Well, after four years being together, Brandon & I are no longer a couple. I have since moved to Winchester, VA because the house we bought is in his name, our car was in his name, so now I just have the F250, our computer was mostly his since I still had mine from college 4 1/2 yrs ago, and I had to quit my job since I didn't have a place to live. But on the positive side, I now know that I have friends who love me for me & not because I'm the lesser-known-half-of-a-couple. I'm currently living with my best friends Samm & DJ, and their two children Will, 4, and Sage, 2. I'm in the process of applying for readmission to college & financial aid. I'm really hoping to get everything squared away for the Spring semester of '09. Should be able to get it done by then if I can get my W2 from 2007 for the FAFSA. All in all I'm hoping this catastrophic event will work out for the best in the long run.
I've been going to a Universalist Unitarian Church up here & am in the choir. It's a good first step to getting me back in the swing of things. I also have a small performance coming up on November 30th. I'm doing one of two things: I'm either accompanying Samm, or I'm doing a duet with Samm. One or the other. The song selection is up to us, so it probably won't be decided for certain until about a week before the performance. But we'll pull it all together. Always do.
At the moment, my cat Aris is staying with my parents. Until I get an apartment of my own, I can't bring him up. Dropping him off & saying goodbye was really hard. What was also hard was driving the 4 hours from Pulaski to Winchester 6 times to bring all my stuff up to my storage unit. 8 hour round trips. Ick. Brandon said he wanted my stuff out as quickly as possible so he could get on with his life. I was reluctant to move absolutely everything because I still wanted something there so I would have a tie to him in some way. It was a sad thought & I see how it was a thought in error. Hard to see when you're in the middle of having your heart ripped out though.
On the crafting front, right now since I don't have a job, I've got plenty of time. I've started trying to draw.... well copy other drawings. I don't have the spacial perception to be able to create new art at the moment. Getting my "feet under me", so to speak, is the best thing I can do to work up to the point of creating original art. I've started a new scarf. It's going to be in stockinette stitch with a pocket on each end. On each pocket, I'll be duplicate stitching a broad maple leaf & scattered down the length of the scarf (and fading into the actual pocket) will be smaller leaves that I will embroider on. The scarf itself is a dark brown, the leaves will be dark green, wine, orange & a mustard yellow if I can find one. We'll see how it turns out. The embroidery & junk are originals so I don't know how they'll translate from my head to my stitching. I'll post pictures once I finish & have a computer of my own to use. I also finished an offering for my first ritual. I cross stitched the word rebirth in an ivy pattern. I backed it with music fabric & offered it in the fire during the Samhain ritual. That was a lot of fun & very enlightening for me. After the ritual we drank & sat around the fire. I tried my hand at drumming on the djembe. I found out that I drum like a pianist, haha. As the night went on, I got more into it & less self-conscious. I actually like drumming a lot. I might just have to get myself one & start doing it more often :) We'll see.
For now, I'm going to end this novella & pledge to blog again soon... seeing as how I don't have anything else to do, haha.
Blessed be,
Heather
18 November 2008
15 July 2008
A quick catch up
Here we are again. All too familiar territory. I have not blogged in a while. So here goes the requisite catch up.
Work: got a "promotion". It was actually a decrease in base-pay because I lost my shift differential, but I am off the phones... kind of. Now instead of being on the phones 10 hours a day taking normal calls, I am on the phones between 3 & 6 hours a day taking escalated calls. The rest of the time, I provide internal support for our agents via chat service. I love the new job. But the company is about to change the format for the internal agent support. I am apprehensive to say the least.
Home: Brandon & I are in negotiations for our first house together. It is in Pulaski, VA. The first place we went to get the loan, that was fun. WE qualified for the loan. PULASKI didn't. Yeah. They turned down the city. "Declining economic territory." Cute. Real Cute. But we are back on track & should (fingers crossed) close on the home at the end of July. If we close, you can be sure to have before & after photos to bring you right into our living room
Crafting: Not too much here. My hands & wrists have really been bothering me. It's hard to hold my knitting needles or crochet hooks right now. So no new projects, old projects are kind of on hiatus. But I did finish Ellie's baby blanket. It's a sugary sweet pink Disney princess quilt. All done by hand (piecing, backing, quilting, edging). My grandmother would be so proud!!
