Caleb's First Prayer

Before his nap today, Caleb asked Scott if he could pray. Of course, Scott said yes and then led him through a prayer. Then Caleb said, "Now I pray all by myself, Daddy." He buried his head in his little pillow and started to pray. We couldn't make out all of it, but we heard him mumble, "Thank you for Meme and Papa" and "in Jesus' name, Amen."

PRECIOUS!! We just about cried.

Caleb's Third Birthday Party

Caleb is 3 years old now! Amazing.


We had a great little family party for him Saturday. I made him a Blue's Clues "paw print" cake (from scratch--it took forever, but turned out yummy).



Isaac also turned 10 months old yesterday (it's so great that they were both born on the 29th--easy to keep track of). And just when we were getting ready to open presents, Isaac took his first independent steps! Little brother is already trying to steal the spolight....


Here are Matthew and Sara helping Caleb play with his new presents.

Rich and Angela

Meme and Papa

Friday

Caleb was so exhausted on Friday afternoon. He wouldn't wake up, no matter how many times I nudged him or called his name. So, I decided it was a good time to get a picture.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was very fun. The family all gathered at Mom and Dad's house for the feast. Usually I look forward to playing board games when the kids take naps, but we got so caught up in just talking, we didn't even break out the games. It was good to see everyone again. Mimme Scott (my grandmother) was even there. She moved to Rowlett about a month ago, so now she can join in the festivities.

My goofy husband and child (this is what happens when Scott is responsible for taking pictures)

Wooly Good

It's felting season again! I never feel like needle-felting in warm weather. When the wheel turns, and the cold weather sets in out come the wool and the needles.
This photograph was taken at a friend's farm and is a tribute to those "wooly" beasties. It's a mix of reality and romanticism. Just that way I like it.

The photo is available on Etsy. :)


Title: Wooly Good
Meduim: Digital Photograph
Full Size: 8" x 10"

kecelakaan

krisna td sore kecelakaan ditabrak mobil pas lagi naik motor brg temennya.. hhu. kakinya gx bisa gerak pas jatoh gr2 ditabrak, akirnya dy dibopong temen2nya naik taxi ke rumah..
gw juga gx ngerti tpi dy smpt muntah gitu bis ditabrak, saking syoknya x yah.. temennya nanya apa juga dy diem duan..
huwaa. padahal ni hari 8bulanan, tp dynya malah kecelakaan. hhu.
hun get well soon

bubur idaman

haduuu.. dingin2 gini gw pengen bgt makan bubur ayam yg ada kuah kuningnya..
minggu ini gw ngidam bubur mulu. dulu dkt rumah gw ada yg jualan bubur kuah kuning yg enak bgt itu.
skr udah gx aadaaaaaa. hhu.

tu bubur susah dicari juga y. stelah berpikir keras akirnya c jzica yg ksi tau letak penjual bubur kuning dkt ruma gw. lumayan lah, tapi kurang enak, enakan di yg dulu itu. 
gw minggu ini udah 3x minta bubur itu bwt makan mlm, bokap gw juga udah ngedumel2 gitu. scara udah ada lauk gw masih ngerengek bubur kuning. hhe.

haduuu. akir2 ini ujan dingin gw makin mau makan bubur ituu.
ada yg tau tmpt jualan bubur enak gx? tapi yg ada kuah kuningnya itu lho. comment dun, atau gx shout di sidebar sebelah. hhe.

aduuh. bubur anget2 dimakan pas ujaaaaan. hwah. pengen. hiks.

The Kitchen

Who wants to have a look at our kitchen...this is for some of our friends who have heard all about it but haven't seen it yet..I know you want to have a nosey..... (and for anyone else who's interested) here are some photo's..



Tony did a fantastic job..I think he is so talented, he designed the kitchen, handmade everything and fitted it all in perfectly. Mind you... I picked the induction hob which I love and the other appliances and managed to persuade him to let me have the wall tiles, which change colour depending on the light.

I can't say it was plain sailing as you all know I like to poke my nose in now and again.... and poor Tony only had weekends to work on it. The only thing that was supplied and fitted by an outside company were the granite work tops.

I have problems trying to shape cards, but Tony can make anything out of timber, rounded cabinets, fancy plinths etc..no problem.
I know it's not massive but it's has got everything that I wanted....

Just to say thank you, Tony,
I love it and you..

..and I just....

wanted to show you all
how clever he is...

