Take the First Step

I previewed this little puppy on yesterday's blog, but I thought this would be a good theme for today. So to begin, here's the newest QQ Teenie(tm), my tiny version of the Qubicle Quilt:

The quote, which is our theme for today, says

"Take the first step in faith.

You don't have to see the whole staircase,
just take the first step." -Dr Martin Luther King Jr

My friend since I was in high school, the wonderful and supportive JenniferJo, has finally taken the newest of her many first steps. JenniferJo is opening her own etsy store! As of yesterday, nellableu.etsy.com is active and breathing. Take a look at JenniferJo's new store and watch for new items as she gears up to paint away. Go JenniferJo! This is a picture of one of her postcards (shown with her permission of course).

I wanted also to send a big thank you out to Summer Pierre who was sending free copies of her zine out a few weeks ago, of which I received my own precious copy. The zine is called "The Artist in the Office" and is about finding ways to balance that artistic side with the day job. The zine is a huge spirit-lift, and Summer has been kind enough to grant me permission to use some quotes in my future Qubicle Quilts. What could be a more perfect fit? The zine is on sale now, and can be purchased through Summer's blog. And yes, I just linked to the same place twice, it's THAT worth it!

Off to work now. It's going to be another hot one today...

~Tasha

Disaster!

Okay, I'll admit to being known for a tendency to be melodramatic once in awhile throughout the years, but when you're a person who sews... and many of you are so I KNOW you're on my side on this one... than THIS is nothing short of disaster:

For those that are too bothered by the chaos in the background to be able to focus on the foreground, please, let me explain. That is my sewing chair, and the part where I sit is on the ground. I noticed this weekend another mysterious screw underneath the chair, but I had no idea, could NEVER have predicted that it was the last screw. You see, there have been other screws... their loss meant there was a bit of a tilt, or that I had to do some adjusting to get the seat to sit properly. But this screw was IT. The thing about these mysterious screws is that they fall out, and they don't go back in. Sometimes I think there are some serious laws of the universe conspiring against me. Not always, just sometimes.

But I still got some work done last night, as seen here and here. I will list the newest QQ Teenie tomorrow, because today I have already listed this guy. I'm pretty proud of that listing, because I even converted the measurements to metric. Oh yes, I am oh so metropolitan now. Look out Pleasantville, I am WORLD CLASS! Woo Hoo!

And now, it's time to get ready for work. I need to hurry because I have a new package to mail. My first QQ Teenie sold to Jennifer Jo. Woo Hoo again!

~Tasha

Your motto for today

I admitted before that I took some pictures at the park in anticipation for those days when I don't know what to blog. Today is one of those days. So I present to you, Dear Reader, the motto of the day:

For the past two weeks as a sort of boost during the day at work, I've walked around with my little bag of stones, asking everyone to pick their "Motto of the Day". They're all nice, they're all good for a smile, and they all will help me blog when I'm stuck. My sister bought these a few years ago from here, and I'd been eyeing them since she opened the box when they came in the mail. She gave them to me a few weeks ago, and I've been carrying them around since.

So unfortunately that's all for me today, as I've already posted another item on Etsy, and need to get ready for work today.

Enjoy your world!

Tasha

Happy Memorial Day to ALL

I want to start by offering enormous congratulations to Tif for gracing the cover of the NW Life section of the Seattle paper today, looking so lovely. Seeing how gorgeous her studio looks it would make anyone want to live the dottie angel life! Yeay Tif!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again; I met Tif in an unlikely place at a time when I needed to feel alive about the creation side of me all over again. The woman can talk anyone into just about anything, but she really helped me feel a renewed love for creating things, and to trust myself enough to branch out a little bit. So in that spirit, I have come up with the new (drum roll please....)

QQ Teenies!

The QQ Teenies are smaller (MUCH smaller) Qubicle Quilts for people like me, who work out in the public eye and don't have unlimited decorating license. The idea for these came simply from Tif seeing me at work one day, sitting at my desk and saying "Why do you not have any of your work here?" in that delightful accent. The actual reason is that my Qubicle Quilts have a tendency to get pretty large out of my sheer exuberance for their creation, so I decided to reign it in a bit. These teeny wonders are made with all the care and attention to detail as their bigger sisters, but they're small enough to safety pin to your backpack, if that's about as corporate as you get. Hopefully the idea will be a hit, but thanks for listening while I explained that all.

