| I'm at least 10 kinds of distracted today ... and I have no clue why. Well, maybe. I'm waiting for an email back from a friend who asked to talk about something. I don't expect them to rush and I know I need to buckle down and concentrate on things until they contact me but ... gah.
I'm bouncing between a rainbow dreamcatcher, facebook, LJ Idol posts, emails, and half a dozen projects I want to start working on. Working out didn't help me focus either. *laugh*
Anybody want to tie me down? | |
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| Because invariably when I'm asked what I'd like for my birthday I freeze up and forget everything I know, I'm making a list. I don't expect anything from my friends as I know life is rough all the time. But, some have asked and there are things that I would like, so this should make it easier on all involved. If you happen to have any of this just gathering dust I'd be thrilled to give it a good home. Really though? I'd love cards from those who care. Cards are awesome. If you need an address you can either contact Lynn via his ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) apisanthrop account or check here. 1. Hard Drive: This can be a number of diffferent options. I have an enclosure to make a laptop drive into an external, an actual external would be awesome, but missing all that an internal drive with an IDE would be just fine too. I really need more than 40gig but mostly I just need a place to start building up my music collection again after a storm wiped it all out. 2. Books: There really is no such thing as too many books and while I do want them all I have been working on getting a few certain ones. Storm Rising by Mercedes Lackey, Owlknight by Mercedes Lackey, Exile's Honor by Mercedes Lacky to finish off a couple of sets. Dragons of Autumn Twilight and Dragons of Winter Night by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman to replace those stolen from me. Paperback is actually preferred to match in with the rest of the series. 3. Socks: I love, love socks. I love funky fun socks that have cute things on them. I'm not huge on pink but black, blue, and purple are always in my wardrobe. I have lots of fuzzy socks for cool days but I could use more fun socks to wear when we're out and about. 4. Wii Games: I adore our Lego Star Wars: The Complete Sage and find it a ton of fun. I'd love to add Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure, Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues, Lego Harry Potter, and Lego Batman to the small collection of games we have for the Wii. 5. Booster Packs: I've been really hoping to get more of the in game items from City of Heroes / Villains. I still need to pick up the Good Vs Evil, the Cyborg, Mac edition, Magic, and the Superscience Pack. This is a game that no matter how lame you may think it is, has saved me on several occasions. It has given me people to talk to and somewhere to feel needed when I had nowhere else to turn and my world seemed to be falling apart. I'd love to have some of the cool little bonus things. 6. Wish Lists: Besides all that, there're links to Amazon, Think Geek and Bed, Bath & Beyond on my sidebar. I would be ecstatic to get some of the shirts from Think Geek, BB&B is mostly house stuff that we love, and Amazon is everything else. Also gift cards to any book store or Michael's is always very appreciated. I could easily spend hundreds in either one and still feel like I was leaving too much behind. | |
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| I have smiled while tugging my sleeves down to cover a bruise. I smile as I duck my head and avert my eyes to play the part of the shy girlfriend so they don't ask more questions. I have smiled when his father hugs me to hide that he makes my skin crawl after all the times he's come on to me. I have smiled while explaining that I was perfectly happy with how things were at home and I loved every minute our girlfriend was around. I have smiled while lies of equality spill from my lips, leaving them numb. I have smiled while fighting back tears because once again I'm just not that important to him and his time with me has been postponed one more time. I smile as I talk to him on the phone to keep people who work with me from seeing how my heart is breaking yet again. I smile as I lie and say everything is fine. Like any other I have worn masks to hide and distract from my inner pain. I have painted a smile onto my face and worn it to keep the painful questions at bay. Yet, I now have an experience that blows all those away like a spring breeze at the end of winter. And it starts with a smile. It started with his smile every time he visited me. A smile would break across his face like the morning sun every time his eyes drank me in. His smiles warmed me and taught me how love is supposed to feel. Each night he comes home his emotions and happiness take over his face and burst forth in a smile as he holds me close and kisses me. Each morning he wakes me with a smile, promising me yet another day wrapped in the safety of his love. A year ago I smiled as I listened to him fumble for the words to explain how happy I made him as we sat at a small table in a sushi restaurant. I smiled as I realized he was finally getting around to what we'd talked about for months. I smiled as he struggled with his fear of me answering negatively. I smiled as he presented the ring to me and that was all the answer he really needed. Less than two months ago I smiled as friends and family began gathering at our home to engage in the light buzz of activity before we set out for our destination. I smile when my dad hugs me and says he is glad to be here with me. I smile as I do my hair and make-up, not a single nervous twitch to mar my happiness. I sequestered myself away to slip into my dress and adorn myself with so many sparkling jewels I feel like a princess. I smile as I ask my dad to secure the clasp of my necklace. His smile when I turn to face him says it all. I am beautiful in his eyes and he is delighted to see me this happy. I am thrilled beyond measure that I have this moment with him. We begin our walk down the isle and there are smiles all around us. Our friends and family have come to witness this turning point, this merging of the paths we walk down. But the smile that means the most of all is the one waiting for me at the end of our walk. This man I love and adore is so delighted to see me, to know that he'll have me by his side for the rest of his life, that I'm surprised it doesn't pour forth in a wave of brightly colored rainbow happiness to cover us all. Instead he smiles and reaches for my hand. Finally, I have reached a time in my life where the smiles are true, where they light up the eyes of the one presenting them. The smiles these days come from the heart and hide no pain. The smiles now filling my life come from happiness, love, and delight. He still smiles every night when he comes home, happy to once more have me in his arms. He smiles at my antics and his laughter is the finest symphony this would could ever create in my ears. 
Description: Lynn and I after the ceremony, he wears a black suit with a bright blue shirt, I wear a purple dress. We are turned toward each other, my head on his shoulder, his cheek pressed against my forehead, both of us unaware of the camera, both wearing smiles of utter happiness and contentment.
