What if it rained frogs?

Today the Cocoa Cola girl(gotta have my caffeine boost) went to visit the Dolly Mammas of the Ramapo Mountains. My mother and these very talented ladies make art dolls and do crafts. They were brainstorming ideas for their meetings and got my lil hamster wheel in my brain going. I showed them my lil sea shell box for show & tell and they Oooed. It made me happy. One of the ladies, Elizabeth, proposed formal brainstorming to another lady, Jan. That was the fire cracker that made me think. I acually sat and brainstormed ideas in my lil cherry notebook of blog ideas, a list of goals, mini projects I want to do learn like ATC cards, a list of pros/cons with the Mess(my Mr. Big), and just wrote my thoughts like a diary. I love to write. I love to write in script. Don't get me wrong I love my computer and my online livejournal diary but I love to get out the pen and write some pages.

In my lists I encountered not really immediate goals but long-term ones.

1.)I need another job that pays equal to what I make or more....(I'm going to a Resume workshop on the 22nd that I just can't wait for.)
2.)Save money for an apartment. I actually looked at an apartment later today and it was a big eye opener.
3.)Work on my friendships and find my old friendships
4.)Boyfriend- A real-life boyfriend...that will admist I'm his girlfriend, will tell his friends about me and might just might say I love you one day and mean it.
5.)Work on my skin...I hate sweating it happens and it ruins your skin.

The Good vs the Bad with the Mess list...that needs to remain silent. But all i can say with that is the list of bad's is a page long...=( Maybe Ill wake up for once and not pretend to be Carrie. I'm waiting for that end of the season moment that shows me it is completely over between us and for some reason I haven't gotten to the finale....Actually I think the show is stuck in re-runs becuz it's the same stuff different year, different time but same exact stuff with him & me. Ack...What a mess.

Anywho...I've made lists of To do's in this blog before and I'll admit one of my tragic flaws is procrasination. It's a horrible retched lil thing that plagues me so but you need a leaping off point to start things.

The opening credits of a movie will eventually end and the story must begin.


Now it comes to the title of this blog. What if it rained frogs? What an amazing metaphor. I've seen two movies lately where it rained frogs. "The Reaping" & "Magnolia". In Magnolia, the climax of the movie where everybody has reached their limit and their emotions and their frustrations have reached it's limit is symbolized by the raining of frogs. I think I'm having this moment. I'm trying to reach this starting point where I will see the sign, see the raining frogs and realize there must be a point of no-return and start this story. I have to chose a path and not look back. Don't forget, but keep going. Persevere. Run like the wind and not be a lazy procrasinator.

I thought & wrote today I'm ready to take the next steps in my life. I've kinda danced around taking these steps for the past month and I'm tired of waiting. I've had the melt-downs, I'm in the process of cleaning up these fallen frogs on the roadside, and I must go on. If I write it, I'll beleive I can do it. If I keep reminding myself Yes...just a lil more time needs to go by, and then things will be different. Yes I will turn that other corner. I want the story to start, and cleaning the bedroom wasn't enough. I have to physically & mentally do it. Okay. Monday, that's a day of new beginning.

Also, geez if it really truly rained frogs.....Omg that'd be one hell of a cleanup. lol.

The sky will be my limit. Maybe just maybe I'll go further...


I took this pic today outside of DePiero's farm in Park Ridge, NJ. The clouds just go on and on. I thought it was beautiful.

"But there will be dancing..." - George, My Best Friend's Wedding

Sally Sells Seashells by the Seashore...

Yeah I can’t say that 10 times fast without sounding like a total spaz. Okay change of pace. I haven’t written for the past few days because I just needed to collect myself. I hate times like this where things are just so messed up and you don’t know a way to correct them. It’s upsetting to an unfathomable degree. Time helps. Time heals, Time makes people understand, yet Time erases. That’s a word I dislike. Erase. This isn’t “Back to the Future: Part 3” when Jennifer holds up the “Your Fired” paper and then it disappears. This is real life and it can just make your head spin & the tears fall. But I guess it makes you who you are and who you’re supposed to be. Sigh.


This is total change of direction but I needed to gett my mind off of things, ergo I’ve been making this lil seashell box that's above for the past 2 days. I went to Rye Beach and it’s actually where the movie, “Big” with Tom Hanks was filmed.


The photo on the left is mine and the photo on the right is from the movie. That’s the same boardwalk that Zoltor was on.

Side Note: One of my favorite hobbies is movies. I love going to places that are “in the movie” sorta speak. For example, I did a “Ghostbusters” movie tour of Manhatten one day with the Mess. We went to the firehouse, Dana Barrett’s apartment building, and the Columbus Circle where the State Puff Marshmallow Man walked down. I wanna go to the mall that is in “Dawn of the Dead”. Maybe next summer. End of Side Note

Back to the lil Seashell box. At Rye Beach I kept picking up all these lil snail seashells and I thought hmm maybe I can decorate a box with it. I’ve been trying to do some form of craft a week. It’s really relaxing. My mind just goes blank & I’ll admit that’s exactlt what I need right now.