And now for today's special guest, the little guy who mysteriously disappeared in January after only two weeks of use. This little guy represents 2 weeks straight of lunch hour knitting, some cussing when I realize I made a major error (that I decided not to take out), and a LOT of love to make such a complicated (for me) pattern during the holidays. Meet Green Guy, the Nameless Dragon! (Baby has chosen not to give a proper name).

To be honest, this was a doable pattern even for me, and I consider it to be my most-favorite-thing-I've-ever-knitted. The kit can be purchased here, and this is one of the cushiest, softest, brightest wool yarns I've ever touched in my life. I know not many people are knitting right now, but since Green Guy showed back up in our lives this weekend I thought it only fair that he have a bit of a plug.

Thank you to our friends Tony and Karen for an amazing BBQ yesterday, and especially for still inviting us even though we are so stubborn about leaving the house. We had a great time!

-Tasha

Yesterdaaayyyyyy...

Travelous and the kids worked hard on tidying up the house while I was at work yesterday, so we celebrated with a trip to the park. We didn't spend too long as I had some sewing to do, but we did meet this little guy:


I also took some pictures that I can use for future blog postings when I can't think of anything to write, took some pictures of the dirty and/or bruised legs of my two kid-dos, and TRIED to take some action shots of the kids playing. Apparently there's quite an art to the action shot, either that or I don't know what I'm doing. So I have this:

and this:












but never once could I get Boo and the ball in the same shot.



I AM proud of this one though, and it only took about six tries!







And then there's the freckle shot of Baby that he'll hate when he's older:


















And this picture of That Thing That Sol Does:



I'm realizing I need a Flickr account. Desperately.



Tomorrow I'll show you who showed up after the kid's tidied up. He'd been missing since January!



Cheers to you and yours~

Tasha

Ahhhh

It's nearing the end of what has felt like a very long week! A few hours of work today, and then I plan to vegetate if possible for the remainder of the weekend. Life's been busy, but oddly enough that translates into nothing at all to write about. I don't think you want to hear about my Leadership Training class, my exciting conference call at work, or the new job I'm putting in for. So instead, how about this:

This little beauty has popped up for the past two summers in the horrible mess that is my backyard. I consider it my little tenacious beauty in a sea of tangle. It is actually growing through the branches of an overgrown bush that is taking up half of my little yard, so these flowers are pretty leggy to pop up and bloom over the other stuff, but bloom they do. Believe it or not in Alaska I had an amazing yard in which I new the name (common AND latin) of every single plant in my care. That my friends, is the difference between owning and renting. I owned in Alaska, I rent here in Pleasantville. And methinks they will be doing something heinous to my humble rented abode come fall, because last year they only let us renew our lease for 10 months. So come September I will not be surprised if our humbleville homes become just a distant memory.

Another day in Pleasantville. Have a wonderful weekend friends!

~Tasha

Words of Wisdom

This bit of wisdom is the quote I chose tonight for the newest QQ I've been working on... so chosen after a conversation with my friend Jennifer Jo, who is debating on opening her own Etsy shop. I won't "out" our conversation here (THIS time), but suffice it to say it was weighing on my mind while searching for the quote to end all quotes.

The quote was especially perfect because I did the lettering on my sewing machine, and I needed the quote to be short so I would have time to catch the American Idol finale. Oh yes, sometimes art can be influenced by dark and evil forces.

Please don't hold it against me.

The Honest Truth

I have been beside myself with pride since I read the world famous dottie angel blog last night and saw that Tif called me an angel of the Hidden variety (don't laugh Mom). The guilt started to creep in this morning though, when I realized that I'm a bit of a fraud really, not able to handle this balancing act at all very well. Lest anyone get the mental picture that I float around my perfectly clean house in my spotless apron carrying a feather duster before sitting down to my meticulously organized sewing table and running the machine while the birds chirp at my shoulder, then pulling my perfectly ironed work clothes out of my well organized closet before magically floating off to work to save the world in my electric car. I feel it necessary to burst your bubble, and paint a more accurate picture.