Photo taken by zhent | |
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| Voting has been up over at ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) therealljidol since Friday. It ends today at noon. If you enjoyed my entry Stories of our Past or Lynn's entry Uphill Both Ways please consider voting for us. A lot of people took byes this week so competition is tough between those of us that wrote.
Vote for me Here.
Vote for Lynn / apisanthrop Here. (Please vote for him, I'd hate for him to be voted out so soon).
Weekend:
Friday Lynn came home to pork steaks cooked in a seranio glaze and pasta shells with a roasted garlic sauce. I added a piece of flatbread warm from the oven for each of us and we sat down to a candlelight dinner. This was also after I rubbed his neck and shoulders while the food finished it's last couple of minutes cooking. Yes, he's a very spoiled man but he returns the favor of spoilage very often.
Saturday I lit all the candles while he whipped up seafood omelettes for us. Then we built up a fire and made a nest on the couch with the dog and fuzzy blankets for a movie marathon. Food for the day was pizza rolls, spinach rolls, cheese and crackers, and a bottle of sparkling cider left over from the wedding. We got through Salem's Lot, The Ring, Rings, Gothika, and 'Salem's Lot. We had some hot apple cider later in the evening but I handed mine over to Lynn, apparently it's not quite my cup of tea so to speak.
Sunday we spent the day with some wonderful friends celebrating his birthday. Lots of good food, new people to chat with, and, as always, fantastic conversation.
How was your weekend?
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| Happiest of days to sabrina_pandora! May today be full of fun and laughter and may the coming year bring you bright blessings.
Happiest of days to simtra! May today be delightful for you and may the coming year bring you all the joy you could ask for.
To the rest of the world:
Happy Halloween! May it be as spooky as you want!
Happy Samhain! May all your encounters be good! | |
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| I was reminded again last night just how horrible of a person I am for believing that eight years old is old enough to start learning about responsibility.
Lately our weekends with Miss Kid have been planned out by her and her mother, with no regard to any plans we may have already made. Last weekend it was birthday parties with the claim that Miss Kid "really missed those kids and hadn't been able to see them in a long time". Miss Kid barely spoke to any of the kids present. And really, I don't mind taking her to spend time with friends if she's going to actually spend time with them. But I resent being treated like a chauffeur for her.
Last night we were presented with a weekend trip from her school that "she wants to go to so we need to sign the permission slip". The quotes all from her mother. The permission slip was not with the paperwork we were handed and Lynn asked about it. We were informed my mom that she'd given us everything she'd gotten so we'd have to go online and print out the permission slip. I said no, if Miss Kid wishes for us to consider the activity then she needs to get the form and supply it to us since it's something she's requesting. I got another of those patented dirty looks for daring to ask her precious child to do something on her own. It's the same look I get when it's brought up that Miss Kid is responsible for helping with dishes, food prep, her laundry, and keeping her areas clean when she's here. If she's with us when we go shopping she's in charge of the list. Last weekend she also helped compile and organize the shopping list for Thanksgiving as well as marking off some of the things we have already on hand.
I again reminded the mom that while she may very well be willing to follow Miss Kid around for the rest of mom's life making sure she has everything done for her, I am not. Nor am I letting Lynn do so. Instead we are teaching her how to do for herself. Do we still help her own on occasion? You bet. But we also try to show her how to do it without our help, and after being shown so many times, she's expected to do it on her own.
Stop telling me your child is smart and allow her to show me that she is damnit. | |
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| I wasn't exactly feeling much of anything earlier this week. I was down and depressed and certain crap from an ex wasn't helping.
And every single night my Lynn has come home with the biggest grin ever and held me and told me how happy he was to come home to me and how lucky he considered himself because I am his wife.
My boyfriend dropped me a line and told me he was thinking of me and looking forward to seeing me again.
My flirtatious crush sent me a note telling me he'd been looking at some pictures I'd sent and was enjoying them.
A good friend of mine reminded me that he finds me beautiful and smart.
The guys I run with on CoH requested me specifically to run a Task Force with them, despite having others around that would have ran it too.
I have been reminded often and in many ways this week that I am loved, desired, and fun to be around. Life is good.
How is life good to you this week? | |
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| Happiest of days to tribalw0lf!! May today be amazing for you and may the coming year bring you triple the beauty and happiness of the past. | |
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| Too many poly relationships treat secondaries like they’re discardable entities, and I don’t like that much. If I’m involved with you it’s because you’re precious on some level to me, and that means that I’m committing to be not just a lover, but also a reliable friend. - theferrettThis, this, this! I don't understand how so many people treat one that they claim to love with so little consideration. Read the rest of his fantastic post. - Wolf Den::Houston - Brigid
- We're Feeling::happy
 - Wolf Song::Fashion Zombies by The Aquabats
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| Welcome: Hi there to manifestress! It's all open here so feel free to jump in where you like! Birthday: Happiest of days to featherjean! May today be fantastic for you and the coming year bring you all the fandom pairings you could dream of! Happiest of days to norda! May today be extraordinary for you and the coming year bring you all the security you can imagine! Questions: What makes you happy? What would you like to be doing for a career?
I want a job where I could work from home. Then I could manage myself, write as I liked, and work on my dreamcatchers. I want to the dreamcatchers to take off and become a successful part time job. I'd also like to start getting paid for writing but I need to put far more work into that and polish up some of my work. What is your favorite alcoholic drink? I really don't have one. I tend to default to a strawberry margarita once or twice a year when out but I haven't had many alcoholic drinks to really compare with. Name an article of clothing you almost never wear, but could never part with (and why).
I have three shirts that I pulled from my Nanny's closet shortly after she died, before everything was tossed. I wear them on occasion but not often because I want them to be around for a long time. Just like to say thanks for sticking around.
Always. I don't know you well either but I understand a bit of what you're going through and I'm always here should you wish to talk. Do you support the Death Penalty?