Well what do you think???....

alergi kumat.

haduh muka gw gatel2 nih. alergi gw bangkit. hha.
ni smuanya gr2 bokap mkanya muka gw jdi kya gini. corak sapi gitu muka gw tpi warna merah.
pas ubkdt stenga mampus gw menahan hasrat ingin menggaruk

bgmnakah kisah anak dan orangtua lelakinya yg menjerumuskan? here it goes...
bokap gw terkenal jago masak. biasanya bokap gw yg masak klo bapak2 di cluster rmah gw ngumpul. byk yg ketagihan lho. hha.
bokap gw jg suka eksperimen masak yg aneh2. mulai dr bubur kodok, bubur ikan tenggiri, babi panggang sgala rasa, bubur kepiting, bubur telor penyu. oh my. enak c enak tapi aneh ajah gitu. kyanya bokap gw plg srg bikin kreasi bubur deh.

kmrn tepatnya hari kamis, spulang skolah. gw laper mampus. 
bru aja gw triak "aq pulaaaaang" scara lemas pas bru nyampe rumah, bokap gw gonjang ganjing  bawa2 sendok dgn sesuatu di atasnya. tu sendok disuapin ke gw. "apaan nih?" kta gw.
berhubung gw laper yaudah gw makan aje. hhe.
taunya itu adalah bubur. dan di dalam bubur tersembunyi kerang yg gw sgt amat tidak suka.
"huex" kta gw. bokap gw cekikan gitu, "makanya jng pilih2 makanan," kta bokap gw gx nyambung.

bokap gw tuh pengennya smua makanan gw makan, sehubung dgn byknya makanan yg gw gx suka. sop ayam ajah gw gx mau makannya, gw sgt amat pemilih, mwnya sop daging. he.
gw gx pernah makan kerang darah sperti bubur kerang tsb. yg gw suka kerang ijo duan.
tanpa spengetahuan gw ternyata gw SANGAT AMAT alergi kerang darah. bgini deh jadinya.
satu sendok bubur + sehelai kerang darah membuahkan muka corak sapi dan gatal seperti kutu air. hhags.

rese c ni bokap gw ah. huuuu.

uaaaah.

akir2 ini gw merasa lemot. palagi klo abis bgn tidur, sejak try out gw ngerasa kerjaan gw tidur doank, buktinya sms yg biasa ovlim skr cuman dipake 30an duan. hha.

apa hubnya tidur sm lemot? gw tuh klo bgn tidur jd lemot.  jadi gini, gw lagi tidur, c kc nelp hp gw. gw pikir itu krisna jadi gw lgsng ngom "apah sayank?" shit. malu benerr. hhe. abis biasanya klo tidur siank klamaan gw suka dibangunin sm c krisna, mana gw tau itu c keceboooong. arg.

bsoknya gantian. gw biasanya tiap pagi bangunin krisna. taunya tu hari gw gx telp gr2 gw juga tlat. nyokapnya c krisna nelp k hpnya bwt bangunin c anak semata wayang.
krisna pikir itu gw. "halo sayank" katanya. hha. nyokapnya lgsng matiin gitu. mungkin syok dipikir anaknya malinkundang.
pas dy liat twnya itu bkn gw tpi home sweet home. hhe.
pas nyokapnya nelp lagi dy pura2 menggumam gx jlas gitu critanya ngantuk, supaya nyokapnya kira yg dy blg sayank2 itu sbnrnya gumaman dy karna ngantuk. jd nyokapnya critanya salah dgr.  hhe.

smsan pun jadi kacau klo abis bgn tidur.
krisna ijin makan di pejompongan bersama teman2nya.
gw bles: "knapa ketangkep?" gx nyambung benerrr.
blesan krisna ikutan bego : "siapa ketangkep? kapan?"
we'r so dummy. hha.

oia btw akirnya lolos juga gw di binus..hhe.
smua yg anak yakob dpt grade 1 deh kyanya klo IT, yg lain c gx tauu.
klo grade 1 byarnya 21 jutaan dlm 30 hari abis pngumuman.
bkap gw udah bayar, jadi gw udah fixed jadi anak binus kcuali gw gx lulus UAN. hhe.

ktanya klo masuk sana tar id cardnya pake flazz bca. Itu lho yg debit card warna biru. tapi klo di binus flazz nya beda, ada fotonya trus warna sm design nya juga beda tergantung jurusan. kta yudith c keren. pengen tau. hhe.
ntar id card itu dipake bwt absensi, masuk fasilitas binus kya lab perpus etc, jajan, cek jadwal sm nilai kuliah.. bs dipake di luar juga kya flazz biasa...
hidup binus. yayy.. hhe.

