in those rooms. But the gift bag covers up the backs of the walls and provides added support.

Getting a paper mache' box from a craft store would work, provided we can find enough of them in the correct size/shape. It doesn't take too long to decorate both the inside and outside of those boxes. Heck they even come in different shapes which can be pretty cool depending on the theme of the scene you're putting into them. My Valentine room was done in one of those boxes. I painted the outside walls and papered the inside. It was also not very expensive. If I remember correctly I had it papered, painted, and sealed it all over the course of 4 hours, with some drying time in between coats. The floor took another 30 minutes, most of which was drying time for the glue.

*sigh*

So that's what's rattling around in my head right now. There's more but most of it isn't in complete sentences just yet. I wish it had been there during our monthly meeting. Perhaps we could have discussed happy things in addition to the stressful crud regarding our miniature show this year. Ah well. There's always email and next month's meeting.

I've been tagged!

Miz Minka tagged me for a meme that amused me, so here's the deal.

25 Random Things Meme

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to publish a blog post with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose up to 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.

If the following folks decide they feel like playing too, by all means let me know: Sharon, Karen, Alice, Leigh, and Michelle. If not, that's ok too.

1. My best friend is my husband. Without getting overly mushy he balances me.

2. I prefer the company of animals more than I enjoy being with most people.

3. One of these centuries I would like to get back into academia and earn at least a Master's degree so I have a chance of actually being successful in my field.

4. I love sorting and washing laundry. Once it's clean I want nothing more to do with it. I will grudgingly fold clothing, but I loathe putting garments on hangers.

5. My food allergies/chemical intolerances are so limiting I get tired of eating the foods that don't make me sick. In fact every time I turn around there seems to be another thing on the list.

6. I've been interested in dollhouse miniatures since I was tall enough to look into other people's dollhouses. Before my parents would get me a dollhouse I would fashion my own out of cardboard boxes and make furniture out of "found" items like empty spools of thread.

7. I am nocturnal by nature. Given my druthers I will happily sleep until mid afternoon and be up all night. To switch my internal clock around takes a lot of time and effort. And it only take one 24 period to reset myself back to being a night owl.

8. I dream of being recognized as an artisan in the world of miniatures. Someday I'll be a practiced enough sculptor of clay things and start applying to I.G.M.A.

9. I legally changed my first name because I never used it. My parents always called me by my middle name. I never heard my old first name unless I was in trouble or a teacher at school refused to call me by my middle name.

10. I was an "accidental" child. Dad thought he was too old (59) to make anymore children. Mom proved him very, very wrong. There are 15 years between me and the next sibling.

11. The one place in this world where I've always considered "home" is Alamogordo, New Mexico. Someday I hope to live there.

12. I have a not-so-secret obsession with a particular children's toy. Webkinz are the most insidious things on the planet. They are cute little toys and the games on the website are fun in a silly way. I think the main draw is getting to design and furnish little virtual rooms. It's the miniaturist in me that loves it.

13. The only reason I eat vegetables and whole grains is to stay *ahem* regular. I force myself to eat things other than meat, dairy, warm bread, and the occasional piece of fresh fruit. This probably is related to the food allergies mentioned above. I know I'm generally safe with a big steak and a baked potato.

14. When I see people eating food in a grocery store as they are shopping it makes me nauseated. Not sure why. It just does.

15. I firmly believe in the "it takes a village to raise a child" philosophy, but if you do not know the parents and children they stay out of it. Let the adults attached to the kids in question handle them.

16. I think that people should be required to take tests before owning pets. A different test per species/type of critter in question. Nothing irritates me more than people who don't know how to properly care for an animal in their charge. It wouldn't be a bad idea for people wanting to have kids either... but that raises all sorts of issues that I don't want to think about.

17. I have spina bifida.

18. My favorite color is any shade or tint of purple.

19. Someday I want to have horses. This is predicated on having the space and the money to care for them. But it's a goal.

20. My obsession with all things relating to snowmen drives my dear, FH to distraction. I love how patient he is with me with regards to this aliment. He did very well with all of them in house during the holidays.

21. FH and I are very non-Christian. This is not to say we are anti-Christian or anti-religion. Our beliefs are spiritual and peaceful. If Jesus showed up at our door he'd be invited in for refreshment and conversation happily. We turn noone away in need and shun noone for their personal beliefs. What is irritating are people who try to push their beliefs onto other people. That is what we're against.

22. I believe in the Constitution and Bill of Rights as was written by the founding fathers. I don't like governments trying to regulate every aspect of a person's private lives. Yes, make it against the law to kill someone but don't make it against the law for a restuarant to serve fois gras.

23. When I'm nervous my fingernails suffer for it. I don't bite them as much as I did when I was a kid, but I worry at them until they tear off.

24. I'm terrified of flying. I have to take tranquilizers to do so.

25. I used to be fluent reading in Russian and German. Not so much these days since I haven't bothered to jog that part of my memory. I really need to get back to it again. Maybe this summer.

That's it. Hope to see some other lists of 25.