Day 1 in Italy

We arrived around noon after very boring flights (hallelujah)

Florence is stunning 

Learn myself

I'm obsessed! With those stupid little tests you see on Facebook... But this one was amazing! 3 minutes of questions and it described me to a T

If you google learn myself you can go to the website and do it. Let me know how yours comes out!

I don't fit in here

Sometimes I just question where I fit in...

I can tell you where it wasn't!

Poochapalooza!!

As J and I walked the poodle around from vendor to vendor on a 90 degree day I kept taking my flip flops off and checking the pavement. If there was a vendor I wanted to speak with and they had shade I checked that pavement too otherwise I just sent J and the poodle off to some grass.

Now I'm STILL on crutches (perhaps a story for another day) so maybe people thought it had something to do with that. But I got the strangest looks :-/ and 2 completely separate people came up to me and asked me what I was doing and when I told them I was checking to see if the pavement was too hot for the poodle's feet well one laughed at me and one looked at me like I was nuts. 

I can't imagine their poor dogs feet :-( 

But it was a very cute day and the poodle came in VERY last in a whipped cream eating contest... He was in the first heat and the second heat was done and he just gave up and realized he doesn't like whipped cream and walked away! FYI he also hated the sac race and I didn't take any pictures because I was too busy saving my baby (people falling is not that therapy dogs idea of fun)

But he quite loved having his picture taken in front of the yelp wall

Have you done anything fun with your pet or partner lately?

Fair weekend

This weekend is the 4-H fair. Every year I look forward to volunteering and working it... This year notsomuch --- I am STILL on crutches (26 weeks for those keeping track which I certainly am). There won't be walking around or checking out the sights there will just be doing what I was brought there to do. 

And... It's raining today! And... It's an outdoor show... And... My outfit for today included a white shirt! I'll be rethinking that!

What are your weekend plans? 

8 is enough

Wednesday I went to my 8th funeral this year.

My father's

It was his 79th birthday. I spent the morning with him and as I left he called me back to kiss him goodbye. 

What! A! Gift!!! 

I will always remember that the last thing I said to him was I love you, and the last thing I did for him was kiss him goodbye. 

I was excited for his birthday this year. I had spoiled him with food and booze and scratch tickets. I told everyone I ran into "it's my dads birthday" 

We have a difficult past but we've spent the last year and a half loving one another. I will miss him SO much, and I can only hope that he and my mom are dancing among the stars.

There's something very lonely (even while surrounded) about being an "orphan"

I had leader of the band sung at his funeral and really "papa I don't think I said I love you near enough"...

Go hug someone you love

Favorites

Name Your Favorite…

Person: living? That'd be J. Unless you want to count the poodle as a person... Then J is bumped down a notch

Color: it's been pink forever but I'm really loving pastel aqua and peaches lately

Food: Italian ice

Smell: the fairgrounds. Sort of like horse manure, dirt, dust, grass, fresh hay, shavings and home all mixed together 

Book: skeezer a dog with a mission. It's the reason I have a therapy dog

Movie: hmmm I really liked the colors in oz the great and powerful 

Time of day: when I first wake up and just when I'm going to sleep are tied

Day of week: Sundays 

Things to do when bored: crochet, organize photos, clean

Celebrity: secretariat

Drink: water with fruit in it

TV show: lately I'm all about Big Bang theory 

Fruit: what ever we just went to the orchard and picked, in the winter grapefruit 

Vegetable: carrots

Store/shop: etsy

Workout: boxing

Quote: it's always been "the only way around is through"

Potato chip flavor: hate hate hate potato chips! Don't like finger foods and despise my hands getting greasy

Meal of the day: 

Ice cream: I'm more of an Italian ice fan... Vegan ice cream isn't really worth the calories IMO 

Season: late spring and summer

Dessert: watermelon

Life hack: I don't know that this is my favorite but it's pretty cool!

A random bit of... What?

Silly questions

1. What are you wearing?

 White tank with really pretty crochet in the back, black yoga pants with gold filigree painted at the bottom of the left leg and the ever present compression sock 

2. Ever been in love?

 Yes. With my husband. My horse Needles, my poodle, my kitty Tiki!

3. Ever had a terrible breakup?

 Oh yes. The break-up with the cab driver from Kentucky - long story short he left me for his step sister (truth)

4. How tall are you?

 5' 4" 

5. How much do you weigh?

 Not answering 

6. Any tattoos?

 Yup, I've got my momma's wings on the back if my neck and plans for 2 more once I'm a little more mobile

7.  Any piercings?

 My ears

8. Favorite song?

 Currently? All of me

9. Quality you’d look for in a partner?

 Friendship - my husband is my best friend and without that I think we'd have nothing

10.  Favorite quote?

 "The only way around is through"

11. Favorite actor?

 I don't have one

12. Loud music or soft?

 Soft everything UNLESS I'm in a class at the gym then it's all loud!!!

13. Where do you go when you’re sad?

 If I'm mobile? For a run or a good heavy bag class or spin! Now? I just watch another tv show

14.  How long does it take for you to get ready in the morning?

 Depending on if I'm giving myself a facial or not (today I am) anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour)

15. Every been in a physical fight?

 Nope but I wouldn't hesitate if someone I love needed me

16. Turn on?

 Eyes

17.  Turn off?

 Cruelty

18.  Fears?

 Being trapped

19.  Last thing that made you cry?

 Pain

20. Last time you said you loved someone?

 About 3 minutes ago to the poodle and about 500 times already today to him

21. Meaning behind your YouTube name?

 It's alwaysjoy - a reminder that my name is my name and not a command

22. The relationship between you and the person you last texted?

 It was Laura - she's one of my dearest friends and the person I am most honest to.