Animals: my dear fish, Koios passed away this past week. I went out of town to visit some very dear friends for several days & asked the bf to look after my babies. When he left for work the day I came home, both the cat & fish were fine. I picked him up from work, we came home & the fishy was dead. The water had turned this sickening shade of yellow. But he lived a happy fishy-life. Very active & interested in the world around his little watery home. I don't think I'll get any more fish. I loved him, but he was my first fish & I didn't truly enjoy the maintenance of cleaning & changing the water (even part of the water) every 2-3 days. Perhaps.... a chinchilla!! I'll have to try to talk my darling bf into that one. Oh, and I'll have to try & keep Aris from eating the cute little baby critter if I get one.
Work: got a "promotion". It was actually a decrease in base-pay because I lost my shift differential, but I am off the phones... kind of. Now instead of being on the phones 10 hours a day taking normal calls, I am on the phones between 3 & 6 hours a day taking escalated calls. The rest of the time, I provide internal support for our agents via chat service. I love the new job. But the company is about to change the format for the internal agent support. I am apprehensive to say the least.
Home: Brandon & I are in negotiations for our first house together. It is in Pulaski, VA. The first place we went to get the loan, that was fun. WE qualified for the loan. PULASKI didn't. Yeah. They turned down the city. "Declining economic territory." Cute. Real Cute. But we are back on track & should (fingers crossed) close on the home at the end of July. If we close, you can be sure to have before & after photos to bring you right into our living room
Crafting: Not too much here. My hands & wrists have really been bothering me. It's hard to hold my knitting needles or crochet hooks right now. So no new projects, old projects are kind of on hiatus. But I did finish Ellie's baby blanket. It's a sugary sweet pink Disney princess quilt. All done by hand (piecing, backing, quilting, edging). My grandmother would be so proud!!
Animals: my dear fish, Koios passed away this past week. I went out of town to visit some very dear friends for several days & asked the bf to look after my babies. When he left for work the day I came home, both the cat & fish were fine. I picked him up from work, we came home & the fishy was dead. The water had turned this sickening shade of yellow. But he lived a happy fishy-life. Very active & interested in the world around his little watery home. I don't think I'll get any more fish. I loved him, but he was my first fish & I didn't truly enjoy the maintenance of cleaning & changing the water (even part of the water) every 2-3 days. Perhaps.... a chinchilla!! I'll have to try to talk my darling bf into that one. Oh, and I'll have to try & keep Aris from eating the cute little baby critter if I get one.
10 June 2008
I love me some faeries!
Your fairy is called Yarrow Elfshimmer
She is a cheerful sprite.
She lives close to vixen and badger sets.
She is only seen when the first flowers begin to blossom.
She dresses in black and white like a badger. She has delicate green wings like a cicada.
http://www.emmadavies.net/fairy/default.aspx">Get your free fairy name here!
She is a cheerful sprite.
She lives close to vixen and badger sets.
She is only seen when the first flowers begin to blossom.
She dresses in black and white like a badger. She has delicate green wings like a cicada.
http://www.emmadavies.net/fairy/default.aspx">Get your free fairy name here!
05 June 2008
Long time, no update
So... it's been a while since I last updated. My CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) has been kicking my ass & I havent' been able to hold my needles, let alone the weight of my current projects. But I'm beginning to feel a little better (Mineral Ice is my new best friend!).
So, here's the quick update. Brandon & I are buying a house!!! We close at the end of July & I cannot wait!!!! The cleaning/packing has already begun. Two bags are already filled & just waiting to go to Goodwill. And soon comes... DECORATING!!!! I have so many ideas flowing 'round my shortly shorn little head (oh yeah, did I mention, I got a truly horrible short haircut. Well, if I hadn't yet, I just did).
And as far as projects go, I am still working on the king-size basket-weave crocheted afghan, queen-size Phoenix Coyotes duplicate-stitch afghan (that one doesn't have to be done until next hockey season though, phew!), quilt for Ellie & Alexander (one Care Bear, the other Disney princesses), kimono shawl, and several other small projects.