Yes and no. I support the idea of it but not the way it's currently being done. I think it needs reform and a lot of changes to speed up the process. I'm not a fan of paying for somebody to languish behind bars while they while away years waiting for that final day. Do I annoy you?
Honestly, everybody annoys me to some degree at some point. However, you are one of those who rarely annoy me, so while the answer is yes, it's not quite like you're expecting. You can still ask me a question, tell me a secret, or be naughty here. | |
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| Despite being raised by my great grandparents my childhood was not littered with "uphill, both ways, barefoot". Instead my nights were filled with "Your grandfather was a handsome man" and "I had the blackest hair you ever did see".
Late at night when I couldn't sleep I'd join Nanny in the living room. There, by the flickering light and canned laughter from shows such as "All in the Family" and "Golden Girls", I would either curl up in Grandad's worn recliner with my arms wrapped around my knees or sit at Nanny's feet and paint my nails in my outlandish colors while she quietly regaled me with tales of her childhood during the 20's and 30's, Grandad courting her and their marriage during the second World War , and raising four girls during the '50's. Her voice would would wrap me in a safe cocoon in the deep night and nothing could break that.
It was at her feet that I heard of how she and her best friend Gail played softball in their early 20's. I was entranced as she'd tell how Grandad was so proper he'd walk down the street next to her but wouldn't hold her hand, how she tried to kiss him and how shocked he was by her boldness. I giggled as she told me about my Uncle James hiding behind the couch when Grandad would visit to spy on them. Through her words I ran beside her as she cut across the cotton fields so she could visit the colored church down the road from their farm when she was young, and the talking to she got when her father caught her doing so. Whites, no matter how poor they might be, didn't do that at that time. I marveled at her bravery when she reminisced about going toe to toe with her boss at JC Penny's and how he offered to help her keep her job.
Never once did I roll my eyes as she would occasionally repeat a story about how my Mother would sit on the bed and read aloud to me before I was born. I didn't mind when she'd tell me again how my Uncle Mike would get a girlfriend or two to clean his bedroom when he lived with them. I was content when she'd reiterate how she had been approached by the professional hair dresser who begged her to let him style her hair.
Later, after she'd passed on I was glad that I hadn't grown irritated with her stories or avoided these late night chats. I thought my days of listening to stories of bygone days were gone with her. I spent time with Grandad on Sundays, companionably watching football or old westerns for a couple of hours. I would sit in her recliner and occasionally get a waft of her scent as we would watch the battle play out before Gandad and I on the screen before us. One quiet day he'd turned it to PBS and they were doing a piece on D-Day. Men stormed the beach as soon as their small boat would get close enough for them to splash to the sand beneath them.
"I was there, not that beach, but I helped the corpsman get men, boys really, on the boat and back to the ship when they were wounded."
This was new! Grandad was never one to talk about his time in the Navy. I knew he'd had his ship blown out from under him and he'd spent three days in the water before being rescued but nothing more. That day I listened to how he'd helped row a boat of soldiers to the beach and then helped bring injured back, time and time again. I heard about how he'd gone through France and Italy after V-Day. I heard about how the women and children would line the roads and offer the soldiers drinks for being soldiers in the war.
Growing up I believe I only heard the phrase "uphill, both ways, barefoot" once, and it was quickly followed by Nanny laughing and telling Grandad he was full of it. He grinned roguishly at her and laughed. Instead my childhood was filled with quiet stories of bits of American history that you'll never find in a standard school book. These are stories that I'll carry with me for the rest of my years. | |
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| It's a gray Monday ... and I'm bored.
Poll #1476704 Confessional
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: None, participants: 6 Ask me anything. Got a secret you'd like to share? You've got 24 hours with me to do anything you can think of and I'm game for all of it ... what top 5 things do you want to do? I'll answer questions in another post. Also, comments will be screened so feel free to comment there if you need more room. | |
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| Welcome: Hi there to lavendergem and karmasoup! Weekend Report: Saturday was an early trip out to Rosharon for a birthday party that Miss Kid had been invited too. There she got to ride a pony with her friends and after lunch we all went on a hay ride. She seemed to have fun with the horses but never really interacts with the other children. We then rested for an hour back here at the house and then we took a trip off to the park with kites and played around with those. Apis and Miss Kid were having trouble getting her shield kite up but I'd managed to get my dragon up and into the air. I called him over to hold mine while I worked on hers and as soon as he got near me my dragon came wafting down. I told him he was obviously cursed. I finally got Miss Kid's kite up and handed it over to her so I could see about making the dragon fly again. Eventually we brought them in for landings and folded them up so we could head home for dinner. On the way home we passed a black hole named Half Price Books and were sucked in. We perused their clearance section and found a couple of books that we'd been looking for. Though we had to cut the visit short when a wave a dizziness signified that I hadn't eaten enough that day. Sunday was a relaxing morning as we skipped Miss Kid's dance class so she could attend another birthday party at LaserZone. Again she didn't interact with the other kids except when she had to. When she was asked if she was having fun we did get an affirmative, though it was one given in a fairly neutral tone of voice. Generally when she's enjoying herself it's very obvious. This on top of us being somewhat guilted into taking her by her mother (as we had originally made other plans for Miss Kid that day) annoys me as we were told she hadn't seen these kids in a while and was really missing them. Even so it was a mostly enjoyable weekend. How was your weekend? | |
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| Happiest of days to kenakeri! May today be delightful for you and the coming year bring you all the joy and bliss you could ask for! | |
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| Happiest of days to akdidge! May today be filled with delight and the coming year bring you double the laughter of the previous year! | |
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| Birthday:
Happiest of days to eriksangel15! I hope today is delightful for you and the coming year brings you all the happiness and joy you could ask for!
Welcome:
Hi there to shadows_of! Feel free to jump in the pool where ever it pleases you.