I'm writing this in a hurry so I won't be late for work (I have to leave in 8 minutes), I'm half-dressed, my hair's tied in a knot on my head, and my pants are in the dryer to get the wrinkles out. I spent this weekend working feverishly at the laundry so I felt like I was accomplishing something domestic while simultaneously making 4 more Qubicle Quilts for Etsy. Said clean laundry is currently in a pile on the couch in the living room that I affectionately call "laundry mountain". I live in fear (I said it before, but it's honestly true) of unannounced guests, and have been known to shove dirty pans in the oven for the illusion of cleanliness. I haven't brushed my teeth yet today (I will), but I've put a new item on etsy and now posted on my blog. Priorities!

Going, Going, Gone!

I am proud to announce that yesterday I sold my first Qubicle Quilt on Etsy.com to my dear and wonderful friend Jennifer Jo, who I have not seen in far too long. It was only after I got the Etsy notice of sale that I panicked just a bit, realizing that I only had a vague idea of what steps were to come next. I felt like I did the time I tried skydiving, and had to talk out loud to myself so as to not lose all sanity. So in regards to the etsy sale, I think this first one is a little clumsy, and I'm hopeful that Jennifer will be a bit more forgiving than a complete stranger would. The first thing I did when I woke up this morning, was to rush out and buy everything I felt a good package from etsy should have.

I think I may have overthought it just a tad.

Us self-taught artsy types try a bit too hard to impress, don't you think?

So I forgot to send a personal thank you to my friend I haven't seen for years, who convinced me to get on Etsy, who was my first actual sale... but I hope she'll notice the box has fancy tape.

*******************************************************

Another rainy day in Pleasantville, but Boo had a great soccer game, after which the kid-dos blew bubbles in between raindrops. Have I mentioned that I have the best kids in the world?

I finally caught a picture of these two walking home from the busstop

Some days I feel like the luckiest Babe in the world...

~Tasha

My Sister

I advised my family that it was in their best interest to read my blog regularly so they could know what was being said about them. It was pointed out by my one and only sister, that I've said plenty about Mom and Travis and nothing at all about her. So here goes...

I have only one sibling, and that's Heather. She's a touch of crazy like Mom and I, but she's always game for any wackiness. I don't see her as often as I like because she's always working, but I love and appreciate her just the same. She's doing what we're all doing, which is trying to be the best friend, person, and Mom she can be.

Life with a Comedian part 3

Most people assume that the biggest thing to worry about when living with a comedian is that all your dirty laundry is aired on stage. Not true actually, I've found that I have quite the opposite problem. I've been with the guy almost two full years, and our home life is virtually non-existent on stage. Not that there isn't plenty he could talk about, it's just not the type of comedy he does. Instead, my influence on his comedy shows up in tiny almost non-existent ways. Since that's all I have, I'll tell you what I mean. (And then you can tell me if these type of conversations wouldn't drive a normal person insane)

Trav: So I tried the gas joke last night but it didn't work because I said "eleven dollars a loaf" and I had already used eleven earlier as the price per barrel. I need to think of a different funny number.

Tasha (after actually thinking through about twenty numbers): Hmm. How about seven?

Trav: Seven might work. I wonder if seven would work there. Seven a loaf. It could be funny. I don't know, what do you think, "Seven a loaf", it could work, do you think?

Tasha: That's why I said it pretty much...

Fast forward three days later. I'm in the shower, and this conversation has long left my mind.

Trav: Seven worked.

Tasha: Huh? (Eyes filling with soap)

Trav: The number. Seven. The bread. It worked.

Tasha: (Thinking about seven grain bread) HUH?

Trav: THE JOKE WORKED!

Tasha: Oh. Good Baby (washing the soap out of my eyes and thinking I am SO going to blog about this conversation).

I suspect, and this may be mostly from my experience watching the Cosby Show, but I suspect that there are much more riveting conversations happening in other households.