Hopefully I'll have some project pics soon, but for now, pictures of the new house will have to suffice. P.S.-We're buying it from a cute Marine & his girlfriend. They're super nice, but have a very country style. It will look different after the decorating.
We're the house on the right. It's just these two houses on the lot (right now the other house is not occupied & won't be for some time. The owner is doing major repairs to the home, but doesn't seem to be in any hurry. They think it will become a Habitat for Humanity house once it's fixed up). The lot backs up to a dead-end street that can't be seen through the trees on our lot & on one side is an old bakery (again, not inhabited) and on the other side is an old bottling plant. The plant is also not occupied, but in theory, if Pulaski becomes a metropolis & has businesses just begging to come to town, it could be started up again. I think we're safe :)
The living room is right off the back entrance & porch. The door you see lead to the sunroom & off to the left is the dining room, which is pictured below.
So, here's the quick update. Brandon & I are buying a house!!! We close at the end of July & I cannot wait!!!! The cleaning/packing has already begun. Two bags are already filled & just waiting to go to Goodwill. And soon comes... DECORATING!!!! I have so many ideas flowing 'round my shortly shorn little head (oh yeah, did I mention, I got a truly horrible short haircut. Well, if I hadn't yet, I just did).
And as far as projects go, I am still working on the king-size basket-weave crocheted afghan, queen-size Phoenix Coyotes duplicate-stitch afghan (that one doesn't have to be done until next hockey season though, phew!), quilt for Ellie & Alexander (one Care Bear, the other Disney princesses), kimono shawl, and several other small projects.
Hopefully I'll have some project pics soon, but for now, pictures of the new house will have to suffice. P.S.-We're buying it from a cute Marine & his girlfriend. They're super nice, but have a very country style. It will look different after the decorating.
We're the house on the right. It's just these two houses on the lot (right now the other house is not occupied & won't be for some time. The owner is doing major repairs to the home, but doesn't seem to be in any hurry. They think it will become a Habitat for Humanity house once it's fixed up). The lot backs up to a dead-end street that can't be seen through the trees on our lot & on one side is an old bakery (again, not inhabited) and on the other side is an old bottling plant. The plant is also not occupied, but in theory, if Pulaski becomes a metropolis & has businesses just begging to come to town, it could be started up again. I think we're safe :)
The living room is right off the back entrance & porch. The door you see lead to the sunroom & off to the left is the dining room, which is pictured below.
This is our fun spacious kitchen & breakfast nook (foreground, but hardly visible). To the left is the hallway off the front entrance.
Upstairs is the bathroom, two bedrooms, study & this beautiful add-on excercise room (it will be partly excercise room, partly crafting room. Yay!!)
28 January 2008
It's been...
a very long time. I know. I'm awful. But in my defense, life has been turned upside down & my darling boyfriend is trying to finish the first draft of his novel (160,000 words at the moment!!) and is monopolizing the computer.
So.... here goes a quick summation of life since my last post. Thanksgiving & Christmas celebrations for Brandon's side of the family were at our house this year. I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner all by myself. And the turkey turned out amazingly well!! (Though I did slice a large chunk off the side of my index finger off when trying to break down the leftover bird, ouch...) We also had homemade: stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, gravy, rolls, & whipped vanilla cream. I took a lot of pride in making everything from scratch. Next year, I won't have anything to prove, so I may just buy the rolls :) We put up the Christmas tree on Thankgiving night, as always. Christmas on Bran's side of the family was uneventful. The tree is still up (for shame), but I did manage to get all the decorations off on New Year's day like a good girl. Just never got around to taking down the tree.
On Christmas eve, my "niece" (my aunt's foster daughter that they are currently trying to adopt) was admitted to the hospital with severe bleeding problems, kidney & liver failure. They did not expect her to make it, but like the little 3 year old tropper that she is, she has finally regained consciousness. She is still in the pediatric intensive care unit at UVA, and has more severe brain damage than she had before (she was born to a mother addicted to drugs & has suffered from severe dibilitating seizures her entire life), but my aunt & uncle are ecstatic that she has regained as much of her old self as she has. She will never be able to talk; they don't think she'll be able to walk, but she is here :)
Then in January, my grandfather passed away very, very suddenly. He died of a heart attack in his driveway while my grandmother was in Shawville taking care of her other granddaughter (my 2 year old cousin Charlotte). She beat herself up for not being there with him for quite a while, but now seems to be doing as well as possible, all things considered.