Open Minds:
How does somebody claim to have an open mind but refuse to ever try anything new? Help me out here because I am one confused girl. If you don't try new things then how does your world ever grow? How do you truly know if item x is the best thing since sliced bread? I'm glad that I'm willing to try pretty much anything at least once, just to see how I like it.
COH/COV
The Halloween event is supposed to start today so if you're looking for more badges and fun events keep that in mind.
I'm off to see if I can get caught up on Idol entries ... so many people to read! | |
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| Welcome: Hi to new readers danialtravieso and tijuanagringo! Life is an open book around here so feel free to poke around and comment where you like. Birthday: Happiest of days to thoughtskill! May today be delightful for you and may the coming year bring you all the security and creativity you can ask for. Saturday we spent quite a bit of time at Miss Kid's school for an International Day. We watched her dance with her mother and enjoyed samples of food from various countries such as the Philippines, Greece, Japan, India, Korea, and China. There were many performances by the children from their native countries which I'm sure were lovely but the parents always crowded the stage and blocked the audience so they could get pictures. Afterward we went to Bed, Bath & Beyond to spend a gift card we'd gotten and we picked up new pillows and some kitchenware. Sunday Lynn started to get out of bed but I pulled him back in with talk of sleeping in and cuddling, with a smile he wrapped me in his arms. We finally got up and began moving around. Lloyd gave us a call and he and Jenny came over so that Lynn could help him with a bit of his math in his class that he was having trouble with. Lynn helped him and worked on adding in all the new books to our shelves we've picked up over the last three months. Lynn also made another homemade pizza while I did what I could to read more of the Idol entries. It was a wonderful day with candles burning, good food, and fantastic friends to share with. | |
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| Happiest of days to vulpine137! May today be wonderful to you and may the coming year bring you all the happiness and redheads you could ask for! | |
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| Birthday: Happiest of days to bodandra! My today be amazing for you and the coming year bring you many flavors of happiness and laughter! Bored Shadow is Busy Shadow: I got caught up on various things yesterday and decided I was bored sitting at the computer. So I cleaned. I organized bathroom closet and redid all the medicines and the towels. I cleaned up my desk, found two pair of earrings I was looking for, cleaned the kitchen, and set out some of the Halloween snacking candy. I did two loads of laundry, folded some clothes, did dishes, organized the hangers since they were taking over the floor, organized my shoes for the same reason, and did a pick up of various things that had found their way to other parts of the house. Then I had a whole hour to read and it felt so wonderful and guilt free to sit down with a book on the couch. Thoughts on LJ Idol: I write my entry before I read anybody else's. If you're on my friend's list and participating in Idol I will almost always skim right past your entry until I am ready to read it. I keep a spreadsheet where I make notes and keep track of who gets my votes, this way I can read a few at a time and not forget who really stood out for me. Plus I'm not trying to cram all those entries into one or two afternoons and then either missing some or not giving them as much consideration. After I've posted my entry I begin reading and leaving comments for everybody, typically in the order they were posted. If you're on my friend's list and I happen to cross yours on a view of updated journals then you get to skip the queue so to speak. I try to vote based on writing skill alone, not on how close we are as friends, though that does help at times. Best of luck to all who are playing this season, it looks to be off to a fantastic start! Today's Find  Photo links to shop listing. Description: Glass lampwork bead in the form of a cupcake with a chocolate brown cup, pink frosting, and is topped off with a swirl of lavender rose flowers on a single leafy stem. a Studio by the Sea has some cute pendents for sale! And there's at least two that I'd love to bring home and wear on a regular basis. Drat this whole no money thing I have going on! Stop by and see what you find to fall in love with. If you know of a handmade artist that needs a little bit of love please drop me a line here and let me know so I can feature them. | |
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| "I'm sorry, something's come up, I won't be able to make it."
"Okay, maybe next week then."
- - - - -
"Uh, I won't be coming by there today, the boss just called..."
"Okay, I understand."
- - - - -
"I'm sorry ..."
"I know, never mind, I didn't expect you anyhow.
- - - - -
After so many repeats, so many cancels, so many let downs ... the words just don't seem to matter anymore. I sense that there's no truth or sincerity behind them. My heart has been broken so many times I begin to fear making plans with anybody for anything. I'm terrified that at the last minute they'll cancel on me and leave me hanging, wondering what I did that was so bad that they'd change their mind about spending time with me.
I swallowed my fear and finally made plans to visit a friend. I would be driving three hours to see them and I was scared to call when I got close, scared they'd say something had come up. It hadn't. I spent a lovely weekend with my friend and felt better than I ever had before. I started to believe that I was somebody that people would want to spend time with.
Back home the I'm sorries continued though. My fear grew once more. My shaky faith in myself began failing, rapidly. I started avoiding friends and plans.
Through a tangled web of lies and half truths I ended up talking to a man who turned out to be nothing like what I'd heard he was. Thank the Gods. He was sweet, kind, and thoughtful. We talked for hours on the phone and he always answered my questions. He never ran off when the conversation got too serious. I hesitantly asked if we could meet. We made plans for him to visit and I spent the next month fighting off fears of a phone call saying that something had come up. I doggedly cleaned and prepared for him to share my house with me for a weekend. I batted away the doom hamsters on their doom wheels and told myself he would be there. He messaged me to let me know he was on the road and would be at my place in five hours.
I was on pins and needles the whole 5 hours.
I got home shortly before he was to arrive and I flew through the house straightening and dusting, often the same thing multiple times, just to keep my hands and mind occupied. And then he was there, at my door. His promises had been true.
Once he was back home, I quietly asked if I could see him again. We made plans again and again. Each time I was nervous that he wouldn't show and each time he did.