I've been tagged by Val

Val, a forum and blogging friend has tagged me, well it seems I have to write 7 facts that you may find interesting about me, well I'm not that interesting, but here goes...

1. I love holidays, any type whether it's in our caravan on the beach, in a hotel..skiing, (haven't skied for ages though)... sightseeing..... I don't care as long as I can keep going and we preferably drive there.

2. I hate flying ....although sometimes you just have do it... furthest place I've flown to is New Zealand, but we spent 3 months there, so I had time to pluck up courage to get on the plane again.

3. The most exotic place I've visited is Hawaii, and I loved it there.

4. I love roller coasters...and theme parks, especially the ones in Florida.

5. I've lived in Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Vancouver and a few more places but will always be a Londoner.

6. I was married in St Paul's Cathedral.

7. I was a Mod in the 60's..a Hippie in the 70's ...now I'm just getting old and wanna be young again.

Now it seems I've got to pass this on to 7 other blogger's, once again I'll have to have a think about this and will post them up later..

#22) Buried Bakeapple Bites

I have had two bags of bakeapples left in the freezer since the summer and have wanted to use them, but every time I got into the kitchen (which hasn't been much as of late) a new recipe would intrigue me and it was "so long bakeapples." Last night I started toying with the idea of a bakeapple cupcake... I don't know how many of you use bakeapples, but anyone who does will know there aren't many recipes written for them, and most of the ones that are just turn them into a sauce or a topping for cheesecake. I wanted to do something new so I made a small recipe of bakeapple cake filling and let it chill overnight. Then it was time to bury it... :) I used the left-over cream cheese frosting from a previous recipe found here. The spice of the nutmeg with the tang of the berry filling is such a unique combination you will eave your taste buds begging for more :)

PS - Classes are almost over and exams soon begin, but after that it's home to Mom & Dad's and back into the kitchen... There will be more frequent posts as Christmas draws nearer!!!

Bakeapple Cake Filling

1 cup bakeapples
1/4 cup water
5 tbsp sugar
3 tsp corn starch

-Boil berries with 3/4 of the water. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
-Push the cooked berries through a fine sieve, discarding the seeds.
-Whisk corn starch into remaining water. Add cornstarch mixture and sugar to berries.
-Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Let cool completely.

Cupcakes

3 eggs (room temperature)
1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup milk (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp bakeapple preserve (optional)

*I wanted this recipe to have a rustic type flavour, so I kept the mixer in the cupboard and just used some old fashioned elbow grease to mix everything together :)

-Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pan with paper liners.
-Lightly beat eggs.
-Add butter and sugar and mix.
-Add milk, flour, baking powder, and preserve (if using). Mix.
-Add a couple of tablespoons of batter to each liner.
-Divide cake fill into liners.
-Cover with remaining batter.
-Bake for 18-20 minutes.
-Let cool and frost with icing, if desired.

Wow.. I got 2 awards in a week

A BIG THANK YOU...to Joanne and Val,

who both sent me a Proximity award... they are really appreciated.... especially as they came from two very talented ladies. If you haven't visited their blogs yet, why not spend a few minutes and go and have a peek at some of their lovely work, just click on their names above and you will be taken to their blogs.

This award states that:

This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY- nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends.They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.

The award also states that I have to award it to 8 more blogs,

Now being a bit behind at the moment, I know most of the blogs I visit probably have this award already, and no doubt I'll be doubling up the awards to some of them.... so I'll have to put my thinking cap on and will let you know who I come up with....

A Few Thank You's

I don't know what's happened recently, haven't had much time to update the blog, visit the forum, or leave comments for anyone. I'll put it to rights soon...

This is a quick thanks to Val and Joanne for the awards, I will post more about them later.

Well what have I been doing.....I've been making a few Christmas cards, thought I had better make a start on them, but can't show them just yet...and made a couple of Birthday cards will post pics later. On my days off work, I have been trying to get some Christmas shopping done not been very successful with that either. Then... although I joined Facebook ages ago, I never used it, but lots of my family are on there now so I thought I'd give it a go, so I've been trying to figure that out...also I don't normally watch much TV but Spooks is back and I know I'm sad but I just have to watch I'm a celebrity..
Anyway I am going to make an effort to catch up with my blogging and to get back into the swing of things....

Oh Yes..one more thing thanks to everyone that leaves me comments, I really appreciate them all..

