Maneki Nikkou

DUI from Low Carb?

2007-07-19T21:48:00.000-06:00

It turns out your body can produce a form of alcohol when in ketosis according to this LLVLC article. They indicate that requesting a blood test will put you in the clear, and I’m sure the roadside law enforcement officer will take kindly to you denying his breathalizer request.

Note to self: practice saying ABC’s backwards, hopping on one foot, and not dropping the soap.

How To Find a Human

2007-06-11T04:16:00.000-06:00

check out www.gethuman.com/ for getting ahold of a living, breatheing employee when calling certain major companies :]

Hand Me My Knitting

2007-06-07T17:58:00.000-06:00

last night dh and i were sitting in bed... him playing a video game and me twidling my thumbs, being completely bored and trying to figure out what to do.

hmmmmmm.......ah ha!!! i know... i'll KNIT!!!!

so i asked dh if he would hand me my knitting. mechanically rising from his side of the bed he kindly goes to fetch my knitting. when he returns he says to me,

"you are the only woman i have ever known who asks me to fetch her knitting and i bring her garbage bags!!!"

Drumroll please......

2007-06-02T16:24:00.000-06:00

..... and the winner is.......
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VIOLET!!!!!!
way to go vi!!!! when you guessed crazy patchwork (i.e. not squares), you were the closest. i think you were the closest to hit the mark because making a soccer ball is alot like doing patchwork.... i'll send out your prize as soon as possible :]

my WIP was a soccer ball! :] it was a gift for ds's coach....

My Mother's Day Haul

2007-05-23T10:28:00.000-06:00

since i can't exactly enter into the CM competition that i'm offering up a prize for, i thought that the next best thing is to share with you the gifts i received from my boys this mother's day here ... in my blog

the boys did WONDERFULLY this year!!! ...although i do suspect they had a bit of dad's help and gentle reminders of what exactly mommy would want. ds 8yo thinks that everyone should like pokemon and yugioh, and ofcourse slime and guts :P ... we've tried reasoning with him and telling him that it's just not the case... we go through this every single time there's a birthday or any other gift-giving occasion. whether it be girl or boy... man or woman... ds, when asked, will say, 'i think so and so would like to have a screaming death ninja mutant, complete with tank gun, monster breath, pokeballs, poison gas -i.e. farts-... and ofcourse don't forget about the boogers!!'

so ... dad took them to the store, and dad must have reminded them that mommy had been talking about wanting an herb garden. so... here you have it....my mother's day haul :]

to the right there is the box which contained all the supplies i needed to make an herb garden.... a mini spade, 4 mini clay pots (which, as you can see, didn't get used), seeds for Basil, Parsley, Thyme, & Corriander... it also came with a very interesting how to book with all kinds of neat techniques that i'll probably never use.... then again.... who knows...
... if you look closely you will see my WIP in the box now....
~~to the person who can guess most closely what i am making, go the spoils (keep reading ;] )~~
here's my indoor herb garden. the best part of my mother's day was getting to do this project with the kids. they went outside and dug up all of the dirt while i prepared the self-watering garden (the tute for this i'll have to edit the link in for later... it was from one hour craft ***editing in the link: http://www.onehourcraft.com/?p=470 ***). then i went outside with the kids and helped them prepare the soil. i told them all about how the nutrients in the soil feeds the plants. which totally baffled them.... they couldn't believe that plants would actually 'EAT dirt!!!! .... ewwwwww!!!!!!', they said. to which i replied, 'they don't actually EAT it persay. more or less they ABSORB it, and USE it. but there are things that do EAT soil and dirt. earthworms live in the soil and they eat the soil, digest it and naturally dispose of it (alot like we do when we eat). the digestive system of an earthworm contributes 99% of nutrients in the earth's topsoil, and the rest comes from decaying things like dead plants and animals.' to this explanation, more "ewwwwwwwws" and "groooooooooosssssses" were heard (strange that they would find this gross... considering that they normally like to torture me with all kinds of grotesque things). so i said to them, 'yes, but adding a few earthworms to our soil will be excellent for these herbs.' and i asked them to dig for some worms....
the great and wonderful thing about oppurtunities like this with your kids is that, they learn and they don't even know it!!!!! :]

also... you'll notice in the pic up there are some veg cans with stickers all over them. these are my 'watering cans' :]
the boys got into my reward stickers (there's one up there that says 'bright student') which is okay because i feel like they do teach me so much. when you have your first child, you imagine it will be a wonderful oppurtunity for you to be a teacher... but this assumption is WRONG!!!!! you do get your fair share of teaching... but it's not about the teaching, it's about the learning too... and the lessons, they have been many. to think that they find me to be a 'bright student' is very gratifying.... although i don't think they thought of it that way. all the same, it means alot to me... and i love and cherish my watering cans :]

and 3 days later... we have sprouts!!!!!!
now i just need a pestal and mortar :]

~~ COMPETITION~~
in the first picture above, the one who more closely identifies the WIP inside will receive a prize! (sorry... CM contestants with a 30 post minimum only). click on that WIP picture above to see more clearly. the prize you will be receiving is a close example of the choker i made for my mum for mother's day, so i guess you can say that this post is all about mum's day! :] although........ *hint hint* the competition answer has nothing to do with it......