In the News

I'm not typically one to gripe about the news (anymore), since I'm trying hard to stop complaining about things and to be a positive person. It's hard when you're linked to a guy who questions things for a living though, and we often find ourselves in some pretty heated political discussions. I do have to talk about the latest thing, because I've been following it for a few days and my jaw keeps dropping lower and lower.

It starts when the Mom of a 3 year old decides to go clubbing in downtown Seattle with a friend, but can't find a babysitter. She brings junior along, and leaves him in the car while in the club. Junior is found after midnight wandering around a parking lot in downtown Seattle.

The police take the kid into custody, then a few days later give him back.

Before the kid was given back to Mommie Dearest, Trav asked me if I felt sorry for her. The conversation lasted about 5 minutes, in which he asked me 10 different ways if I didn't feel at least the eensiest bit sorry for her, and which my answer every time was a resounding, certain "no!". I honestly don't believe every person has it all cut out to be a great parent, and I think the kids in their care are having a great disservice done to them by remaining in their care. Apparently I'm in the minority though, because the latest article in the paper is loaded with reasons as to why we should feel sorry for her. "Everyone makes mistakes" would not be a good defense if the kid had not turned out okay, am I right?

***Stepping off my soapbox now***

O Sleepy Day

I'm feeling a bit sleepy today, looking forward to a long day of work and PTSA meeting and getting home after 9pm. There will be no time for creating tonight my little chickadees, not if logic wins out. My house is suffering beyond all reason, and at this point we have to bar the door from anyone enterting. There are times when I feel spread a little more thinly than others, and whenever I'm at home the state of the house slaps me in the face with it's dirtiness, and screams at me that I've abandoned it. The kiddos are happy and well adjusted though, it's just the house that holds everything against me. Oh yes, I one day dream of hiring a maid. And then I wake up and realize that everyone cleans before the maid comes, and what I really need is an intervention.

-Tasha

Oh Sunny Day!

It's only a little after 7 a.m. here in Pleasantville, and already it's looking like it will be another warm one. Yesterday I had the pleasure of sitting in an open tent on the banks of Lake Washington to attend a meeting. Can you imagine the fortune in that? Listening to some speakers from the state legislature while hearing the water lapping at the dock. The sun was out, the birds were chirping, and dessert was carrot cake. It doesn't get much better than that in the course of a normal day-job workday, it really doesn't.

So I'm up bright and early to list this girl on Etsy:



Her name is Knottie Esther, and she's quite the beauty. Check out more pics and her description here.



I have a fabulous lunch date scheduled for today; I'm going to be meeting up with Tif of dottie angel to give her some slips I found over Mother's Day for her. Tif has been cranking out the most gorgeous customized slips in the free world, but has virtually exhausted the local supply, and finds herself having to travel farther and farther to find fresh lovelies to beautify. I'm looking forward to the lunch just because Tif is such great company, and a great person to share ideas with.


By the way, while at Mom's this weekend I was able to take a picture of one of the Qubicle Quilts That Got Away. When Mommie the Dearest gets them, she usually snatches them up before I can label, sign, name, and photograph them. So this one has no name, but the quote on it reads

"I am thankful for laughter... Except when milk comes out of my nose." - Woody Allen

Truthfully Mumsie was owed the quilt, because the picture actually came from a wonderful jacket she found at her local thrift store and felt was perfect for daughter number 1 (that's me) to chop up in the name of art. Aren't Moms great?

Time to get ready for the day job. Until next time, here's another great (future Qubicle Quilt) quote:

"Do what you love, love what you do, leave the world a better place and don't
pick your nose. " - Jeff Mallett

- Tasha

Mother's Day in Skagit County

A few years ago my Mom bought a house in a town different from the one I grew up in, and moved away. It was more traumatic for me at the time because I was living in Anchorage, Alaska, and when one leaves home one prefers the things at home to stay the same. I shouldn't have been surprised that Mom moved away, since by my count we moved 13 times from my birth through my graduation from high school. I think we moved again the month after I graduated, but I digress.

The house Mom lives in now is perfect, everything she ever dreamed of when I was growing up. It was built in 1905 by a single woman (I believe they called them "Spinsters" back then) who made hats for a living. When times were tough she would wall off a room in the house and rent it out to a boarder. Apparently times were tough. When the owners previous to my Mom bought the house to restore it, every room was walled off. One of the boarders had taken the support beams from the basement to use for firewood at some point, so the house has a quaint little slope on the inside. That's exactly the way Mom likes it.