Guide:
I went to AC Moore, (used a 50% off coupon) and bought a lil wooden box with a flat lid. Then I bought 2 tubes of Acrylic Paint, 1 black & 1 magenta. Yeah I’m aware that it’s not really beachy colors but that’s one of the joys I find in creating something. It’s yours and you can do whatever you want it. I bought 4 lil wooden pieces with images on them. Then I went to work. I painted the box and I totally learned this from HGTV while watching one of those bedroom makeover shows. I put tape along the edges of the box so I could paint the bottom of the box a different color and not worry about the smudges of magenta on the black. It worked!! I did have to do a couple coats of the paint. It might be better to use Wood Paint if anyone is ever painting a wooden box. Then I used some heavy duty glue called 527 to seal on the seashells to the top. The key there is to get a box with a completely flat top. I think it’s just easier.

Here are the photos of what I did:



The tape really helped.


Ta da! It was kinda funny, my mom watched me glue the seashells on like I was 2 years old and had just learned to walk. She was like “Oh Im impressed! That box is really cute”. I like when I get to amaze her even if it’s just a lil bit. It is encouraging. I am a crafty person but perhaps because I haven’t been in this motivating groove for Years she’s a bit shocked. The good part about this box is I found a use for these shells. They were too beautiful to just let them sit in a baby food jar collecting dust and mold or in a bag somewhere.

Baby food jars are actually really good organizers for small things that you don’t have a lot of but need to just put them somewhere.

Okay I gotta get back to work. I’m at my lunch hour eating some Mac & cheese. I’m a bit spoiled because my office building is only 5 minutes from my house. Furthermore if you got some seashells laying around, Totally use them!!! It makes a sweet lil memento. hmmm...now what to put in the box??? lol.

Til Tomorrow…
(P.S. The Vampire Diaries is on tonight on the CW. It’s Channel 11 for standard cable. Can’t Wait! & Project Runway is tonight.)

A lil story of a stressed out girl & throw in some match books.

Hmm I wish I could fly like in a Peter Pan by thinking lovely thoughts. Hmmm...Maybe I'll be Tinkerbell for Halloween??? But make it so she's wearing a green corsette with a skirt?? hmmm... Flying, That'd be fun. I think I'd fly to Paris cuz Everyone has been talking about Paris...I'd love to go there one day. Tink photo via Imdb.

Okay, so once upon a time, or perhaps today, a very stressed out girl went to the bank & took her lil piggie to the Penny machine. She was ever soo happy that the pennies actually added up to something. Maybe one day I will get those shoes I want. BUT!! She didn't put the cash in her wallet but just in her purse. (Insert the "dum dun dun" sound in your head) That's where the story took a turn. So she went to the library to get a movie out or 2, took out her library card from her wallet, paid her overdue fines(I always lose the "When it's due" list, so I never know) and then proceeded the few blocks home. Well when she went to take the money out of her purse, she noticed that...it wasn't there. Therefore began...Sheer & Utter Panic Mode!!!! (Omg Omg!! I was absolutely devatasted.) If she was a parrot she'd have no feathers. She fumbled around the purse & ceased to find the money, so she put on her sneakers without socks & ran out of her door like a mad woman to her car. Then BAM!! (It's gunna haunt me a bit just how in fact I hit my head getting into my car.) She hit her forehead straight on to the door jam while entering her car. She raced back to the library with a now throbbing head & when she started looking around the floor where the book checkout was she looked one last time in the purse & *sigh* she found the money with an absolute throbbing headache.
The End

I can't beleive I did this. This was right after work, so I was a lil frazzled, but geez. It was an eye-opener & a slap of reality. And I mean a car slap. Oh btw, objects (not people or animals) plain objects like to fight me. But I'm glad the car won. I needed to wake up mentally and I will. Oh I will.

On the positive side on the 2nd time around at the library, I did find out that there is a resume workshop at the library and im soo going to it. I need a new job too!!!! Can't Wait!!

I'll admit I'm one of those girls that has the HUGE purse. I can't deal with the small purses. In all honesty I could probably live about a week out of my purse if I had too without going home. Kinda like Ally Sheedy in the Breakfast Club. lol. I got the big one so maybe I could open it and see what was inside it better. uhh nope. =P.

Well see for yourself. It's very easy to lose money in this purse. It's a Liz Clabourne purse that I got on sale in a Century 21 outlet. I love the lil flower design on it. I just wished it had a zipper closure instead of a magnetic button.


At least I found the money. lol. I think I need to lay off the caffeine a bit too. I'm jumpier than a rabbit lately.

In other news...I've decided my crafty project for the week is to do something with these match booklets. My mom & I over the weekend went to the new thrift store in town and they had match books for a penny each. We bought alot of them. So here's a pic of some that I really liked. I think maybe a collage of the covers? Or I have these black boxes that could use some color that are pretty cool cuz they have a silver lining. My story will have a silver lining & this is fight to the finish. Not a fight to regain but to start anew.


