The Saga of my Spinning Stool...

Some people, I swear, need to wear Jeff Foxworthy's "sign"...STUPID. On their foreheads. Or somewhere else quite visible. People, yes...but you wouldn't expect that, nor want that with an online seller.

Okay, so I find this cute little stool that I think would be perfect for spinning. I'm tired of using a dis-placed dining room chair. I wanted something small, with a padded seat. I found it. It's perfect:
So anyway, I find the listing, and it says it's for a purple stool. I wanted this burgundy one. The ad said "please contact us for other colors shown!" Okay, so I write to the guy (or girl, whoever....you can pick him/her out by the "STUPID" sign on their forehead) and I say "I'd love to have this in burgundy". Seller says "okay, just write a note in Paypal comment box and let us know."

Great!! No prob! So that's what I did, AND I sent off another note through eBay to remind them that although I bid onthe PURPLE stool auction, I wanted a BURGUNDY stool.

Next note I get: "I am not sure if I have the burgundy in stock."

Okaaaaay. So I send a note back. "Pink would be fine."

Next note: "We are out of the PURPLE. Is PINK okay?"

OMG. I am in disbelief as to the absolute idiocy of this dialogue. Now, here's something ELSE to keep in mind thru all this. My eCheck cleared back on May SEVENTH. I still don't have this stool. Not in burgundy, not in purple (which I never wanted), and not even in pink. Heck, at this point, I'll TAKE IT in neon green polka dots!

So...I have NO idea what these people are going to write next. And was the burgundy really out of stock?? The world may never know.

And gee, guys, I'm so sorry. Didn't see yer SIGN.

Rehanna, My Young Lady

On Friday, my daughter, Rehanna turned 15 years old. While I can still hardly believe it, I am learning the nuances of being a mother and seeing the time slip by so quickly. Soon, I know she will be gone, and I will still be, in my heart, out at the curb waiting for a school bus to bring her home.

I remember her very first day of kindergarten...when we waited for her to return home, and she didn't...not until past 5:00pm. The bus driver had gotten lost, and we were absolutely BESIDE ourselves with worry. But soon, we saw her bus, and there Rehanna was, at five years old, telling the bus driver how to get her home. That's my girl.

As she grew up, she took it upon herself to become a little mother hen to her autistic brothers, much as I tried hard to let her "just be a kid"...it just wasn't in her. I endured harsh criticism from certain ones of my family, that I "let this happen", but I assure you, I did not! Some children, in situations with disabled siblings, just follow that path all on their own. Or maybe Rehanna sensed that I needed help. In that case, perhaps I was a bit of a failure, I don't know. All I know is that Rehanna developed a fierce sense of loyalty...and it spills over to every other relationship in her life.As she has gotten older, Rehanna's been plagued with hard choices, some of which she has chosen wrongly. But I love her no matter what. She is still amazing to me, still a HUGE winner, and smarter than any other kid I know her age. There isn't much that gets past her.

So...15 years ago, I had my first child. A single mom, living with my own mother, but I wasn't exactly young and stupid. I was 25 years old and had a good job. I only wished I could have spent more time with her as a baby. I used to come home from work, and pick up her sleeping little body out of her crib and just hold her. I couldn't stop kissing her sweet little cheeks. She was a darling baby.

And now, she's a young woman, and I am stunned that the time has passed. I've been so wrapped up in my own life, my own mistakes...I worry I wasn't there for her like I should have been.

My beautiful Rehanna, I love you so much. And I want you to know that I'll always be here for you. There is no exit sign at the door when you turn eighteen. There is no time limit to my love, and there's no gun to your head to be anything you don't want to be.

I love you, honey.

My Domain Works! LakeHouseLoft.Com!

Stupid me! Here's I've had a domain since December of last year. I started my Etsy shop around that time, and figured "oh, I'll get around to building a site for my domain name sometime or other...."

Well, once you have an Etsy shop, and a job, and KIDS, you are lucky if the Etsy shop gets updated on time. So, the domain just sat there. For quite a while. I had even sort of forgotten about it. But HEY!! I got a tip today...one I should have known without having to be told. Look what happens when you click on my domain: (er...please click on it, okay?)