New Neighbors

I think we have new neighbors. The "for sale" sign is down, and lights are on in the house.

So, what's the modern-day etiquette for welcoming people to the neighborhood? When I saw the lights on, I had an image of me wearing an apron, carrying over a freshly baked apple pie with steam still rising from it, knocking on the door and introducing myself.

How 1950's. This is the new millenium. We don't care who our neighbors are, as long as they leave us alone to live in our own little bubbles.

JCNY and more...

For the past week and a bit, I don't think I have managed to take the time and actually let it sink in how busy I have been and the sensational events that have happened to me. It has been crazy full on and I have loved every moment of it.. like always.

I'll start with JCNY MODEL'FEST.  It has been amazing week being a showcase model for this amazing contest and I have met some lovely models. It is always so interesting to see what other models wear and discuss shopping tips. All the amazing models who I have been lucky enough to grace the catwalk with this week are fantastic. Below are photos of Susanna Triellis and Raine McCellan who always look simply stunning.

MODEL'FEST is a fantastic and it happens every month at JCNY. It is so much fun and I can not recommend it enough! It gives models new and I wont say old. but experienced models a chance to boost their career, discuss fashion and tricks of the trade, make friends and so much more. O, I totally forget to mention you can also win an amazing prize package, however did I forget to mention that. The prize includes.

*30,000L in cash.

*Fashion bundle, Clothing, Gift Cards, Etc.

Private Photo Shoot with JCNY photographer for a 2 page BEST of SL Magazine Feature Spread.

*2000L JCNY Gifts.

*Paid Model Contract for November 2008

*Features in JCNY Ad Campaigns

*In Store Posters, Billboards, Website Ads.

*Future Photo shoots with JCNY Collection Photo Agency.

You can go to the MODEL'FEST blog which is http://jcnycollection.blogspot.com for news, articles and photos of all the amazing models and some fantastic photos of things that go on at JCNY. I can not wait to see who wins this month all the models have been amazing and I know the awards night is going to be a blast!

I did some amazing shows this week, I was lucky enough to be asked to come back to EWING and walk with this months graduating students. Sunday October 23rd at 1pm the show happened at the runway pool at EWING. It was a great day and I have to admit I loved being back there. Luckily this time there was no griefer trying to push me into the pool, everything went relevantly smoothly. I am still trying to make lag my friend, but we seem to be having a few erm communication problems.  All the students did so well, and they seemed so much more relaxed than I was on my graduation day. Congratulations to the fellow graduates and watch out for these names people...

*Elahna Dyrssen

*Nezsy Herstein

*ToxicNymph Wyszniak

I all so did a show for GLANCE International which I am so thrilled to be a part of such an incredible agency. The show was showcasing the amazing designs of *FDL*.  I really have to say that *FDL* has some of the most detailed and amazing work I have seen on SL. The clothes are 18th Century and they have some divine wigs, gowns and ballgowns. This store is not only for women they have fantastic mens items as well.

 *FDL* is owned by Sanders Beaumont.

 

The "Seraphina" Dress shown to the left here, is just gorgeous in person. The fabric  is gold which has a floral pattern to it. The shoulders are like the wings of an angel as the silk wraps around them. This amazing dress comes with shoes  and an AO walk which can be switched off and on. Just by clicking the shoes. In addition to this you receive a ring (Lotus Petal) and a choker/collar which is totally resizeable with one click on the golden flower at the side.

I was lucky enough to wear this gorgeous dress as one of my outfits. I can not tell you how detailed this dress really is. It was stunning. 

If you are looking for 18th century items, I would head over to *FDL* for sure.

I started the Neiva Kumasi Super Model Contest this week, and you can already watch it on youtube if you are interested, following this link http://au.youtube.com/user/NkModeling

I will keep you updated as the show goes on, but you can also keep up with what is going on by visiting youtube. There are some beautiful models involved and some really colorful characters. So it should be very interesting to say the least. We get to live in the most amazing house and each week a contestant will be eliminated and go home. It's a little scary and we all have to use voice, so being the only Aussie I feel a little awkward. I will get there though hopefully. I am really looking forward to getting to know the other models better and doing some intense challenges together. 

I wish all the contestants the best of luck and I look forward to it all :)

The other massive news this week was that I attended a casting call this week for Starlight Events, which is an outstanding events company owned by RubyStarlight Writer. They were look for 25 regular models for shows that they will be doing for charity. I was so hoping to just even get a call back... and I did. I was so nervous walking as there were some really well known models there. I thought I did alright with my walk... but then afterwards I was called to walk back again. I immediately thought oh no I stuffed it. 