I never make a promise I don't intend to keep
So when I say forever, forever's what I mean
I'm no Casanova but I swear this much is true
I'll be holdin' nothin' back when it comes to you
You dream of love that's everlasting
Well baby open up your eyes
I can love you like that
I would make you my world
Move Heaven and Earth if you were my girl
I will give you my heart
Be all that you need
Show you you're everything that's precious to me
If you give me a chance
I can love you like that
--John Michael Montgomery "I Can Love You Like That"
He sings this and many more love songs to me, every one a promise. Each promise he's made to me he's kept. On the few occasions something has fallen through I didn't receive a hollow "I'm sorry" but a sincere and heartfelt apology. Each time he has worked with me to make things better. There is always love and earnestness in his eyes and actions. There are no empty gestures here and I'm grateful that I no longer have to deal with those who don't value me and my love. | |
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| Welcome: Hi there to new readers from therealljidol, hightekvagabond, shiverelectric, walktertxkitty, and celrock! Speaking of LJ Idol, there's a practice poll up here. This is not for elimination or anything, just for fun and for clicking boxes if you so choose. If you do drop by please drop a vote for apisanthrop in tribe 1 and for myself down in tribe 4 as well as anybody else you feel moved to vote for. The poll closes today though. | |
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| Welcome: Hi there to two new readers magsscribbles and crimsonplum! Birthday: Happiest of days to badasher! May today be wonderful to you and the coming year bring you double the happiness of the past! Today's Find:  Photo links to shop listing. Description: Tiny glass bottle filled with mini polymer clay double chocolate chip cookies. xShortCake is an adorable little shop with some really fantastic things. It's a small shop but I'm really expecting it to grow. I'm in love with this piece and the bottle of candy canes. They're both fantastic and I'd love to have one of each. Maybe someday. Stop by and see what you can find to fall in love with. If you know of a handmade artist that needs a little bit of love please drop me a line here and let me know so I can feature them. | |
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| Since I don't really want to detail out the past four days I'll toss it into this handy table, if you want to know more about any of the toons, I'm on City Info Tracker. All told I gained 96 levels on various toons and spent time on every single server, though not every single toon. In a week or so I'll start going back through them and doing costume missions and cape missions, re-doing the powers and colors where needed and getting them some enhancements. I also got several screen shots of various times and after I go back through them I'll upload good profile shots to their CIT profiles. | Thursday | | Lvls | | 2 hours | Grey Fey | 6-15 | | 1.5 hours | Auraist | 14-16 | | 4 hours | ShadowElf | 27-29 | | 1.5 hours | Iris Peace | 6-10 | | Friday | | | | 2 hours | Alexedia | 5-8 | | 1 hour | Lothian Do'Urden | 9-10 | | 3.5 hours | Pheonix Fyre | 5-13 | | 2 hours | Smoky Blade | 28-31 | | 2 hours | Vancara | 21-25 | | 3 hours | Pryda | 12-19 | | 1 hour | Sirena | 17-21 | | Saturday | | | | 1 hour | DarkEyge | 5-9 | | 1 hour | Sidhe | 28-30 | | 2.5 hours | Earth's Revenge | 7-13 | | 18 minutes | Zoridae | 5-6 | | 2 hours | Spancia | 39-40 | | 1.5 hours | Professor Confidence | @50 | | 2 hours | Frozen Bite | 24-27 | | 3 hours | Spancia | 40-41 | | Sunday | | | | 8 hours | Synthen | 16-23 | | Monday | | | | 6.75 hours | Steele Heart | 7-22 | | 2.75 hours | Gaian | 3-10 | | 2 hours | Synthen | 23-24 |
Other bits of interest over the weekend include how spoiled and loved I am. Lynn was a doll and made sure I didn't have to leave the computer more than necessary and fixed nearly all the meals for the weekend, including a fantastic homemade pizza. Huge low point would be the flash storm that hit Wednesday and took out my 250gig music hard drive. Out of the three drives in that computer it could have killed I'd rather have lost the main. I'm now missing all 80gig of my music and since somebody decided to steal all my music cd's when they were living with me, I don't even have those. Most of my music was garage bands or rare releases too, things that I can't necessarily replace. We're going to look into an external for storing the music and other things that need storing. What are the chances of getting any of my music off the dead drive? | |
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| Double xp has been extended through today thus the weekend wrapup will be delayed until tomorrow. | |
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| Welcome: There's more influx from therealljidol. Hi there to purplehaze9, fresh_tart, emo_snal, and mstrobel! Juggling: I'm trying to balance the lovely double xp with reading some of these fantastic introduction entries. Monday the entries will have far more of my attention. Progress: Yesterday I got about 17 levels on various toons in about 8 hours of play. I suspect today will be even better as most people didn't realize double xp started yesterday instead of today. This is, however, why I suggest reading the newsletters for the games you play. *wink* Back to getting caught up on stuff before diving back into the game! Everybody have a good weekend and I'll see you again on Monday! | |
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| So the day didn't start out 100%. I was woken up by Lynn telling me that he couldn't get the Wii to power on. I shook myself a bit and headed down stairs to take a look at it. Yep, he was right. Everything else worked but not that. I fiddled with it for a bit and got no response so I headed upstairs to do research. All Hail Google! I tried a couple things that I found as suggestions, like unplugging it and resetting the battery. I also blew out the fan vents while I was at it. Voila! It powers!
I love being able to do things like that.
And, since Lynn didn't have time to work out after all that, we had time for each other this morning before he went to work. *mischievous grin* I love reminding him of what he'll come home to.
I suspect the rest of the day will go fantastic as well. I'm caught up on LJ Idol posts, created my toon tracker for double p weekend, and caught up on half of my online stuff. Once I work out and shower I'll read my friend's page and then I'll have the majority of the day to flit around Paragon City and turn villain's lives upside down! | |
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| Hi there, I'm Shadow. That's me in the icon up there.
*waves*
I've been on LJ since 2002, almost 7 years now. My journal has gone through a lot of changes in that amount of time and so have I; though I still try to see the bright side of life more often than not.