LakeHouseLoft.com

Is that nifty or WHAT?

So, yeah...DUH on me, I can hear you all saying. I'm just not as savvy as I once was.

But, the shop is updated, and here's a little taste:
And I put a notice in my shop announcement, too, that if there's anything you see in SOLD items, just let me know! I keep concise records, and recipes of almost everything I dye. I can re-create almost anything I've done. Some, but very few of my pieces are ones that I've "flownby the seat of my pants", either to use up leftover dyes or what-have-you, but 99% of everything is measured and created just for that piece.

So...if you go into my SOLD items, it's a whole other store to shop! Just drop me a line, and give me a couple days or so to get it dyed up for you.

Well, it's off to the "real job" today. Bleh!

Being a 240-Pound Mushroom is Hard Work...

Yes, you guessed it, my bike is out of the shop, and this morning it was under my butt! It was a bit crushing. Two YEARS of not riding was a horrible thing to exit out of. The pavement itself felt like it was some sort of wall I had to get over. And I noticed inclines that I never knew were there! Everything seemed uphill. After only 1/2 mile from my house, I started to think that maybe I was just too fat and too old to try to do this again.

And then I remembered in my "good" riding days I had a "2-mile" block...when I went out to ride and hit 2 miles, I ALWAYS wanted to just turn around and go back. And this was four years ago when I would easily ride 10 to 12 miles a day, and do 25-mile scenic rides on the weekends. So, I know that 1/2 mile seems a little soon to be wanting to keel over, but here I am, a GOOD 30 pounds heavier than I was back then. Wanting to DIE at 1/2-mile seems reasonable!

And I know that soon, I won't want to die until 3/4 mile, and then 1 mile, and so on. I just can't quit. Because right now, as I sit and type this, the endophins are doing their "thing", and it feels totally AWESOME. There's no drug you can take that feels like this.

So...yeah, the bike gear is fitting snugly this year, where it used to be kinda roomy. It's okay. Don't care. All I want is to be healthy and not have my back leaving me totally unable to move every single goddamned morning. I'm tired of having to clench my teeth in pain just getting the boys dressed. I'm tired of being in agonizing pain just going pee in the morning. Heck, I'm tired of just being tired.

So...I have to begin somewhere, and so I did. I didn't fail, I didn't quit, and heck, I didn't even clip into my pedals, so I didn't FALL!! (Don't ask). I can't complain. I won't complain!

The Alpaca Show!

Well, I am now the owner of two alpaca fleeces; one of them a blue-ribbon winner at the show!

This was truely a show for alpaca breeders, and less of a fiber event. However, if you looked and asked around, you could get almost any fleece you might want. The alpacas competed in the show in full fleece, and then went straight to the shearing booth! It was great fun to watch, especially watching "Jackie" win the blue ribbon, and then watching her get her very first shearing. And since it was her first, her fleece was as soft and fine as a cloud. Just gorgeous. I want to roll around in this stuff! Here's Jackie before the show:

Jackie was very young, only seven months old, so she was nervous and skittish. But I managed to sink my fingers into her fleece several times, and I knew that I was going to love it!

The show took place in Davisburg, and there were so many lovely animals there. I wanted ALL the fleeces, of course! I chose Jackie for her toffee-brown color, and then I picked up another white fleece, too. The white had been sheared earlier today....so I literally got these fleeces right off the backs of the animals.

Watching Jackie was so much fun. Here she is, as a winner! This is Lee, Jackie's proud owner.

Then it was on to the shearing booth. Jackie is peeking around the corner here...really not digging what she is seeing:

She enters the booth, and takes a good look:

Let's just say that she gave them a bit of a fuss! Not too bad though. I got it on video, but just have to get it converted so I can post it here.
So, I'm pooped. What a fun day! Now I have to get the fleeces skirted and sent off to be processed into roving. There is nothing like alpaca....

Happy Beltaine Everyone!!

Have a Happy May Day!