Busy New Year

I do New Year's resolutions differently every year. Some years I make one resolution that I really want to keep and work on it all year. This year, I am throwing out a pile of things that have been on my mind. And, operating on the premise that it takes a village, I am asking you to pick one or two and ask me about them regularly.  If I accomplish 5 of these things, I will be happy, but who knows how many I will get to if you jolt my short attention span back to them.

Overachieving makes me happy.

A: Art book for Christian Women…………query to Christian publisher
B: Bead Soup make it/take it table at craft shows....might be good additional income
C: Choreograph a musical...this has been on my mind a lot lately


D: Dance more
E: Enlarge Girl World by cleaning up the other side of the basement….hahahahaha, just typing it made me laugh, but it will help with some resolutions farther down the list

F: Fondant cake making...this intrigues me
G: Glucosamine and Chondroitin every day

H: Hair on Broadway, it opens in March
I: Increase my Facebook friends to 200, I am pitiful and don't have many friends
J: Junk food reduction
K: Kim’s private spiritual retreat...someplace out of the way, just God and me
L: Lumberjack book….I have a good idea, who doesn't want to write a book?
M: Move it...I seriously need a bit of exercise

N: Normalgirl.etsy.com….to sell some of the beads and jewelry I make

O: Office redo….this is desperate
P: Pray with more focus
Q: Quality time listening to God, not just talking
R: Roof leak fixed
S: Saturday Crafternoons...income or a ministry, or both??

T: Teach classes in Girl World... will you come?
U: Use some stuff in my stash before collecting more
V: Very interesting semesters in school… all three of them, not sure if I have control of this, but       I am saying it anyway
W: Widen the focus of Divine Design

X: Xtreme torch time
Y: Yahoo! Celebrate the list
Z: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Learn to sleep less, hahaha!  How else will I accomplish all this?

What will you be doing in 2009?  If you have no plans, remember, I need help with my list.

Normal Girl

Women Through the Years

I have three Good Housekeeping magazines.  They are from 1949, 1965, and this month.  Yes, it may be weird, but I looked at the ads in each of them to see how women have changed over the last 60 years.  And there is nothing on TV.  I have listed the counts of different kinds of ads in each magazine.

1949 1965 2008

underwear/lingerie 18 2 0

cooking/food 88 60 20

cleaning 24 16 2

personal stuff 36 28 11

clothes 15 all shoes 7 1

OTC drugs 6 2 6

Prescricption drugs 0 0 7

Women were not allowed to have fat in 1949, or at least let it move.  There were alot of ads for girdles.  We apparently do not wear underwear these days.

Also in 1949, your feet had to be little.  All of the shoe ads were about little feet and little shoes.

1965.  Jello and Miracle Whip.  oh yeah.  Party.

2008.  Every food advertised has a health food slant.  Even twinkies.  Only 100 calories.

And we can't sleep.

What I learned from this exercise was: in 2008, we have less ads in magazines even though we complain there are too many.  And, if we just would stop letting our fat and big feet hang out, and eat piles of jello, Miracle Whip and marshmallows, we will be able to sleep again.  We probably have to cook and clean alot too.  But isn't that a small price to pay to be able to sleep?

If I have solved one of your problems, you are welcome.

Normal Girl

Family TIme

I was thinking today that my family is full of performers and life savers.  An interesting combination, right?  Of the 17 of us, 8 have sung danced or acted (or all three) on stage or in front of a group of people.  That includes Niece 1 who must costume herself, even if it is during shopping.

That urge to perform comes from Dad's side of the family.  Mom who always wished us to do something less silly always wanted to be a nurse and transferred that desire to the clan.  We have three RNs, 1 preparing to be an RN, and an EMT.

I don't know what is wrong with the rest of the family members.

Here is the group, minus the Smelliado, who set the camera timer and ran around through the living room to get into the picture.  She did not make it in this picture.  That retina burning glow was on every picture.  Turns out Nephew 2 (who has saved the lives of several people already, we are proud) had a reflective logo on his EMT shirt that caught the flash.  Dad says it is his halo.