It's been my Mom's lifelong dream to be an eccentric old woman, and I think she's off to a good start. She started liking cats last year after saying she hated them my entire life, so now she has three cats. She collects clocks that don't work, keys that don't go to anything, and she likes to hang pictures of people on the wall that we don't know, and give them names like they're family (Aunt Theodosia and Cousin Bartholomew anyone?).





Who wouldn't absolutely adore having a Mom like that?

~Tasha

The Process of Art

Dear Hear,

Why are things that are handmade so expensive?

Sincerely,
Imaginary Reader


Well Imaginary, there's a lot that goes into handmade items of all types. And if you aren't familiar with the processes that created the item you're appreciating, you may not fully fathom the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making that little lovely you admire. Handcrafted items aren't mass produced in large factories by the thousands, they're designed, created, marketed, sold, and shipped by the artists that made them. We aren't doing this for profit, we're doing it because we found something that we love to do.

So now, a brief tutorial describing the creation of my newest Qubicle Quilt (tm) "Symphonic Gift".

After piecing together the top of the quilt by machine, the fabrics for the binding (the material that covers the edges of the quilt) are "auditioned". For this quilt, I decided to piece together some fabrics that were used in the top to add interest. To piece a binding, you must sew rows of strips together, like this:















Then the strips are cut vertically, into 3 inch wide strips and sewn together like this:

Everything is ironed between each step, and ultimately sewn to the quilt with a combination of machine stitching (to attach it to the front) and hand-sewing to attach it to the back.







The hand sewing creates a clean line without showing unnecessary sewing lines on the face of the quilt. This is only one step in the creation of a Qubicle Quilt, and it can take a few hours. But in the end, I hope you'll agree with me that the resulting item is beautiful and inspirational, and well worth it!

Happy Mother's Day!

What can I say to honor the woman that gave me life? I'm sorry for what a horrible teenager I was, I appreciate all the sacrifices you made for us, and the sacrifices you continue to make for us, the years of worry, the early mornings, the late nights, the burnt toast, unplanned "projects" (painting the cabinets), getting lost in the grocery store, "borrowing" the car, sneaking your clothes, getting arrested, and being a snot. I love you for letting me live, I didn't always deserve it.

Children are a great comfort in your old age - and they help you reach it faster, too. ~Lionel Kauffman

And to my own children, who are truly my reason for everything I do; please never be the kid I was. But even if you end up being like that, know that I will love you unconditionally always and forever. "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my babies you'll be".

Cheers to you and yours. If you're a mother, be the best you can be. If you're a Dad, appreciate your mother and the mother of your kids, even if you don't always like one or both.

-Tasha

Comedian Facts part 2

I'd like to take a moment of your time to talk about the underserved segment of our population, the struggling comedian. For the purposes of this discussion, let's define "struggling" as any comedian who has not yet been the voice of a character in a Disney cartoon, and must still actually work for a living. These are the people who go out on the road whenever possible, and aren't stationed at studio city where they can film their own weekly television show.

Something you may not know about those guys you see at your local comedy club - they have no union. Actors have a union, but most of these folks are comedians not actors. I think models have a union, even strippers have a union. Now I don't want to debate the merits of unions as an entity in the workforce, but I have to acknowledge that there are in fact some perks that come along with membership in an organization that will go to bat for your profession. Like getting paid for your work. Here's how it works for comedians for the most part: When you're starting out you mostly perform at Open Mics at your local comedy club. As you get better, they might give you a five minute set on a night people have paid to watch comedians. As you move up the ladder, you can start doing Feature gigs which are about 30-40 minutes. The guy whose performance is actually advertised and who performs last, usually for at least an hour, is the Headliner. The Headliner is usually paid, the Feature is mostly paid, and the other guy is almost never paid. So that's Comedy 101.

