change.

i'm back in school. lil miss starts school on tuesday.
i can feel the seasons change. it'll be fall soon.
i started going thru my storage. it's time to release the old and i'm ready.
my face is breaking out sumthin awful. it's never been this bad before.
maybe it's time for that detox i've been talking about forever.

the last few weeks have been one of inner reflection. a lot of changes need to happen. i've always known it, but wasn't ready to face it. i am now.

i hope you all have a great weekend.
remember to take care of yourself.

dude. i need a vacation.

i'm draggin ass this morning and it's probably because i haven't done any yoga in a few days. i finally got all of my paperwork for school turned in so i'm registered now (transferring to a new school). lil miss will be registered today. i hope she has a good day since she got four shots (two in each leg) yesterday. she's getting so big and soon she won't want me to walk her to class (ive been thru that with babygirl already. it was horrible).

for now, i'm going to get into the shower and dream about being on a tropical island. maybe that'll wake me up?

i'm still on the apartment hunt. *sigh*

school is starting in a few weeks for me and lil miss. my baby's going to kindegarten. it will be a new chapter for both of us. i will probably go underground until i'm finished with these classes. who knows. through it all, i know i gotta maintain a routine. a routine that include eating well, exercising, and getting enough rest.

i've been getting up the last four days and working on my sun salutations. it's doing wonders for my energy in the mornings! today, someone thought i was wearing heels because i was standing taller. my body feels strong and i feel great.

more later.

listening to: liberation.outkast

i've got color schemes in my head. i'm putting madd energy out into the universe-i will get that apartment. i can't wait to decorate my new space. my office moved to a new location this week and i now have my very own office (i got a door!) to decorate. i really want to make it reflect me, but i also want it to be peaceful. it will be my refuge when folks are workin' my nerves. ha!

i just purchased some beautiful notecards from essimar. i think i will frame them and hang them up. i love her use of color (i'm not afraid of color or bold prints) and her paper animals are pretty dope too.

so i've got color schemes in my head. wool in my hands. my eyes to the stars.

goodnite.

i'm feeling extremely grateful today. the rain keeps falling so that means i will keep playing with wool.

hug someone today!

i saw an apartment today. it's a 4-plex that faces a wooded area. the owner said that they get visited by moose and even some bears (bears seem to be more and more common on my side of town). i'm very excited about that. i love my animals and i especially love nature. the apartment itself was really cute. it's a lot smaller than what i had, but i realize that i probably won't find a two bedroom apartment as big and roomy as the three bedroom i had.  plus there's nothing wrong with downsizing.  i will just have to release some stuff and that's never a bad thing.  

i was roaming etsy recently and found the perfect butterfly necklace.



it's hand-tooled leather and is made by sunny rising. please check out this sista's stuff. her flower and koi necklaces look so real. there is so much talent oozing from this woman. she also has a blog.

have a great nite.
peace.

my hands hurt. i've been knitting for the last two hours. there's a fair coming up in 3 weeks i've decided to particpate in it at the last minute. so i'm making some new stuff for it. i never feel ready for these things. even up until the few minutes the fair is open, i worry about not having enough stuff. pre-show jitters...i hate them.

anyway, the sun has been on hiatus and it really feels like we won't have a real summer. it feels like fall most days and i want to break out my scarves. but who knows, maybe our summer will start a little late and winter will be delayed? i'm just rambling. i got a lot on my brain and should probably go to bed.

my office is moving to a new space so the whole week i will be packing. we are getting friday off so the movers can come in and do their thing. my day is already planned - a massage in the morning and then the lunchtime yoga class i've been telling myself i'm going to take for months now. i may even go back to the spinning/weaving studio and buy some more roving.

well, i'm off to bed.
goodnight.

listening to: fellowship.meshell n'degeocello



so here's the fruit of my spinning labor. there are lots of thick and thin parts (which i like) and the thin parts have way too much twist in them. it's all a learning process right? i'm going to buy some more fiber so i can have enough yarn to make a neckwarmer.

not a lot is going on this weekend. i have an order to get out in the mail and i must finish the cotton scarf i've been working on for a week now.

hope your weekend is a good one.

i had an itch to spin the other day. my wheel is in storage and i couldn't find my spindle. so what did i do? i found a spinning and weaving studio and almost went nuts with all the toys and fibery goodness that was there. i was good though and only bought what i needed.

new spindle


merino roving


merino spun up


i finished spinning the merino last nite. i soaked them in warm water to set the twist. it's drying now, but when i look at it one word comes to mind, "ugly". lol. it's really not that bad. i realize that i'm a beginner and there is lots to learn. i will be paying a visit to the library to check out some books on the subject (will be watching a lot of youtube vids too).

my mama had a fish fry. the regular crew came by and spent the day with us. it was lovely. it didn't rain like the weatherman said it would. instead the clouds parted and we had lots of sun and it got really hot. my daughter said it was 75 degrees. we were all on the patio and i fell asleep on the lounger listening to my mama and her friends gossip. that type of stuff brings back childhood memories.

it was a splendid day.

i've been thinking about summer...and fall too. basically, what types of things to create for the late summer, early fall seasons.

i went to michael's and was compelled to buy crochet thread. thought a nice scarf/wrap would be nice. so i cast on 90 stitches on a size 9 needle. 20 rows into it and i'm like, "what the fuck am i doing?" it's going to take FOR. EVER. although the fabric feels absolutely amazing, i will be ripping that baby out. i will probably start over with a size 11 needle, double the thread up, and cut the amount of stitches by half.

stay tuned.