When I started out I was married, in 2007 I got a divorce, and just a month ago I re-married. I found my best friend and promised to spend the rest of my life with him. So far it's been a fantastic month, we'll see how the rest of our lives go.
I'm a creative type no matter what. I'm a dreamcatcher artist and create non-traditional dreamcatchers for non-traditional dreamers. I figure that we all have different dreams that are unique to us so I strive to create designs that help each person focus on their dreams and achieve them. I also create floral bouquets from silk flowers for weddings. I'm a writer and often find it far easier to express myself in written words rather than with spoken. I have a degree in interior decorating though I have yet to put it to use in a paid way.
I read constantly and have a large collection of books that will never be finished. There will always be more books available that I will want. Speaking of collections I also have a variety of music that I listen too. I can often sing the lyrics after one or two hearings but nearly never remember the artist or title. I have a spotty memory for such things.
I'm a geeky gamer girl, my games of choice being City of Heroes / Villains and tabletop D&D. This weekend being double xp weekend I'll probably be scarce. Though I don't stop there. I have a healthy amount of console systems, including Atari 2600, N64, PS1, PS2, NES, SNES, Wii, and XBox. One day I'll have them all. Hey, a girl can dream can't she?
I can and have happily amused myself in craft stores for hours on end. I still see rainbows and try to chase down the ends, not for the gold but for the magical moment of finding it. I love to stand in the pouring rain and let it soak me to the skin. I am drawn to scents of vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin, gingerbread, and burning wood. I often bury my face in the fur of my dog, just to tell her I love her. I am happiest when I am held close by somebody I love. Despite being nearly 28 I still revert to 6 with joy when seeing our Halloween or Christmas decorations out. I paint my nails in funky colors, just because I can. I am both a long before my time grown up and a forever child. I love life and live for the happy, delightful moments.
This is my 3rd spin around in the LJ Idol world, and I'm glad to be back. Welcome to the competition and may the best writer win. | |
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| Welcome! Hi there to new readers from ![[info]](http://s.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png) therealljidol, meee_tooo, lyrical_liessss, flashpapertiger, and wiseosiris! I look forward to seeing you around the green rooms. Anniversary It's been a whole month of wedded bliss! Life is still wonderful! Catch A Dream The store is back open and the facebook fan page photos have all been updated with descriptions and links to more photos and purchasing information where available. Letter Dear Head of Mine, I've given you rest, food, quiet, music, exorcise, and entertainment. Lynn's given you massage and intimate affections. Kindly stop hurting now. It's been 3 days now and I don't know what else to give to you to appease you. No Love, Me LJ Change: Yep, changed the default icon, colors, and banner again! :D | |
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| I will be participating in Season 6 of therealljidol. I participated in Season 4 and 5. All season four entries and home game entries can be found under the lj idol s4 tag, Season 5 is under the lj idol s5 tag.
I hope you enjoy the posts the contests results in and I look forward to your feedback as this season progresses. | |
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| Friday we ran out to see if I could find the same beads I'd used in Halls of the Candy King so I could do a similar design with a different color webbing and wrapping for a friend. Not only did I find that but I also picked up some other awesome beads in the same range of colors but in different shapes, like hearts, stars, and circles! Win! Back home we worked on getting the last of the details together for the Bazaar the next day.
Saturday we got there just a few minutes later than hoped for but found our space and set up with no problems. During the afternoon there was a bit more rain falling than I was comfortable with so I grabbed all the feathered designs off the display stands and thankfully Krishna Arts next to us offered a corner of their canopy to store the dreamcatchers. We got to talking later and it sounds like we've found an artist would would be willing to split booth costs in some places and exchange information on places to set up a booth.
Pros: Meeting Krishna Arts, making a sale, handing out some cards and picking up possible customers, experience gained for next time.
Cons: Little to no advertisement done, except by vendors or the day before, high booth cost considering lack of people attending the Bazaar. One sale of $20 doesn't even begin to cover the $60 spot fee, not even counting the cost of the tables or display stands we made.
While I had not expected us to make enough profit to cover the cost of the set up I had hoped to sell least three or four to cover the cost of the spot fee. Hopefully though I made some contacts that will hit up the shop for custom orders or later purchases and that would be good too.
Sunday we dropped Miss Kidd off at dance class walked over to GameStop to pick up the new Wii Fit Plus. After her class was over we headed home and pulled out all the Halloween decorations! The living room is completely decked out now and it looks fantastic. We had talked about spiders attacking the fireplace last year but never got around to it and this year we did. I love the way it looks! I'd still like to pick up a few more signs and decorations before the end of the month and we can't find the Witch Way sign we had last year but so far I'm good with how things are. Once the decoration frenzy was over we popped in the new Fit Plus and gave it a try. The multiplayer part is awesome and Miss Kid got to try out all the games for us. It transfers over the data from the original fit so all your data is still there. It seems to have all the things I was kind of wishing the Fit did so nice bonus!
How was your weekend? | |
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| As a reminder, we will be taking the shop to a craft fair tomorrow. Thus I will be putting the store on vacation for the weekend, beginning today at 4pm CST and will re-open on Monday / Tuesday when I can take stock of things. If you have been considering a dreamcatcher that is currently in stock you may want to buy it now or talk to me privately. If you are serious about purchasing one and simply are waiting on pay day I will gladly put it to the side for you, but you have to let me know. The store is here: Catch A Dream. There are some designs that I have not uploaded to the store but are for sale as well, pictures of everything I have ever created is on the Facebook Fan Page. I will always be willing to make a custom for you, including making something similar to one I have already done. However I can't promise that they will be identical and would honestly prefer that each one be individual. If you're local to Houston come on down to the Autumn Bazaar at St. Andrews Episcopal Church and check out the craft fair, admission is free! | |
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| A comment over in writersblock_va's journal reminded me of this from last night. I'm a food horder, too much time spent broke so I tend to buy quite a bit on clearance and stock up. As a result, the pantry, fridge, and freezer are packed as full as I can get them. Last night apisanthrop was getting drinks for us for dinner. He opened the freezer to get ice and a package of meat fell out. I turned and huffily put my hands on my hips and said "Now I'll have to reset the booby trap!" "Did you catch any boobies?" So I flashed him. It seemed like the thing to do. I 'love' the way his eyes light up when I do that. | |
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| Welcome:
Hi there to guruwench! Pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable. I hope you enjoy your time here.