Now for the nitty gritty, the nuts and bolts. A struggling comedian never knows when he'll be paid for his work. Many times it's cash or a check on the night of the show, but also as often it can be an "I'll mail the check to ya". We've waited as long as two months for a check, and only got it because we kept calling. That wouldn't be too bad if the gigs in questions were performed right next door, but they aren't. Usually there's a great deal of travel involved in the life of a struggling comedian, and the struggling comedian should take as many jobs as are offered so that they may "hone their chops" so to say. (That means practice. Comedy takes lots of practice). So the comedian is driving many hours to get to a gig, sometimes in dangerous conditions, and he may not get paid when he gets there. Sometimes they drive the hours, and perform as requested, and get paid less than promised. If the club owner or promoter didn't bring enough people into the club, they will pay the wait staff, but not the comedian.

Now I know I promised that I wouldn't be talking about special causes today, but I think this is different. I mean, what would we do without laughter? Mark Twain (a very smart man) said "The only effective weapon is laughter". He knew what he was talking about! So go support your local comedy. Find out where the struggling comedians (which are quite often very good) are, and support them. And if you think they were great, please for the love of god don't just buy them a drink. It's a great gesture I assure you, but these guys already have to drive home in the middle of the night. Tip them! Buy what they're selling if they're lucky enough to have a DVD or a t-shirt to sell. Give them gas money, or a box of macaroni and cheese! Oh yes, hear my call. Tell everyone around you how funny they are, blog about them, get their names out there. You too can be a comedic supporter!

Thank you, and I think I'll go rest now.

-Tasha

Oh yes, and if you want to hear some Travis Simmons comedy (shameless plug) go here: funny4food on youtube or here: funny4food on myspace. Careful, there's "language"...

What Would You Do...

How does that quote go... "What would you do if you knew you could not fail?". This question is everywhere these days, and yet I still think not enough people know the answer. What does it mean to be living your Best Life, to be your Personal Best, to Live Life as though you had wings? What would you do with your life if money wasn't an issue?

Let's see... for me if I could not fail I would open my own shop filled with lovely things made by female artists from all over the world. But if money wasn't an issue what would I do with my life?

I want to change the world. There are so many great ideas out there for changing the world in small ways, and I'm living my life with the hope that one day soon I will be one of the people that helps change the world, in whatever small way I can. Here's an organization that I think any woman trying to make a business for herself in a stable country can support: Women For Women International. You can sponsor a woman who has been affected by war, buy items from their store, donate money or time, do whatever it takes. As Ghandi once said "Be the change you wish to see in the world".

For Christmas this past year we sponsored a child each in the names of Boo and Travelous through Plan USA, and bought bees in Baby's name through Heifer International. Very small contributions in the greater scope of things, but how priceless is this letter that Boo wrote to her sponsored child from Pakistan, Rakhel:

Okay, I'm off my soap box now. I promise next time will be about something different!

-Tasha

Don't Know Much About...

I really don't know anything about blogs. I read one once, and it was so riveting I spent all of my spare time going back through the archives so I didn't miss a single thing. It was written by a woman named Sage and her partner Todd (I think), who had taken their son and gone into the woods to live in a yurt. At the time I was fascinated by the idea, having once been a girl who dreamed (in the mid '90's) of buying an old VW bus and living life on the road.

The point I'm trying to make though, is that I was moved by that blog. I wanted to immerse myself in their life, and learn everything I could about them. That was the last blog I read, and that was about 5 years ago.

When friend and artist Tif recommended that I get a blog I figured it would be easy as pie, yah. I started reading her blog and realized that I really looked forward to reading it, and I thought it would be a piece of cake. The piece that I missed I guess, is that both Tif and the yurt dwellers have something to talk about. Tif has a great business that is doing fabulously well (dottie angel), and she writes with a british accent. I don't care who you are, anything sounds better with a british accent. I tried to write with a british accent but it sounded a little too much like Dick VanDyke in Mary Poppins. It was bad.

