Angel of Love update

There will be a detailed post tomorrow but for today, here is my Angel of Love progress. I picked this up after a 4 month break! This is after about a week's worth of stitching. For comparison purposes, I'm adding the last WIP photo I have (not much was done after that).

November 25th WIP and March 25th WIP (exactly 4 months!)




Beads Closeup. Holy Moly! There are so many of them.


Good thing I like beads. Or if I am Mehul, BEANDS ;)

Credits:
Design: MLI Angel of Love
Fabric: Silkweaver - Days Gone By Jazlyn
Floss: DMC Floss and Mill Hill beads.
Design Variation: I have started adding beads to the bottom of golden threads in the cape. There weren't enough beads in the design, so I decided to add some more. LOL! Come on, what's a couple more beads?

Nails

I have a love-hate relationship with my nails. I love the when they're properly shaped and looking nice. I don't like the grooming part, but I like the look. So I procrastinate until they become insanely long and start getting into things. Then I cut and file them. I tell them to stay nice for a month. They never listen and start growing the next moment. Sigh.

They grow too fast. Do you have that problem? A co-worker keeps telling me they're really nice and that her nails don't grow and that I should exchange them with hers. I'm happy to do that if she could tell me how to do it.

2 weeks ago we were at the mall (Fair Oaks, if you must know) and there was this guy at a stall. He called us as we were passing by and asked me to show him my nails. I hid them, naturally. Thinking how'd he know that I hadn't cut them in more than a month? Reminded me of school assembly time, really, when we had to show the PT teacher our nails so she could make sure we weren't into vanity. Anyhow, upon his insistence I showed him a nail. So he worked his magic and what resulted was pure euphoria! I have never seen my nail so Glossy! And smooth as silk. They're naturally pink but this seemed to bring the color out some more. Ofcourse I gave him the outrageous price to get my hands on the magic potion (ok, nail buffer. Does it matter?)


You want to hear the kicker? He assured me that this will last atleast a month. If not more. I wouldn't have to buff before a month. I'm looking at my nails 2 weeks later. They have frikin' grown out of it already. Sigh. I can't win. Atleast they looked nice for 2 weeks.

Oh, and I have been warned by the above mentioned coworker that my nails would fall off by using this. She was warned by her friend. They're kids just out of college and would believe anything ;) Frankly, if the nails fall off, that'd put me out of misery. I'm willing to take that chance.

Status of Running

So, I have mentioned here that I can run/walk 5 miles now. I didn't say how long it takes me but what's the point in hiding that number? I'm not a seasoned runner. I have never been a runner. I started running more seriously in the beginning of this year and one of my resolutions was to run 5 kilometers i.e. 3.1 miles. I can do that now, even though I still walk inbetween, but I'm assured by a fellow runner that many people do marathons this way. I find that walking every 5 minutes or so lets me recharge a bit and keep going.

It takes me 75 minutes to run 5 miles distance. Oh, and another fact that I have not mentioned here is that I now own a Treadmill! This one right here This is why I am able to spend so much time running. Earlier I used to run in my lunch time at the gym at work. The whole process of changing/exercising/showering used to take 45 minutes and exercise was only 25 minutes. This is so much better! I can watch Mehul while running and I have the TV in front of me with my favorite food network/HGTV show on. What more could I want? LOL! Maybe a DVR! (DH, listening??)

Back to the running. Now I have to find a Marathon (smallest one possible) and run it. Looks like I'll be running the 5K that's happening near my place. I am paranoid about giving out the date and the race, etc. so I'll update after it's done ;) Hopefully I'll have some pictures too.

Another boring Weekend Recap

So, we started the REAL potty training this weekend. That means the diaper is OFF. I have mentioned before that we're taking it slow with Mehul as we don't want to pressure him. Another good reason is that we don't own a Steam Cleaner and we have lots of carpet ;) We started training him because, well, we don't have much to do rightnow! LOL! It's true. No home improvements, nothing exciting, really. Plus, I want some good stories for scrapping and blogging. LOL!

M is usually very good about telling us when he has to use the potty for poop (sorry if it's TMI). He doesn't tell us about the waterworks, but that's because he always has diaper or pull-ups on. For the non-US residents, pull ups are really just like diapers but are easier to pull up. They function like diapers and can hold really well. They're supposed to train the kids and give a wet feeling. Except that it doesn't really work that way and parents start treating it just like a diaper.