Match booklets artwork is actually so cute & great for collage cuz it's a mini image. Maybe it'll inspire you. It's hard to find things to decorate & craft with, & when you do you gotta snatch them up, & hopefully they'll cost a penny each again.

Okay...Im going to go take an aspirin & watch The Strangers & think of some more ideas for these booklets!!

Look at the Pretty Butterflies.....

It's raining. This summer I felt like I somehow moved to Seattle, Washington but someone sneakingly took my town and dropped it there so I woudn't notice the difference. It's rained alllll the time. It's kinda like Blade Runner too, it's always raining in that movie... I can't wait for fall because its something new. I need something new.

I texted my Mr. Big because he sent me an message online yesterday. No answer. Figures. Why is it that it rains on the days your feeling down? But Tears are lost in the rain...or so they think they're lost. I kinda wonder what it would be like if I cried and it came out as marbles, or gumdrops, or chestnuts? Would I not be able to hide it on my sleeve or not be able to just say oh I had been staring at the computer too long?? That would be weird if you suddenly had bowling balls in your hands if you wanted to cry, but! he'd definitely notice that you were upset and would not be able to hide it.


I'm trying not to stay in these weird moods long so it doesn't consume me more than it already has so I'm going to hang up the butterflies me and my mom made last night in my bedroom. We were sitting down to watch Project Runway and the idea hit me to make some butterflies to brighten up the room. A beautifully spirited woman named Inga, who is a student in one of my mom's quilitng clases, taught us all how to make a butterly out of paper one day. We made them & fell in love. Then one day I Was at the Post Office and noticed one of Inga's butterflies was there. She actually has given them to alot of places in my town and they are so cute how could you not put it up for her.

I think they are soo cute so Im going to show you guys them. All you need to make them is gift wrapping paper, a black marker cardboard, and some wire. There is a cardboard pattern. I can try to measure it if anyone would be interested in learning how to make one. I like the brown one with the flowers the best. =)





Its all done with a pattern. I would trace it and measure it you anyone wants. Well you take the pattern, trace it on to a piece of wrapping paper, a magazine page, a piece of calendar paper, anything you would like that has a lil strength in the paper to it. Then you start to fold over a lil part of it. You flip it over to the other side and make another fold and continue flipping and folding til your at the end. You find the middle of the folded paper and tie a piece of wire for the antlers. Here's is the pattern.

Okay, I'm going to put these up in my bedroom because even tho I want to go out tonight and possibly meet someone new or even just meet a new friend, its raining and its dreary. Ill try to go out tomorrow...

This is me surrending.

On the way to grandma's house we go! My grandpa's birthday went really nice. I was glad because something happened that put me in such a good mood!! I noticed my lil cousin weaving this string together and I was like, "Hey Ri, whatcha making?" She was like, "Oh I'm making an ankelet. Wanna make one with me Mel?" I was like sure!!...Now I use to LOVE making alphabet letter bracelets with lil beads when I was little. I still do in fact. I adored putting on my lil plastic jewelry and thinking I was a princess and pretending to put on the fake plastic make-up. For a while I made alot of lil things. Ohhh I'm so addicted again right now, I can't wait to go buy string.

So its a weaving technique, with knots to make this bracelet in my hand. I'm gunna ask Marina for any more information she has on this technique. Its mostly you pick 5 colors, fold them in half so there is 10 strands, and then you knot it at the top of the middle of them. You then separate the strings so one side has 5 colors and then the other side is the other 5 in the same color order. Then you pick the outside string and then start knotting 2 knots with the outside string around the base string whatever color that might be. You proceed to do these 2 knots for each color strand. When you reach the end of the 5 colors, you switch to the other side and repeat. It's really easy and really fun. Im really gunna try and find better directions if anyone wants to learn something to get their mind's off of things. Or Ill try to do a photo blog of EXACTLY what i did in steps. Yeah I think Ill do that when I make the next one so you can see how the knot is made. =) Its easier to show what i did with pictures.


Its all about knots and separating colors.


I cant wait to wear it tomorrow and buy some string to make new ones.

Yes, I'm trying to get my mind off things and its working so I'm running with it. I surrender. I loved and did not get that love back but a ridicolous mean boot out the door. I feel like I was window shopping off and on for 3 years and then never got into the store(aka my Mr. Big's heart). People can be soo cruel that it would make your head spin. I don't get it...but then again, who does?

On a mini last positive side note I thought I would share a pic of my lil Nightmare before Christmas snow globe I bought the other day. It's in some Disney stores, but its a lil Jack Skeleton - Jack in the box snow globe with the duck. hehe. I think its adorable. Well, Carrie in Sex and the City bought shoes, I buy toys. lol. You gotta have an outlet somewhere....Nighty.