So I'm having to come to terms with the fact that my life is boring, and I don't know what to do about it. That news is harder to take than turning 30, and that can be pretty hard if you know what I mean. I'm basically a soccer mom, except I'm usually at work when Boo has games so Travelous usually takes her. I think that pretty much makes me a bad soccer mom by definition. I drive an SUV, but since we only have one car it's usually Travelous that's driving it. Besides, I hate that darn thing and YEARN for a cute little hybrid that doesn't demand 2 tanks of gas a week at $75 bucks each. But I digress...
I have that business of mine, but it's in transition right now. I've spent so many years not talking about Hear Me Roar, that I'm afraid I might have forgotten how to roar. Any advice out there????! I mean, from most of my "research" in the last couple of days there are two types of blogs out there - the good ones, and the ones where people talk too much about their cats. I don't even have any cats, so I better step it up a notch!
Regards (british accent),
Tasha

Etsy again

I think I'm becoming obsessed with etsy.com. I find myself going there for no good reason and looking at people's sites, even though the last thing in the world that I have right now is actual dollars to support other people's art. You see, that's where the karma is supposed to come in; once my art starts making money I can send that money out into the world for other people. So in essence, I'm not really being greedy or selfish, because I want to do enough good in the world that I'm really more of a conduit. You know, as the wise man Tom Robbins (the best writer in the whole wide world) once wrote, "Human beings were invented by water as a device for transporting itself from one place to another". I don't know what the quote has to do with the money thing, but I'm sure that someone who isn't supposed to be making a gift for her mother right now can make a very worthwhile connection.

Mum's Day

I had fantasies of making something for my Mom for Mother's Day tonight, but in a misguided attempt to share some couch time before bed with my kiddos, I became sucked into American Idol and then not one, but TWO (gasp!) episodes of Flavor of Love Girls Charm School. Oh yes, I know enough that I should be embarrassed at watching this dreck, but I can't help it 'cuz it's like a train wreck only (usually) without the blood. I guess we all have our guilty pleasures, I'd just like to know something worse than hearing "I'm not too little not to grow. 'We' equals Me. Thank you". What does that sentence even mean?!

Grrrr...

I'm on Etsy!

Getting everything ready and set up took me a tad bit longer than I thought it would, but I've worked my tired little fingers to the bone and I now feel immensely proud of my new baby, the Hear Me Roar store on Etsy.com. PLEASE check it out and let me know what you think, because I need some of that acknowledgement and acceptance!

By the way, I took one of those online quizzes that have become so prevalent and meaningless ("Which 'Friend' are you" anyone?), but I thought this one was a little better. Check this out: Which Book Are You?

>
>You're Siddhartha!
by Hermann Hesse
You simply don't know what to believe, but you're willing to tryanything once. Western values, Eastern values, hedonism and minimalism, you've spent some time in every camp. But you still don't have any idea what camp you belong in.This makes you an individualist of the highest order, but also really lonely. It'stime to chill out under a tree. And realize that at least you believe in fairies.
Take the http://bluepyramid.org/ia/bquiz.htm">Book Quiz at the http://bluepyramid.org">Blue Pyramid.

Countdown to Etsy!

I have 12 scarves, one finished Qubicle Quilt, and 5 unfinished Qubicle Quilts to sew through the night to post on Etsy.com tomorrow. Why? Because I work best when I set artificial and arbitrary deadlines for myself. That, and I'm a dork. No one is waiting for me to post my wares so they can snatch them up before someone else gets them, yet oddly enough I still feel like it's a race to the finish line. Like I said, I'm a dork. Here's the pile for Etsy. You can't see because they're on the bottom, but the Qubicle Quilts are about 2% done. I have a lot of work to do!

And the award for best supporting cast goes to...

I had an epiphany last night brought to me by my long time friend Jennifer Jo, whose presence in my life can be traced back to the summer before my senior year in high school, but who I haven't seen in WAY too long. Jennifer Jo e-mailed me to say the following: "Hey sistah! Frigging A....put your one completed item on etsy and start there - you are wasting time and losing money...............You don't need to have a certain amount to open shop.....Come on TashaJo, maybe someone wants something NOW....So glad to see your site...will be following along and directing traffic there."

So I guess that's what I'll do. I will post whatever I've finished on Sunday, the next time I believe I'll have any real free computer time. That gives me most of Saturday afternoon (AFTER I walk in the March of Dimes Walk America with a team from work) to increase my inventory so I have more than one thing to post. Yeay!