So, no diaper this weekend. We didn't have to go anywhere (except M went for a haircut and came back almost bald, thanks to DH). Saturday morning, I asked M if he needed to use the potty. Nope. I put his pajama on and let him run around. He was sitting in DH's lap in the recliner and watching the trucks outside the window - our daily ritual. And then I heard this.

DH : "Mehul, you did P-P?"
Mehul: "No. Pajama did P-P!"

Yeah. The weekend was pretty much like this. I managed to do a lot of stitching and movie watching. Casino Royal was really good. Legally Blond 2 was ok. I loved The Holiday. There was another one on Jeepers Creepers marathon that I don't remember!

Us

Credits:
Everything from Ztampf.
Palais Royal kit, Belaced Accent Pack, Silky Blooms Accent Pack, Atristrokes - The Gift Of Life

Embrace

Credits:
Background: Lisa Whitney Artsy Fartsy Sampler given on ScrapArtist Blog
Lace: Scrapartist Simple Pleasures kit
Tag: Miki Ferkul
Grid Overlay: Designer Digitals Katie Pertiet
Photo Frame: Designer Digitals Katie Pertiet
Swirly Overlay: Scrapartist Simple Pleasures kit
Wordart: Scrapartist Simple Pleasures kit

Movies

So, in the past week we've watched 3 movies. Shocking, I know ;) I'm not big on movies but these were recommended by friends/collegues. I had a chance to pick up my stitching while watching! Go, me!

1. Borat - Hilarious. Disgusting. Hilarious. That pretty much sums it up. We were laughing out loud in places, and making puke faces the rest of the time. I'd watch it again if it was on cable.

2. Kabul Express - Loved it! It's a Hindi movie by a new director. Two Indian and one American Reporter go to post-war Afghanistan to interview a captured Tabilan member. The thing I liked about this movie was that they picked the cast according to the country they're supposed to represent, including an Afghan driver and a Pakistani Talib. It revolves around a sensitive subject but is so funny at the same time. Like the comment that America takes away the oil from countries and puts coke instead. LOL! The movie was shot in Afghanistan.

3. Stranger Than Fiction - Eh. It was ok. Not a huge time waster, but didn't make a big impact either. Acting was so so. Nothing remarkable about this one.

That's it from me today! Oh, I sure can add a recent Layout. Also for ztampf CT.

Orlando

Credits:
Product(s) used:: Evening Falls Kit
Extra(s):: Structure Kit,Stomae Alpha
More Extra(s):: Silky Bloom Accent Pack, Belaced Accent

Weekend Recap

Friday (yes, the weekend starts Friday evening): Ran some errands while returning. We were carpooling that day so I picked DH up from his office and then picked Mehul. Did I mention here that I have bought a new Juicer! We are loving the fresh juices on the weekends. I don't like the taste of any of the juices on the shelf, plus they add sugar and/or preservatives. I have tried so many brands over the years and not found a single juice I love. Plus I thought Mehul would really enjoy fresh juices as well but soon I found out that he doesn't like drinking juice from the sippy cups. Normal cups are ok for water (spills happen) but not for juice. He loves drinking from the juice box with a straw. I wanted to look for a cup with a straw. And I found them on Target. Yay! He finished a complete 6oz fresh juice for the first time this weekend!

Then, we went to Cosi for dinner. I had the TBM Sandwich (Tomato-Basil-Mozzarella) and DH had the Tandoori Chicken in a flatbread. He said it reminded him of India like none of the Indian restaurants do! Go figure. LOL! I had actually heard that from a former co-worker so I asked to go there so DH could try it. Glad he loved it :D

Saturday: We had an appointment with H&R Block for filing our tax returns. The weather was in 70s, perfect after a long winter! DH went for the appointment and Mehul and I hung around the house for a while. I only needed to be there to sign at the end as DH handles this anyway. I went there and found that they were still far from signing.

So, Mehul and I went on a 'walk' outside. I was walking and he was running. Kept on saying "Let's Run! Let's Run!" We went on a bicycle trail (W&OD trail for the locals) and 2 cyclists came from the front. Mehul was so excited. "Traffic on the Road! Bicycle!" He talks like this all the time as his sentence formation isn't quite there yet. It was sooo funny. Then we came out into the parking lot and there were lots of school buses there so we checked out a bus. From up close! Imagine how exciting that was! LOL! He is really into trucks and buses at the moment. The trains phase has passed.

One of our friends called us for dinner that night. Actually they have been calling for 2 weeks but we couldn't go because someone was always sick. Had a really nice evening. The weather couldn't have been better. We actually contemplated sitting outside on the deck but it had gotten a little chilly at night. Soon, though :)

Sunday: Low key day. Phone calls back home, cleaning, stitching (Yeah!), running, and scrapping. I kept up with the laundry this week so there was only one load left to do. I think I'll make this a habit. Takes some pressure off Sundays.