Chats:
I forgot to add all my chat services yesterday when I was doing the contacting me info. So: Yahoo is shadows.wolf, AIM is shdwlf6, MSN is spryng13, gchat is shadowwolf13, LJ chat is shadowwolf13, and ICQ is 48522585. I'm at the computer nearly all day Monday through Friday so feel free to drop me a line if you like. I may have my hands full of a dreamcatcher but I'm typically pretty quick to respond unless I've wandered away.
Dreamcatchers:
I've got at least 10 that I'd like to get done before Saturday morning so I need to get moving. Facebook is far too addicting and distracting.
Food:
Last night for dinner I took two chicken breasts, poured some fire roasted tomato and garlic sauce over them and put them in the oven. Then I fixed some brussels sprouts on the stove. Both had finished cooking before Lynn got home. When Lynn got here I slid a couple of thick slices of sourdough bread with butter, minced garlic, Parmesan, and a bit of chopped parsley on them into the oven. Joining them was the chicken with mozzarella spread out over the top. I melted some cheddar cheese over the sprouts and then served it all with the last of the Fish Eye chardonnay from the other night. I sometimes wonder just how it is that I've managed to lose weight!
Today's Find:
Photo links to shop listing.
Description: Gunmetal necklace adorned with pewter pendants, a clear and ruby glass bead, a black feather, and three different chains.
Hawkland carries unique jewelry and handmade accessories inspired by fantasy, science fiction, and nature. There are several pieces here that I'd like to bring home, stop by and see what you find to fall in love with too!
If you know of a handmade artist that needs a little bit of love please drop me a line here and let me know so I can feature them. | |
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| Happiest of day to the_elfster! May today be good to you and the coming year bring you all the happiness you deserve! | |
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| Birthday! Happiest of days to az_starshine! May today be delightful for you and the coming year bring you double the laughter! Happiest of days to padiwack! May today be lovely for you and the coming year bring you warm fuzzies and happiness! Welcome: Wow! Hi there and welcome to new friends and readers jp7, meileiki, comradecharlie, magicalstephie, jarlina, pbsweetheart, geniusinmaine, moosl, rheyamorgaine, java_fiend, fireflylive, treeluv87, phoenixejc, and tribalw0lf! My world is a fully public one so feel free to poke around where you like and comment as the mood strikes you. I'm always open to new ideas and views, I only ask that you be respectful. Finding Me: This list is always on the sidebar of my journal but since there's so many new people I'll link it here too. Feel free to add me there too. DreamwidthFacebook - Please let me know who you are as names don't always match up. TwitterLinkedIn - Please let me know who you are. MySpace - I never use it. My Etsy - Catch A DreamFacebook for Catch A DreamAnd for the Handmade Artisans in the audience: Please drop me a line here so I can add you to the list of people I pull from for the badly named Today's Find (it's not daily). I love seeing new work from new people. Check here to see what I've featured in the past. Recently Finished: In the Halls of the Candy King  Description: A 5-inch ring wrapped in bright green thread and webbed in bright blue. Beads of blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, and purple in three different sizes swirl in toward the center. | |
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| Come one! Come all! I'm in a good mood today and I'd love to share it, so ... *tosses confetti* Invite your friends and join in for a friending frenzy! I'll start the intros. I'm Shadow. I'm a dreamcatcher artist, writer, lover of music, reader of many words and worlds. I'm a geeky gamer girl who loves to play with dice. I play online with City of Heroes / Villains. I identify as pagan but other than my pentagram bracelet you probably wouldn't know it as mine is a quiet path. I'm married to a wonderful man named Lynn, ( apisanthrop). I'm also seeing Mr. Boyfriend. So that's a yes on the "Are you polyamorous" question I suppose. ;) Though I'm not looking for anybody else to add to the relationship. I'm hedonistic and take much pleasure from touch, taste, and sound. I rescue books from lonely shelves and bring them home to packed shelves of friends. I'm a flirt and will flirt with nearly everybody given the time. I fall for brains, wit, and intelligence, though a killer body never hurts. The most awesome thing to happen to me in the past 24 hours? I got new glasses! I wore the last pair for 11 years so this is fantastic ... and a time of adjustment! ( Here, have a picture .... or two. )So, who wants to come play? | |
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| Happiest of days to apocalypsos! May today be full of delight and the coming year bring you into the published world and hand you all your dreams! | |
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| Does anybody else find it hard to read something when it's all capitalized?
I keep coming across it and every time my brain just seems to shut down. I'm sure it's a great/interesting/important message but I just can't process all those caps. I can do a few words at a time, about five before I feel the shut down happen.
Your thoughts?