So the e-mail above started me thinking about how many people have been there for me throughout my creative pursuits. I've had some ups and downs, and the batch of Qubicle Quilts I mailed off this weekend was the first package I've sent to Half Moon Creek since December 1st. Now intuitively I know that I can't make money unless I make things and have them for sale, but sometimes you just get in a funk and can't spit anything out. But I've had some great people tell me to snap out of it, and I want to thank them. My Mom, who has been my greatest supporter since the very beginning - giving me her old sewing machine 7 or 8 years ago, and recently replacing it when it finally went kaput. As Tif (www.dottieangel.com) said, "That's what Mum's do". And thank goodness Mom and I have mostly the same taste in material, or I wouldn't have benefitted half as much from her Quilt Store addiction. I have enough to create with for years to come, so I'm glad she lets me make stuff for her once in awhile too. I want to thank my friend Laura, for reminding me to figure out what I want to do with my life (in conjunction with the quote on that Starbucks cup). I'm also grateful for my new friend Tif, for wandering in front of me at the right time in my life. She's been the one showing me how to work my way around the excuses I've been using for so long, and she does it in this great and gentle way. Of course I also owe a ton to Travis and the kids, who eat Macaroni and Cheese way more often than they should, suffer an often distracted mama, and still give me hugs and kisses whenever I really really need them. This is what life's all about!

The current goal (which I give myself the power to change later if I want to) for the number of Qubicle Quilts that needed to be completed before listing on Etsy.com is 15. Of which I have currently completed.... one. But I consider this one to be QUITE the beauty, so I'm not about to beat myself up about it. Here it is, front and back (minus the officially sanctioned Hear Me Roar label), in all of its glory:

The quote on this one "The person who can bring the spirit of laughter into a room is indeed blessed" by Bennett Cerf. The theme of laughter in my Qubicle Quilts is a recurring one, and for those who don't know me, let me explain why.

I have the wonderful fortune to share my life with the best of bunkmates, my amazing Travis. This marvelous man has chosen as his "day job" (which is at night), that of a stand-up Comedian (with a capital 'C'). I will write in more depth on future entries about what living with a comedian is like, but let me just introduce the concept the way it was introduced to me in our early getting-to-know-you conversations.

He: Well you know, I don't plan on ever getting married, and serious relationships have always been hard for me

She: Oh, okay... well why are they hard for you? (Smart question for a woman to ask don't you think?)

He: Because I'm a comedian, and that will always be my first love.

At the time that was fine with me. I mean, aren't men usually the best judges of whether they're unfit for human consumption? But still I sensed the man had a heart of gold. After all, he helped me move after only knowing me a month.

To be with a comedian means spending most nights alone. If he's touring nationally, of course you can spend weeks alone. Comedians don't want to talk about anything that does not involve one of their jokes before a show or after a show, which is the only time you'll see them. Comedians eat, sleep, and breathe comedy, but they're not always going to laugh at your jokes. Comedians like to analyze That Which Is Funny, and mine the minutiae of your everyday life for material. This analysis is not to be confused with actual listening, as that's a separate and rare thing entirely. Comedians live to talk to other comedians, so having a cell phone as their only means of communication is a bad idea. Give them walkie talkies, sky-writers, a staff of translators, carrier pigeons, Pony Express Riders, bicycle couriers, Blackberrys, Sidekicks, Helios (which is not a phone), so they can constantly be communicating with other comedians. If they're not talking to other comedians, they will want to talk to every person in the grocery store, or the post office, or the gynecologist's office. If you're with a comedian, you will no longer "blend".

But for all of these quirks I am honest when I say I am with the most wonderful man in the world. For every wacky conspiracy theory he has that makes me batty, we have a hundred small conversations about real things that matter in the world where he's used his analytical mind to break the topic down to the basics, and then made me laugh. About Don Imus: "It didn't matter WHAT he said, it mattered WHO he said it to. If he'd called the girls on Flavor of Love 'Nappy Headed Hos' he would have had a high five from Jessie Jackson himself!" Now how many women get that kind of commentary with their morning coffee? Yes, being with a comedian is certainly a challege. But this man is a great one, and I can take any challenge head on. Hear Me Roar!