Oh yeah, 13 of us played some kind of sports including football, baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, track, weight lifting, triathalons, gymnastics, fitness competitions and golf.  We have one in school on a softball scholarship, one about to graduate the PGA school, a pitching coach, and 2 that make the local paper weekly for high school sports.  I guess sports should count for something.

Needless to say, there are a lot of drama queens in the bunch.  Does every family have that?

Normal Girl

The Wicked Experience

Went to see Wicked at the Detroit Opera House yesterday.  I had never been in that theater, it is gorgeous.  It was -3872634 degrees and snowing.

Inside.  Every inch is handpainted.

They changed all of the lights in the chandeliers to green. Also all of the Christmas trees were decorated in green lights and ornaments....in reference to the Emerald City.

If you have not been to see Wicked, what are you waiting for???  It is the best thing I have seen on a stage.  I have seen it three times, including once on Broadway.  The two girl leads in the show I saw yesterday in Detroit were the best, including the girls in the Broadway show.  Go see it!  It is here at least another week.  If you can't get there, at least you can see my illegal picture of the dragon over the stage.  I took this right before I got in trouble for taking a picture.  

Merry Christmas!

Normal Girl

Three Days Before Christmas

It is very close to Christmas and people are starting to gather as families to begin the celebration.  I am picturing all of you at home, decorating cookies, wrapping presents, putting the finishing touches on the tree, singing carols around the piano.  Making sweet Christmas memories.  

Niece 1 and niece 3 are here with me.  But the cookie decorating and the carols around the piano?  Not so much.  This is what is going on at my house tonight.  

This video message to Nephew 4 was rehearsed, costumed and performed in Girl World.

I would love to know what is going on at your house tonight!

Normal Girl

Collage Ornament

We are having an ornament exchange in my ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship aka Sunday School class) tomorrow.  I made a collage ornament for my contribution.  I used a Christmas card that the Human Pin Ball sent me. It is on a small canvas board.  I painted, stamped, decoupaged and added a swirl of tiny gold beads and a bird dangle.  I like it.  Would it be weird to keep my own ornament?

Thanks HPB,

Normal Girl

Snow Day Jewelry

After shoveling, I sat at my desk and made jewelry for hours.  I can only show you two pieces.  Some of the people I made things for, read this blog.  No sneak previews!

I would like a snow day every week.

Normal Girl

FORR Travel and The Human Pin Ball

This bracelet belongs to the Human Pin Ball.  Her theme is travel.  Four people plus HPB have added charms to the bracelet.

Here is her cute journal.  The journals are turning out to be as creative as the bracelets!

DT gave her some money from the Cayman Islands....both coin and paper wrapped around a tile.

MR gave her a tiny little passport.

The Diplomat gave her a smiling girl in a silk gown.  Both HPB and TD travel to Asia for business each year.  

HPB has done a lot of traveling.  A lot.  But, there is one kind of traveling she has not done.  I gave her a charm for time travel.  I found that watch someplace in Northern Michigan this summer.  When I saw it, I thought of a nicely dressed woman wearing a new, shiny watch on her delicate wrist.  I also gave HPB a bead I made so that if she ever does find a way to time travel, she will remember that I want to go too.

Normal Girl

The Corporate Sponsor

A note to my Worship Arts Pastor..................

Dear A,

I can see that this might not seem like a good idea at first glance.  Without seeming greedy, radically postmodern, or totally crazy, I would like to point out the positive aspects of a relationship with a corporate sponsor.  Imagine what we could have had this Christmas with money to spend.  Those big banners?  They could be like a movie marquis with the words in lights!  Our Christmas tree could rotate! When you walk into the auditorium, angels would sing.  Mary, Joseph, the donkey, shepherds and Baby Jesus animatronics in the lobby.  Are you picturing it?

So what if you have to do a commercial for our sponsor at the beginning of every service.  All of the people who don't like the music and come late to miss it would never see it anyway.

Think about it?

Normal Girl

Learning a New Skill

I don't do wirework. Here I am, sitting in a hotel room trying to teach myself to work with wire.  I need more work.

Normal Girl

HUH!

Head Up Heinie Syndrome is a cerebral disease in which the brain mistakenly takes a vacation. HUH is one of the most prevalent cerebral holiday disorders, striking as many as 4,000,000 Americans. Nine out of ten HUH incidents happen while driving a car. The average age of onset is mid 30s although HUH occurs in all age groups in both women and men.