I'm also wondering just how offended I should be. I'm still reading somebody that I've ended the romantic relationship with and they've now made several comments about how stress free their life is now and how nice it is. I don't know that they are directly talking about me, but not a lot else has changed in their life, as far as I know, other than the change in relationship status. The first time I saw it I kind of had to wonder but now it's been a couple more times and it just seems like a smack in the face each time. And no, talking to them isn't an option since they get defensive over everything. *sigh* Humans are complicated. | |
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| Friday I chilled a bottle of Fish Eye Chardonnay and when apisanthrop got home I had our store of good cheeses out on the coffee table in the living room. I grabbed the bride and groom toasting glasses from the wedding and had them in the fridge waiting too. When he got home we curled up on the couch and watched A Knight's Tale. Saturday we mailed out all the thank you cards as well as some bills. Then we stopped in and had both of our eyes examined. I have a new pair of contacts and later today I'll have my first new pair of new glasses in 13 years! No more super glued glasses! *glee* We wondered through Lowe's for a bit looking at appliances, flooring, and lighting while dreaming of our home. Once home Apis started work on the display forms for the dreamcatchers. He'll have to stop by and pick up a larger bit for the drill to finish them off, but they're coming together. On Sunday we did a bit of cleaning and more work on the displays. Then we hooked up the laptop to one of the TV's and watched some of our shows off Hulu while playing Baluder's Gate Dark Alliance on the other. So much for that crap about it's not possible to hook S-video to RCA jacks. We finished out the game and it was rather a let down. Though I guess it's time to hit up GameStop to find another game we can play together. I'm working on pounding out the dreamcatchers but I'm not updating the shop until after the 3rd. Plus, the shop will be on vacation for that weekend. This is because we have a craft fair on the 3rd. Thus if there's one that you've been keeping an eye on you might want to go ahead and pick it up as I can't make promises that it'll be there after the craft fair but I'll always be willing to do customs. Today's Find:  Photo links to shop listing. Description: White felt skull with black stitching and a purple bow on the upper right temple. Pookledo is a cute shop full of felt awesomeness in the form of necklaces and cell phone charms. Stop by and check out the inventory, I bet you find something to fall in love with too! If you know of a handmade artist that needs a little bit of love please drop me a line here and let me know so I can feature them. | |
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| Happiest of days to minikin! I hope today is fantastic for you and the coming year brings you double the happiness you deserve. Happiest of days to cerubus! I hope today is wonderful and your trip is all you want it to be. | |
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| Birthday: Happiest of days to n_decisive! I hope today is wonderful for you and the coming year brings you all the happiness you could dream of! Happiest of days to trekwriter! I hope today is delightful for you and the coming year holds much creativity and laughter for you! | |
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| "Maybe I've even forgotten what it's like to be in love." "Well then let me remind you. It's the most wonderful feeling in the world. You walk around all day enveloped in this beautiful pink cloud of contentment and you feel sorry for anyone else on earth who isn't you. And if a tree should fall on your car or your house should burn down it doesn't mean anything more than a mosquito bite because you know that in a few moments you're going to be held again by the most loving, kindest hands that ever held anyone, the way you haven't been held since you were a baby. And if you're a woman you feel the most feminine you've ever felt, even wearing his boxer shorts. And every seemingly inadequate thing you've ever thought of saying is suddenly greeted with applause and approval and laughter. And every day the sky seems a little bluer and the sunset's a little more fiery and every living growing thing seems to be an unspoken celebration of your love. And there's this light, this inner glow that just keeps getting brighter and brighter inside you and the closer you get to the flame the more it takes your breath away until your hands and your lips come together again and caress and finally fall silent as one." - Georgie Anne Lahti in response to Senator Strobe Smithers in Hearts Afire The pictures of the wedding are up on my facebook page if you didn't see them when I posted them yesterday. It's a public album so you shouldn't need an account to see them. | |
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| 1st way my Monday is Awesome: I have pictures from the wedding. zhent did a phenomenal job being the shutterbug for the wedding. I will be uploading several of the pictures to Facebook just as soon as Facebook stops being a twit. And, in the meantime, for a peak at some of the wonderful pictures stop by zhent's Flickr photostream and have a look!
2nd way my Monday is Awesome: I was reminded by a huge crush of mine that the feeling is mutual. This makes me all warm and fuzzy.
Life is good. | |
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| Friday I did a bit more cleaning and prepping before my friend Jamie came into town. We chatted and did a bit of catching up while I prepared the spinach and chicken lasagna, pumpkin croissant rolls, and homemade brownies for dessert. Once apisanthrop got home with Miss Kid I made a salad to accompany our meal and we all sat down for a delicious dinner. Afterward I served the fresh from the oven brownies with a scoop of ice cream and various sundae toppings. All in all it was a wonderful meal. Saturday was the Hot Sauce Festival so we got moving and mad our way out to the Stafford Center for that. There were many wonderful vendors out there, including the CaJohn which was the one Lynn was looking forward to the most. I rolled my eyes as at stall after stall he basically drank the hot sauce. I was tasting things before Miss Kid tasted them since she really doesn't like spicy and I hadn't burned out my taste buds by trying the hottest available everywhere. At one point I turned around after handing her something and Jamie was having a fit of the hiccups and Lynn's face is bright red. Slowly tears started leaking from his eyes. All this from a small taste of somebody's wares. I laughed and asked if it was worth it. He grinned and replied, "I gotta buy some of that!" My silly man. Once we were back home we used some of our new kitchen toys and made up hamburgers and deep fried some fries. Then we introduced Jamie to Munchkin. I found a card game he enjoys! Sunday we dropped Miss Kid off at dance class with her mother and stopped by Office Max to finally find the super glue that I ran out of. Apparently Loctite in gel form is a rare breed and hard to find. Then we stopped back by the house and picked up Jamie and went out for Chinese buffet and more catching up. Then Jamie had to hit the road to get home so we hugged and said our goodbyes. Then Lynn and I headed out to Wal-mart for a bit of shopping. I found a couple of new shirts for the cooler season! He spoils me so. Yes, new clothes for me is a wonderful treat given my history of getting new things. I also finished up a dreamcatcher that I am 'very' proud of:  Photo links to shop listing. The ring is wrapped in a rich chocolate brown and webbed with a glittery copper. Cat's eyes hang from a length of light brown that winds around the ring. Glass beads of black and brown join more cat's eyes and brown speckled teardrop beads hang from the bottom of the rings. An ornate monarch butterfly created from feathers and glitter perches on the upper left of the ring. | |
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| Happiest of days to morlith! May today be overflowing with happiness and the coming year bring all your dreams true! | |
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