everyday i wonder how much more i can take. on most days i feel: suffocated, beat down, hopeless, tired, and unsure. but then i'll see two swallows playing with each other while in flight or hear my daughter's laugh and i feel better.

but really though. when will the financial struggle end? the next several months will prove to be difficult. i will be working my full-time job, going to school, and possibly be working a part-time job (in addition to being creative and selling my works?) now i realize there are single mamas out there doing that and then some, but i just wonder how? it seems impossible.

i'm learning to breathe. i'm taking deep breaths to help ease the panic. i'm praying. i give thanks and take time out to appreciate the things around me.

it's gonna get better. it just has to.

i don't usually watch the bet awards, but last nite i was flipping thru channels and stumbled upon it in time to see the tribute to al green.

all i gotta say is...maxwell baby, seeing you step on stage was a nice surprise. your voice still makes me weak in the knees. i love you.

i went to a consignment shop i discovered the other day and found this amazing dress. it's made in thailand and has a fabulous tulip pattern on it. i don't know what the name of this dress is called, but what i do know is...I NEED MORE OF THEM! it was love at first sight i tell ya.

i am sore. on saturday, lil miss and i participated in the alaska run for women. it's a five mile race that raises money for breast cancer research. i did it with my mom this year and was so empowered afterward. this year, i was left feeling the same way. it was cloudy and a little rainy that morning and everytime i felt like quitting a woman would walk by me with a "in memory of..." sign on her back. i'm quite astonished over how many names i saw during my walk. it's just another reminder that i need to take better care of my body. lil miss was my other motivator. that kid walked three miles on her own (i am so glad i brought the stroller). we turned the race into a nature walk by looking at flowers and identifying birds. we had a lot of fun.

my little girl is coming up on her 5th birthday. i can't believe it's been that long. it feels like she's been with me forever. we're in the middle of planning her party and when asked what she wanted she said, "first, i want a birthday cake because you have to have a birthday cake on your birthday." she went through the rest of her list and then said, "mom, i don't have much fingers to count on, do you have much fingers to count on?" she's a trip i tell ya and i love her to pieces.

i hope you all had a great weekend. and i hope you have an even better week!

it's finished.

i started a new project to get my creative juices flowing. it's called "a project a day". basically, i'm going to make one thing everyday. so far it's gotten off to a rocky start. i've made three things (one i didn't even take a picture of). i was way off track once the weekend hit. so i've started anew this week.

using what's in my stash, i made a clutch. it's not completely finished because it needs some kind of closure. i'm thinking this would be the perfect item to learn how to put a zipper in. it's been suggested that i just do some sort of button closure on it. after taking this photo, i did make a little button closure flap. will take pictures of that once i re-center it (that's what i get for sewing in the dark!). i like how it turned out.




i've been playing with my hair a lot lately. now that i finally have some length, i can do different styles. i've been wanting to curl my hair for a while now and my girl gave me the answer. lock loops.



i love them. they are easy to use and what's even better is that i can sleep on them (that's the first time that's ever happened).

more to come! peace.

this weekend was all about:

sex and the city
sweatin' on the dance floor
the oceans festival
lil miss & her new rainbow tutu
kung fu panda (it's so great!)
mimosas and sunday brunch with my girls

listening to: who's gonna save my soul.gnarls barkley

the latest gnarls barkley is so yummy. actually, cee-lo's voice is the yummy part. i love him.

i haven't been as productive as i would like. i'm still getting used to being back at home with the folks. we're all getting into a groove now, so it's not as bad as it was when we first moved in. but still, i find myself spending a lot of time in bed, staring out the window.

lil miss has been coaxing me outdoors by going on walks around the neighborhood. there's a park in the 'hood too, so i've been taking her there. the park has two large ponds and a hilly area where i used to sit and watch the sunset. there are lots of ducks and geese that hang out there so we watch them too. that's the bonus about being back at home. the 'hood hasn't changed. most of the families i grew up around are still there. however, the park is rundown and covered in bad graffiti. all in all i'm appreciative of our walks and i definitely need the exercise.

i haven't made much, but decided to make a sleeve for my laptop on saturday. it's a tad bit long, but i fixed it by folding the edge down. lil miss became immediately intrigued by it and let me know that my sleeve also works as a sleeping bag for her teddy bear. i will take pictures of it so you can see how cute it is.

i've spending a lot of time evaluating my self. wondering if i'm still battling depression (maybe a little) or if i just need to make some huge changes in my life. can depression really be beat? or will i have to deal with it for the rest of my life?

i pray all is well with those of you that come to this space.

btw - check out this happy customer

listening to: natural mystic.bob marley

new love = green smoothies

i realized after being apart of the soul veg community that i don't consume a lot of veggies (i'm a vegetarian). starches are the majority in my diet, so to add more veggies i've been experimenting with green smoothies. my green smoothies mainly consist of kale and some kind of fruit mix like pineapple-apple, strawberry-pineapple, banana-strawberry, mango-apple. i also add some protein powder (like spiru-tein), powdered spirulina, soy milk, and a little crushed ice. it has been SO good. it's filling too. when i drink a smoothie in the morning, i find that i don't run to the coffee stand for my regular chai tea and apple fritter. i've got a crazy sweet tooth y'all and i'm working on losing it.

i'm making it a point to buy more fresh vegetables though. i started making excuses for why i couldn't eat fresh veggies everyday and lack of money was always the excuse. but the truth is, it's really unexcusable not to eat foods that will benefit me. i just have to make a few adjustments to my budget so i can buy my yummy kale (i love my greens!) on a weekly basis.

enjoy the day!