23. Favorite food?

 Popsicles

24.  Place you want to visit?

 Disney - I need some lighthearted child like happiness

25.  Do you have a crush?

 I have love 

26. Last time you kissed someone?

 Last night when J got home

27. Last time you were insulted?

 I think my insults come from my own insecurities so who knows when one was actually real

28.  Favorite piece of jewelry?

 The diamond that was my moms and before that in my fathers family I treasure it! 

29. Who should answer these questions next?

 Anyone who wants 

 

All the world is a...

Circle

Well at least it is for me. Here it is 3:00am and I'm still wide awake. Why you wonder? Easy, anxiety & pain. And seriously I could easily do without both!

I realize that in the grand scheme of things being stuck on crutches is nothing but at almost 5 weeks in I'M GOING NUTS! And then I feel guilty... I have friends who have lost spouses and fathers and uncles and and and... I have sent out more sympathy cards in the last month than I think in any other time of my life. 

Tomorrow I go for another MRI of my stupid hip (to see if when I fell a couple weeks ago caused damage). And Wednesday is the ortho and really I look forward to them because what else do I do? Sit home and watch dance moms, some ranch show (I like it I think it begins with a b) barry'd treasure and storage wars. Yup that's what my life is reduced to ooh and if I'm not in too much pain I crutch walk down 4 houses and back and that has me huffing and puffing and sweating like I've just run the longest race of my life...

4 walls you can only stick in them so long :-(.

I'm not a very cheery person right now so lets see if I can at least find you a cute pic or 2 on my dying phone

It's the best I've got unless you want a 50000th pic of the poodle... It's a painting I made for my niece - I'm not sure if she actually liked it :-/

A few more things I've made

And then I think we are caught up ;-)

Quilt for my friends' new baby

Medal and bib holders for friends who ran the NYC 1/2 marathon!

A duct tape wallet for J for our 11th anniversary (he's a dr who geek)

2 minion cakes for a friends' son's second birthday :-)

The last 2 were post surgery - at least I am starting to move again! And there will be more than just past stuff :-/ 

What have you been up to??

I was also baking cakes

Like a crazy person 

This is obviously pre hip surgery because now my specialty is making a dent in my couch :-/

This was for my friends birthday the inside was purple too 

This was for a friends daughter. It's my take on lalaloopsy.

It was rainbow marble on the bottom and funfetti on top!

Cupcakes for another friends daughter who wanted tie dye frosting - funfetti in the middle. (This is my favorite picture I took of them all)

Chocolate and vanilla groom cupcakes for an engagement party

The bride (all vanilla and I found this on Pinterest - the groom I had to improvise)

The cake that started it all! A gymnastics outfit for a friends 3 year old! 

It's been fun can't wait to be up and making them again.

Hopefully a minion in a couple weeks!

xoxo

Are you a cake yay or nay? I'm not a fan but I like to bake them

Ohhh my have I been crafty

Lets just agree that Pinterest made me do it 

These 3 were a Christmas present for a Harry potter loving friend... She pinned the accio coffee one onto her "I need" 

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/1200x/53/be/06/53be0685d67f7dfcfb101b3859ea28f9.jpg

board and I went from there!

These 3 I got the idea here:

http://www.squidoo.com/hair-bow-holders

And then just made them my own! 

They went to 3 preschoolers 

J is in love with the Olympic Games so I made him my

(Cheap) version of this (with color appropriate candy or

Cookies that are his favorites):

This was my own punniness at play... Snacks in a mason

  jar  with chewbacca glued to the top with a tag that 

said for when you need a little something to chew on!

This was a get well for my friends daughter who broke

 her arm. I got this idea from here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/89059571/dinosaur-planter-with-air-plant-room

LASTLY...

This idea I've seen everywhere so I just made my own

For a friend of mine who loves the bruins almost as

Much as she loves shoes!!

And there's a few of them!

I've got tons of cakes to show you too!

Have you been up to anything fun lately?

Do it yourself fool - pedicure version

So the hippies aren't allowing me to go get manis or pedis (can't stay in one position for too long) so today I decided to give myself the works at home and thought maybe I'd share some of my favorite "recipes" with you.

For the pedicure I soak my feet in a bucket of warm water

It's just a plastic shoebox I got at the dollar store. I put some foot soak in it.

I got the recipe here:

http://tipnut.com/5-homemade-foot-soak-recipes/

And it's the basic the only difference is instead of essential oils I used red food coloring so I could have pink water! I made a bunch and I just store it in a ziplock

So I soak my feet for about 10 minutes then use the pumice stone and get rid of dead skin. After that I put on some foot scrub.

I made this one:

http://www.aandbstories.com/2013/03/simple-diy-exfoliating-foot-scrub.html?m=1

With this I just make it as I use it. I'm not sure how well it'd store

Then let the ole tootsies dry and slather with lotion. If you're going to paint your toenails (I'm not it hurts to bend and this was already MORE than enough) just remember to wipe off the lotion on your toenails with some nail polish remover. Then put on socks to keep the moisture in your newly soft feet!

Do you DIY pedicures at all?