I held out hope for my friends that I knew were doing the call back and waited ever so patiently for the list. When I received it I nearly fell of my chair, I was so shocked to see I made the list and was now one of the 25 models. I am feeling so lucky to be even included in this group with these amazing models. I am so looking forward to working with them.

I will keep you updated to see how things go with the contests... and I have my fingers and toes crossed for everyone who entered the Modavia Casting Call. xoxoxo! Can't wait to see how makes that casting!

Have a great week everyone!

Baby Monkeys

Today I learned something interesting about baby monkeys who are raised without mothers. If they are given the choice between a "mother" made out of wire who gives milk and a "mother" who is covered in a soft, warm material but has no milk, they will choose the soft and warm one every time. That speaks volumes about babies' needs to feel loved and comforted.

Baby Food

Isaac is so different from Caleb. He likes just about every food we give him. Caleb at this age had already developed dislikes for several foods. I blame myself--when I was pregnant with Caleb, all I wanted to eat was McDonald's cheeseburgers and turkey bacon sandwiches! I was a much healthier eater with Isaac.

So, Isaac is starting out his adventures in food very differently. We started him on all organic foods, with added probiotics and/or DHA when available. Caleb never had any of that stuff.

I started making my own baby food last month. It's saving a ton of money! I don't buy all organic, but I try to when I can. I only buy premade baby food occassionally, and when I do I like the organic Happy Baby frozen foods. (There are BOGO coupons for Happy Baby on the Happy Bellies cereal cans, so it's affordable.) I have made my own squash and sweet potatoes supply, and today I made applesauce and blueberry puree. I buy fresh bananas and avocados--it doesn't get any easier than that, since all you have to do is mush them up with a fork or stick them in the food processor. I have some peas and green beans I need to cook and puree.

It is oddly satisfying to make your own baby food.

For my own benefit, here's a list of foods that Isaac eats and enjoys:

• Brown rice, oatmeal, and quinoa cereals
• Bananas
• Avocados
• Applesauce (regular and cinammon; he likes it mixed with other food better than by itself)
• Squash
• Sweet potatoes
• Cheerios
• Strawberry/apple puffs
• Shredded cheese (mild or sharp cheddar)
• Green beans
• Peas
• Spinach
• Pears
• Carrots
• Mango
• Black beans
• Egg yolks--he didn't like this in chunks, but will try it pureed

I need to try these over the next couple of weeks:

• Chicken
• Turkey
• Ground beef
• Yogurt
• Grapes (can freeze them and put them in a mesh baby feeder, or peel and cut into quarters)

I am going to buy one of those 2-tier steamers. Today I used the little collapsible steamer for the first time, and it worked okay, but not great.

Things I learned today to remember next time:

• For blueberries, bring the water to a boil, add blueberries, and immediately turn down the heat. Let the blueberries simmer in the hot water for 15 minutes. I kept the water boiling when I made them today, and the blueberries broke apart and drained into the water.
• For apples, dice them very small so they'll cook faster. I think it took about 45 minutes to steam my 6 apples today! I thought it would only take about 20 minutes. Also, make more for myself! The apples were SO good and smelled wonderful while they were cooking. I kept "testing" them. ;)

Dolls from the past

As a child I was not allowed to have fashion dolls like Barbie only baby dolls. Well, I didn't like baby dolls. All the adults in my life thought that was just plain strange.

I think that's a main factor in why a few years back I got into remaking old fashion dolls. I couldn't get enough of them. Some of my friends and especially my mother-in-law would bring me more dolls every time they saw me. I was thrift shopping all the time. At one point I think I had 125 cast-off fashion dolls and few new ones too. People thought that was strange too, and I felt a little strange. What was this obsession?

I didn't want them for what they were...a fashion doll (and nude and filthy). I wanted to transform them into something more. OOAK's as they say in the remake biz. That's one-of-a-kind to the uninitiated.

I would wash them, take off their face-paint, redo it, make new fantasy outfits, sometimes re-root new hair (hours of work!), give them "accessories", etc. Now when I look back at that time, I realize that I was transforming the inside of me and it was reflected on the outside of the dolls.

Hubbs and I started this short film in 2005 just to document my work, but then it turned into something more. Hope you enjoy it! I do have images of some of my art dolls for sale as greeting cards in my Etsy shop. Be sure and check it out.
I need to eat too. ;)

Pics from Tuesday

Caleb playing with his breakfast. His bites of oatmeal become "cars" waiting at a traffic light. A great imagination on that kid!