More sickness..

Can we please just fast forward to April? I'm tired of being sick and taking care of sick ones. Thankfully, the 2 guys are now on a mend, but I'm still not. In fact, I had to go home early yesterday because the sinus pain was unbearable. And I didn't have any medicine at hand. The right side of my head, sinus cavity and teeth was hurting. Today it's a little better. DH gave me night-time sinus medicine around 4, and I slept until 8. He woke me up for dinner and I watched American Idol. These night time medicines make me loopy. I don't like them.

Anyhow, I have to say Fiona's comment made me laugh. I'm telling you, the day this boy turns 17 (or heck 16), I'm going to keep a stick handy. To ward off all the girls. LOL! When he was younger and had a lot of hair, people used to think he was a girl. I was tired of correcting everyone. But one day I realized it's better than the other way round. My friend M has a GIRL whom people confuse for a boy. That's got to suck more! LOL!

There was no stitching over last weekend. I'm still wanting to pick up the Angel of Love. Hopefully, I'll feel better enough to stitch soon.

Meanwhile, layout time! This is my third LO for Ztampf CT.


It was my first day long fast of 'Teej' after my wedding. No food until moon-rise, only water is allowed. Wouldn't you know, the moon didn't make it's appearance until 11PM that night..

Credits:
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See how the Lace matches my Sari Border! LOL!
Ztampf Evening Falls kit. This kit is perfect for so many pictures, it's amazing!

Font: Vladimir Script

Cupid!

Fresh out of Photoshop. Introducing - Cupid.


Credits:
Miki Ferkul's New kit Ancient Celt coming out this Sunday at Scrapbook Elements
Hearts - Miki's Hearts Afire
Wings - Paper Moon March Madness

Nothing like a Challenge

There is nothing like a challenge to get my butt kicking. I did 5 miles this morning. Yeah! My longest run/walk ever! Don't ask how long it took. It's not pretty, I'm working on it. :)

I do know that M is in his THIRD year, not Second. Corrected below. Reminds me of the time when we went to get Life Insurance for both of us, the agent mentioned me being in my 31st year of life and I was caught off-guard. I had just turned 30 a month ago! I am NOT in my 31st year. LOL! Ok, I am. Yeah, it's one of their tactics to get people feel awful about how old they really are by bumping it up one year.

I made soup and salad for lunch today. There was some lemon-grass stock I had made earlier in the freezer. Quick recipe - Heat oil. Add ginger and garlic. Add thinly chopped carrots and mushrooms. Add stock and greens (I used raddish greens). Then I added thin wheat noodles. Turn the gas off when the noodles are done. Add salt and lots of lemon juice. It's helping our colds. And the ginger tea is helping too.

Agra

This is one of the photos my sister sent me a few months ago. I found the perfect papers to scrap it.


Credits:
From Debra Tope at Oscraps
Frame, Background, Ribbon, Metal brad and Circular ring: Noni kit
Twisty Tie: Nettie
Frames: Thrift Shoppe Frames

Journaling Paper: Miki Ferkul's Magi kit at Scrapbook Elements.

Ha!

The queen of 'I Have Excellent Immunity And I Don't Get Sick' is officially sick. Boo. I hate being sick. My brain is in a fog. Nose is stuffed up and I'm sneezing every 5 seconds. I have had an insane amount of caffeine in the last couple of days to try to focus for work. It's not helping at all, and now I have acidity as a result. Guess I'll have to resort to a cold medicine tonight. I don't take medicine unless it's bad. My cold generally clears up in 7 days by itself so I don't feel the need to treat the symptoms.

DH, on the other hand, has been diagnosed with Sinus issues. He saw the doctor today and is taking an antibiotic, along with Sinus OTC medication :(

In other news, my scrapping mojo is back! It had gone into hiding for the last week but now it's back! I did 2 layouts last night. I have been itching to start stitching again too. Maybe it'll happen this weekend.

See the number on the right? It's 40 miles. Sigh. I really don't think I can make it. This entire week has sucked running-wise too. I'd have to do 10 four mile runs in the next 28 days. It's going to be really tough.

Anyhow, here is my second layout for Ztampf! Another one of Mehul's sillyness ;) This will go in his third year (not, second, third. Sheesh!) album, which is going to be so much fun. It's a fun age.

Silly Boy

Credits:
Ztampf Structure kit and Evening Falls Elements.