~~THE PRIZE~~
a hand-knotted (by me :] ) hemp cord choker with black pony beads and a pewter kanji symbol (meaning 'friend') as the center pendant. actual knotted design measures 13 inches, with a total possible length of 20 inches.

**Competition closes next Saturday, June 2nd... or when i post a pic of my completed WIP... you may keep guessing until i post a pic and the winner... you may guess more than once :] **

Happy Birthday Jack!!!

2007-05-10T21:47:00.000-06:00

today was my FIL's bday.... he's really been into the NBA playoffs (our team was in it at the beginning so he was really hyped.... til they fell out of the running), so i wanted to make him something he'd like.... he's one of those tough characters to figure out. do y'know the kind? ya never really know what he likes cuz he can't figure it out himself and whatever he wants, chances are he's already gotten it for himself on a whim... anyway, here's the cake i made him :]

mmmmmmmmmm...................caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaakkkke

hmmm.... seems an awfully long way to that goal from here, eh?

so..... can you figure out how old he is?? hint: he's not 440 yrs. old... that's what ds said with the most intense incredulity, "what?!?!?!?!? 440?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!Pops is OOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!"

up for grabs :]

2007-05-09T10:12:00.000-06:00

over at Crafty Mamas ( http://www.craftymamas.net ), i'm offering up this month's competition prize.... a backpack!!! this one has a more feminine touch ofcourse. my ds actually picked out the fabric... doesn't he have such nice taste? :]

you can head on over to CM to have your chance at this prize.... the theme is Mother's Day Crafts. show us what you've got on the go for mum and who knows, maybe you'll win!!

Tripp Magick

2007-05-08T07:47:00.000-06:00

Tripp brand pants are famous for having lots of zippers, chains, belts, and a general variety of gaudy, unneccesary metal do-dads and gadgets attached to them..... and.... since mama was in need of a zipper, and no way to the store, Tripp sacrificed itself for the greater good: mama's creativity!!!

Everything else was still intact, though.......So!!!!!... Up for sale is this skirt which was reconned from the remainder of that pair of size 1 Tripp pants :]

$25 USD + S&H
Please contact me for details: tomcat_angel@yahoo.com

CM keychain swap

2007-03-14T10:25:00.000-06:00

last night the lovely cinnamum at CM prompts me to check my mail, and nestled there between some sale papers, was a small package....

it's from justinamaria!!!

let's open it together!!!

isn't it so lovely!!! it's the keychain from february's keychain swap!!! she did such a wonderful job on mine!! i love the fabrics she chose for it! and it's going to be very useful! thank you so much justina!! i hope you like mine as much as i like yours :)

Skateboard Backpack

2007-03-11T20:15:00.000-06:00

just thought i'd pop a picture up here of the backpack i made for my dh....this particular one's designed to carry a skateboard vertically and the idea for it came from pure neccesity. when your car is broken down (and i don't care what law enforcement officials say about it!!!!), a skateboard is a very reliable means of transportation!!! :]

i can make others with different features, and now i am taking custom orders. price may vary depending on design...starts at $40 USD. please email me your interests for a custom order. tomcat_angel@yahoo.com payments are secure through paypal email.

*editing to add pic with skateboard actually IN the backpack :]

recipes, recipes, recipes :)

2007-03-11T18:55:00.000-06:00

okay, first official post here!!!!
-been working on feburary's recipe card swap at Crafty Mamas and i FINALLY got them done.... Whew!!! i really enjoyed making the cards for this swap and i'll be posting pics of 'em here once everyone receives them :)

*editing to add pics*

(click on these pics to get a bigger image.. that way you can actually read/see properly :] )

-also, i finished up the keychain for justinamaria for feb's keychain swap @ CM... hope she likes it!! also i'll post pics once i receive word that they've reached their destination :)

*editing to add pics* :]
here's the matching knitted bracelet i made for justina. sorry it's not such a good pic.... it's the only one i took b4 i sent it off. note to self: make sure that pics turn out well b4 sealing subject in an envelop to be shipped overseas ...

and a better pic of the keychain ... notice... i am actually wearing fingernail polish ... this is RARE!!! :]

hello :)

2007-03-03T23:17:00.000-06:00

hi! and welcome to my blog!
here i will try to keep a record of the crafty things that i am apt to be making every once in a while... sometimes items may come up for sale here also... so keep an close eye out for those things ;)
this is my very first attempt at blogging so please bear with me as i try to figure all this stuff out :) i'll have some content in here soon