Isaac playing this morning in his cute little pj's.

I SO wish this picture wasn't blurry! Isaac does this cute little Hiro-ish squint that is precious.

What do you do with a blog, anyway?

Ok, I'm going to finally get with the program and start a blog. I guess people just talk about randomness on their blogs, so here's mine for today...

Caleb will turn 3 on Saturday. Hard to believe that just 3 years ago I was kidless. A former life.

Poor Caleb was up almost all night on Sunday with an ear infection. He's been very healthy since about 18 months (just chronic hayfever/allergies), but he's had 2 ear infections now in one month. He probably didn't heal properly after the first round of antibiotics, and infection set in again. He's back on a stronger dose of Augmentin.

He's pathetically cute when he's sick. He gets really clingy and cuddly. Normally, he isn't still long enough to really want to cuddle anymore, but when he's sick all he wants to do is be held. So I got to hold him through Sunday night when he came to our room and kicked Scott to the couch. ;)

Isaac is absolutely precious at this stage. He stood for about 30 seconds yesterday, then took 2 steps to me. Not even 10 months old.

USM binus

hari minggu gw usm binus.. masuk bgn IT, brg KC, upil, Andaru.
asik lho lumayan bisa, ada 100 soal gitu. mat, ing, sm aptitude test.
tesnya gx pake pensil 2b bulet2 gitu, tapi pake komp. jadi 1 org 1 komp,
ada html soal gitu, klo bisa di next, klo bisa di skip, gtu2. hhe.
gw c ngerasanya lumayan bisa, gw ngasal 7 nomor duan. tpi gx tau juga c yah.. hhe.
itu kelasnya dingiiiiin bgt. smua menggigil. trus kyanya byk yg gx bisa deh, soalnya gw denger bunyi mendengus dimana mana. hha.

tapi gw sdikit syok, IT cenya dikit bgt. gilei gw satu klas cwnya 2 kli yah, dr 50 org. klasnya c kc ada 3 cwenya. wuih. hha.
pengumumannya hari rabu nih jam 12. smoga gw dapet grade a biar murah. yayy. hhe.
oia gw dpt tiket 21 gratis lho, dikasi cc penjaganya, tapi cuman bisa bwt di lapis.

berhubung gw hampir gx pernah ntn di lapis, trus cuman bwt 1 org tiketnya, gw mau kasi c tepen ajah, drpd gx dipake. hhe.
btw ni hari c mae ngerjain SMUA soal gx jlas di blog gw, trus ngikik2 sndiri gtu gx jlas td di perpus. gila bener. 

Winter?

OMG! I woke up this morning and this is what I saw...



Our first snow. I hope it's not a sign of the winter to come. Our first snow last year was Dec. 3rd. That was the year we had the most recorded snow ever. I don't think I'm quite recovered from that. :O

I usually really like the first snow and winter weather until around January 5th. Then I'm done and want spring to come. Snow and sun together is just gorgeous. The long winter, gray skies, and cold that accompany it here in the Midwest is just so depressing.

I've decided to just pretend the first snow didn't happen yet. Here's a nice fiery mandala to heat things back up. ;)
I've also listed it for sale in my Etsy shop.
Cheers.

10 Things About JAK

10

First thing you should know about me is: why do most of my friends call me jak? JAK is an initial of my name. It stands Johan Alvin Khosuma. My friends gave me that nickname when I was on my second grade at junior high school. It is little bit strange coz when I meet new friends, I always introduce my self as Alvin (never mention “jak” at all) but when I meet them again in the other time, they will call me jak (strange huh?)

9

Born at Surabaya 23 years ago but spent my childhood at Maluku Island, specifically Galela Village. I lived there for seven years and when I was a child there, I was a “bocah petualang”. Beach and forest was my playground. I set up trap at the beach, stole “kedondong” with my gank, climbing trees in the forest, etc. What a childhood I had, right?

8

Nasi goreng is my most favorite food. Wherever the restaurant is, jak always asks for “nasi goreng!” I remembered my friend had ever complained to me because wherever we went, I always ordered nasi goreng. Right now I was crazy about nasi goreng jawa.