About 50% of the time HUH syndrome occurs alone, and 50% of the time it occurs in the presence of another afflicted person. The four most common diagnoses that co-exist with HUH syndrome are inability to park a car, walking in front of moving cars as if they don't exist, pushing shopping carts into someone else's car, and driving a car as if the only person on the road.  All instances of HUH syndrome exacerbate as Christmas Day comes closer.

The hallmark symptoms are a general lack of personal space and an unawareness of other people on the earth. Many patients also experience exhaustion, crankiness and bank overdraft. Symptoms can plateau, worsen, or go into remission. While some people experience mild symptoms, others suffer debilitating symptoms that greatly impair their safety and cause others to yell loud words at them in encouragement.

There is no single curative treatment for this disease.  The best methodology is preventative and sufferers should stay home, out of the path of innocent people.

Fight HUH and save lives.  For more information visit www.headupheinie.org.

Please, if you suffer from this disease, get help.

Normal Girl

Girls Night In Christmas Party

Tonight was the Girls Night In Christmas party at Grace Centers of Hope.  As usual, when God provides, He provides.  Our group of 17 girls and women arrived with two crafts, a game and tons of snacks.  
Can you believe this spread?  I put out the request for homemade desert and look!

Playing Apple to Apples.....

Making the gloves.  The ladies threaded needles and stitched, it was great.  We had enough that they could make two pair if they wanted: one to keep and one to give as a Christmas present.  

It was nice to catch up with the ladies.  We found two new women who just joined the program yesterday, one had a baby and had gotten married since we were there last, and we got a tour of some rooms and apartments that had just been redecorated at the mission.  There are so many stories in that building.  Tonight, we found an award winning artist and a ballerina who studied at Interlochen in the summers.  It reminds us to be thankful of the blessings we have.

Cupcakes welcome here!

We took some leftover treats to the men's lounge.  We spread joy and saturated fats with everyone!

For the next Girl's Night In, it has been requested to have a performing arts night with dance and drama and singing.  Could be fun!

Normal Girl

FORR Travel and The Diplomat

Here is the next round in the found object round robin bracelet project.  This bracelet belongs to The Diplomat and it is on round four.

Here is The Diplomat's journal.  In it, she told us that her theme is travel.

DT gave her some coins from the Cayman Islands.  MR gave her a passport.  How many places will it be stamped?

There is the Queen.  That charm is a dollar bill wrapped around a tile.

I found the metal airplane someplace in  parking lot.  It has been sitting on the window sill in my kitchen for a couple years.  I am passing it on to Diplomat.  I added it to a silver disc that I painted like the sky.  I made the New York charm out of Precious Metal Clay.  The Diplomat and I have been to NYC together.  

This is a great bracelet already and it is only at the halfway point.  

Normal Girl

I Glove You

We are prepping this week to go to Girl's Night In at Grace Centers of Hope.  The Lunchlady came over tonight and we packed thirty bags of Christmas gifts and prepped 40 craft kits.  This is one of the projects we are going to do with the women on Friday night.  I am hoping everyone can thread a needle and take a few stitches.  If not, we will get someone to help them with that.  Wonder Woman???????  Shhh, don't tell her, she will think about staying home.

This turned out to be a project for 75 cents each.  Not bad.  Bought the gloves at Target.  My friend the Queen gave me a box of ribbon, and I have a big jar of buttons in Girl World.  

Christmas with Miss USA

This is not Miss USA, and I was not sitting at her table, but I will bet she did not have a big piece of this like I did.  Too bad for her, it was good.

This is Carol Gist, who became Miss Michigan, then Miss USA, and then in the Miss Universe pageant, she was the first runner up.  More importantly than all that, she had sparkly diamondy buttons on her coat, and huge fur cuffs.  Nice.  She was the speaker tonight and she reminded us that we should use our talents boldly for God, which will encourage others around us to be bold for God as well.  

Wonder Woman and Songbird used their talents tonight.  WW lead us in singing Christmas Carols and SB played her flute.

The talent portion of my evening was as roadie.  My talent for for that is not huge, but it all ended up in the car.

Sibilance,

Normal Girl