Latest issue has been my mom. She's now doing a little better physically & mentally than she has been, but while she was in the hospital this last time, her credit card was stolen & long story short, she now owes the bank $5,000 in fraudulent charges. My family cannot afford a lawyer to fight this, so we have to eat the debt. And my bank has confiscated my paycheck to pay for my mother's debt. If my phone number hadn't been listed on my account, I never even would have been notified. They left a message on my cell phone for my mother, thinking it was her number, and then cleaned the account. Needless to say, I am up a creek. This is where my paychecks are automatically deposited, my bills are paid automatically from this act & it is the only money I have to buy food, gas, toiletries & all other necessities for getting through life. Thank goodness for Brandon. If not for him, I would be out on the street. I have had this bank account for 24 years (it was started for me by my family when my mother & father found out they were pregnant) & am going to be forced to close the account so as not to have my paychecks stolen to pay someone else's debt (since I should not need to assume her debt unless something happens to both her & my father).
But I have been doing a little something crafty to help calm my nerves. Mostly, I've been eating :) But I did make this little guy tonight. I call him Gus. He's for a woman at work who asked me to make her a turtle. I think he's a charming little fellow :)
So.... here goes a quick summation of life since my last post. Thanksgiving & Christmas celebrations for Brandon's side of the family were at our house this year. I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner all by myself. And the turkey turned out amazingly well!! (Though I did slice a large chunk off the side of my index finger off when trying to break down the leftover bird, ouch...) We also had homemade: stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, gravy, rolls, & whipped vanilla cream. I took a lot of pride in making everything from scratch. Next year, I won't have anything to prove, so I may just buy the rolls :) We put up the Christmas tree on Thankgiving night, as always. Christmas on Bran's side of the family was uneventful. The tree is still up (for shame), but I did manage to get all the decorations off on New Year's day like a good girl. Just never got around to taking down the tree.
On Christmas eve, my "niece" (my aunt's foster daughter that they are currently trying to adopt) was admitted to the hospital with severe bleeding problems, kidney & liver failure. They did not expect her to make it, but like the little 3 year old tropper that she is, she has finally regained consciousness. She is still in the pediatric intensive care unit at UVA, and has more severe brain damage than she had before (she was born to a mother addicted to drugs & has suffered from severe dibilitating seizures her entire life), but my aunt & uncle are ecstatic that she has regained as much of her old self as she has. She will never be able to talk; they don't think she'll be able to walk, but she is here :)
Then in January, my grandfather passed away very, very suddenly. He died of a heart attack in his driveway while my grandmother was in Shawville taking care of her other granddaughter (my 2 year old cousin Charlotte). She beat herself up for not being there with him for quite a while, but now seems to be doing as well as possible, all things considered.
Latest issue has been my mom. She's now doing a little better physically & mentally than she has been, but while she was in the hospital this last time, her credit card was stolen & long story short, she now owes the bank $5,000 in fraudulent charges. My family cannot afford a lawyer to fight this, so we have to eat the debt. And my bank has confiscated my paycheck to pay for my mother's debt. If my phone number hadn't been listed on my account, I never even would have been notified. They left a message on my cell phone for my mother, thinking it was her number, and then cleaned the account. Needless to say, I am up a creek. This is where my paychecks are automatically deposited, my bills are paid automatically from this act & it is the only money I have to buy food, gas, toiletries & all other necessities for getting through life. Thank goodness for Brandon. If not for him, I would be out on the street. I have had this bank account for 24 years (it was started for me by my family when my mother & father found out they were pregnant) & am going to be forced to close the account so as not to have my paychecks stolen to pay someone else's debt (since I should not need to assume her debt unless something happens to both her & my father).
But I have been doing a little something crafty to help calm my nerves. Mostly, I've been eating :) But I did make this little guy tonight. I call him Gus. He's for a woman at work who asked me to make her a turtle. I think he's a charming little fellow :)
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