7

Desperately loves football very much. I am a tifosi of Juventus and it’s legendary captain, Alessandro Del Piero. I am crazy about Italian Football. I’m not only watching but also playing football (futsal) with my friends. In football, my position is a right forward. I used to have a deadly right food canon ball which when I was on high school, I often scored many goals with it (hahahahaaa…little arrogance but it is true). But, now the shoot is disappear coz I’m too busy (or lazy?) too playing football consistently. Now, I loose my old touch in football but I’m still playing sometimes while hoping my old touch in football comes back.

6

I read and write (ya iya lah…) I mean I love read manga since I was on elementary school and ONE PIECE is the best ever manga in the world (no doubt) that I have ever read in my whole life. Beside reading manga, I am writing too. Now days, I am writing my own literature in my blog (saltnlights.blogspot.com) and I am very happy when my friends give me a feedback about my writing. It’s raising my spirit to learn more. Learn to write a beautiful writing that can inspire people’s life. So, thank you friends :)

5

In fashion, I like something not formal. Casual, little bit Rock and Roll, vintage, retro and simple are my fashion style. I do put a big attention for my fashion appearance because I like to see people who have a good taste of fashion. You can’t be a handsome or pretty person but if you success to find your own fashion style, you’ll be looked awesome.

4

I am a movie freak! (click here to prove it) I have watched so many movies and still watching movies that I’ve never watched before. Now, I have a forum blog to discuss movies (Join there, friends) Because of it, I have a dream to be a movie director so that I can make my own movie. That was my dream and right now, I am still struggling to fulfill my dream so pray for me my friends :)

3

My life is blessed with many best friends and they spread in many ganks hahahaa… So, I am a member of Childhood Gank, High School Gank, Gank Keren (College Gank), Gung Ho Gank, Image Media Gank, and finally but not least Cell Group Gank. I love them very much. They are my precious treasure and I will keep our friendship with all my life. I hope that all of us can be a best friend until we become grand parents even until we live forever in the Kingdom of Heaven (Amien!). I can mention their names one by one but I am too lazy to do that hahahahaaa…But, if you are my best fried, you must know lah :)

2

I lost my father when I was 10 years old. Such a huge storm in my life but I can get through from it because the rest of my family love me very much. I am a family man. I love every member of my family very much (I have a identical triplet nephews and they are soooooo funnyyy). Now, I am waiting for my new nephew which will be born by next year. Even I don’t like kids but my nephews is a “pengecualian” (I don’t know the English hahahaaa)

1

And the FIRST thing about my life is I am belong to Jesus Christ. He saved me with His crucify in the cross and I do believe and live with Him as my Savior. I’m nothing without His grace. I was not fear about my future anymore because He will never leave me. Now, I live my life with a purpose from Him. I live to be a salt and lights for all the people so that from my life, people can see His grace. I can’t do that by own strength (coz I am not perfect) but I will do my best…with Him…and for Him…

100th post!

Holy Smackers batman it's my 100th post! I think it's time to celebrate...
break out the bubbly.

My kitties are not impressed. With the onset of the cold weather, they just want to eat, sleep and whine in the middle of the night.

That's "Joe" the butler and "Melchizedek" the maverick on the right. They moved with us from Colorado. Genetically they come from Colorado stock...that means they are big! 90% of Wisconsin cats are so small in comparison. My big cranky boys.

Coffee Anyone?

While editing some pics, I found this one in my file that I had not shared yet. This set of cards was done for a Verve OSW challenge back in September. For all of the cards, I used Brown and Pink Bazzill cs, Divine Swirl CB EF, Polka Dot paper from My Minds Eye and the stamps were from sets from My Favorite Things and Impression Obsession. I paper pieced some of the coffee cups and Who's that Girls dress. The brown ink I used was Adirondack Ginger. If you would like to see the cards up close, you can check them out in my gallery at SCS.

Well, I am off to color my roots!

hugs,

A Good Quote

I just came across this quote and thought I would share it. I'd like to do this from time to time, so if you have a good one, let me know.

There can be no progress if people have no faith in tomorrow."

~~JFK~~

hugs,

Uber Amazing Blog Award

Sygnet Creations of the EtsyFriends blog nominated us for the Uber Amazing Blog award. (And congrats, EtsyFriends, on your treasury making it to Page 1 on Etsy this morning!)

Here's how the Uber Amazing Blog award works:

Q How is the award determined?
A. The award is presented to blogs that....

1. Inspire you
2. Make you smile and laugh
3. Or maybe give amazing information
4. Are a great read
5. Have an amazing design
6. Or any other reasons you can think of that make them uber amazing! If you receive this award:

To keep the blog love flowing, recipients of this award should do the following:
1. Please put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 5 blogs that you feel are Uber Amazing!
3. Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.
4. Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award
from.

It's going to be so hard to narrow down the amazing blogs on my list to around five. But here I go:

1. Just Something I Made - visually attractive, well written, inspiring artist profiles, and brilliant ideas (check out her post on Getting Clever with Business Cards).

2. A Little Bit of Violette - LouisianArtisan VivaLaViolette's blog. I like the template (violet of course) and photos of her creations (including new baby, Dax, as well as her Etsy items).

3. The Watermelon Tree - by the LArtisan of the same name. Great photos, and a great job of promoting the LouisianArtisans Etsy team!

4. Because I Said So - CheeseandChocolate nominated this blog. It's not an art- or Etsy-related blog, but it is very, very funny. I love the template, too. I'm a new fan.

5. ?????


Since this is a team blog, I thought I'd let YOU nominate a few blogs. Leave a comment with a link to the blogs that inspire you. I'll include the first 3-5 on another post.

I am so excited!

I won something! Whoo Hooo! I was just reading the Inchie Inklings blog and found out that I won the Rustic Inchie Challenge. You can read all about it here. The next challenge is from Nov 15th to Dec 15th and the theme is Holiday Scene Inchie. You should really consider submitting an inchie as there aren't too many people participating right now (made it easier for me to win) and your odds are good to win. How about a little friendly competition? If you are interested, you can get all of the deets here.

I have been creating and have a few pics to edit and upload, stay tuned!

hugs,

more ipa 2 photos (click to enlarge)

berhubung gw bru dpt photoshop, yawda gw edit ajah foto a2. hhe.

from hot to NOT

Featsy

I read about an interesting new 3rd party application mentioned on the Etsy forum, called Featsy (Featured on Etsy).

Featsy, introduced on November 4th, allows to type an Etsy ID, press Enter, and it will tell you whether the seller has been featured on Etsy's Front Page or on Page 1 of a Gift Guide.

You can sign up for email alerts if you - or a shop you're interested in - are featured. Featsy also provides statistics on Leaders of the Day, and Leaders of the Week (beginning with the inception of the Featsy site).

If you're interested in checking it out, the URL is: http://www.subsushi.net/featsy/index.html

My take on it: it's fun to check out whether you've been featured, but the statistics are flawed. From their FAQ page:

"Q. How are Gift pages calculated?
A. Here's how it works: if you get onto the first page of 20-50 that's counted as one, as long as your item stays on the first page it wont be counted again. If your item leaves the first page of the gift page, and is than reintroduced too the first page of a gift page and enough time has passed it is added again. "

So one appearance in a gift guide could show up at multiple features if it moves from one page to another.

Also, there's this:

" Q. The front page count and gift count are not adding up?
A. This small bug is persistent because I do not have a separate machine running my database. If i had a separate computer than i would do a full relevant update every 15 minutes, but for efficiency sake I do mini updates every 15 minutes and a full update every 12 hours. if the item you are tracking happens to be one that my stats table misses than the discrepancy could arise. "

In reading the Etsy forum threads about Featsy, some folks are suggesting that it fuels jealousy among those who feel that certain artists are featured much too often.

If you have been featured since November 4th, please test out Featsy and post a comment with your results. If you'd like to read a couple of Etsy forum thread, click here and here.

The Uber Amazing Blog Award!

Another honor! Thank you Fairy Jane at http://seefairies.blogspot.com for bestowing the Uber Amazing Blog award on me. I'm so happy that people actually read my blog and it's not just going into a cyber blackhole! :)


*********

"How is the award determined? The rules are as follows:

The award is presented to blogs that- 1. Inspire you 2. Make you smile and laugh 3. Or maybe give amazing information 4. Are a great read 5. Have an amazing design 6. Or any other reasons you can think of that make them uber amazing!

If you receive this award: 1. Please put the logo on your blog or post. 2. Nominate at least 5 blogs that you feel are Uber Amazing! 3. Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog. 4. Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from."
*************

I'm sending it on to these lovely folks:
http://twentypoundtabby.blogspot.com (love the colors and patterns (and kitties) she does and has)
http://mea-culpa-aromatherapycreations.blogspot.com (everything always looks so yummy)
http://delightfuldivasinbusiness.blogspot.com (for their work inspiring independent business women)
http://michelleperkett.blogspot.com/ (just love her fairies)
http://pinchmetoseeifyouaredreaming.blogspot.com (her journal pages are so awesome...and she likes Pippi Longstockings)