From the Mind of AlphaBetsy

Back to the real world grind...Argh!!!! I had an amazing time at the Newport last week. Here is an awesome pic of a Ray Shark peeking at us from above. Now I am back to normal and back to crafting. I finally feel like I am moving forward for the Alice swap. I got the cuffs and the rabbit almost completely done. I am going to finish those and hopefully the necklace done today. I am going to paint the journal, make the bookmarks and the pin cushions and hopefully send out by Friday, assuming that we hear something from my partner. I don't think she's posted in a while and I am not sending until she does. It makes me nervous.

I am seriously so excited about the shopping day with my family tomorrow. I have a couple of places I definitely want to go... Loot, Wholly Craft, Sew to Speak, Pearls of Wisdom, What the Rock!, Fly By Night and others in no particular order plus a couple of antique stores. We have to take it easy though since mom is having additional health issues... aside from being in treatment for breast cancer now she is also dealing with a blood clot in her leg. They are telling her to sit as much as possible, so I am not going to keep her out all day like last year. There is always next year for super shopping again. I'm just so excited to spend the day with my family. On Tuesday Seth and I are headed to Cincinnati where we are going to spend a couple of nights in a hotel and go to the Newport Aquarium with Chris, Niki and Moira. I love the Newport, especially the jellyfish room and petting sharks. Oh and penguins... I will try to get some pictures!! Then on Friday we are having dinner with ...

til my birthday. Yay!! And 2 days until shopping day with my mom and sister (she who is Shmoo). We did this last year and had such a great time. We are going to grab breakfast, then run around High St hitting all the indie shops and antique stores, so much fun. I'm so excited. We are like the three musketeers, we are super close and I miss them since I have moved to Columbus. Sometimes I feel like I abandoned them, especially since mom has been having her health issues. I call almost everyday though, and make sure they know that I love them. And we get to do things like shopping day, so it's all okay. Here are some pics from last year: Me and Shmoo. Mom attacking me with a plastic whale shark. Mom and I. I'm trying to get the house cleaned up before Saturday though, so if we want to come back here we can without me getting embarrassed. I'm also working on getting my crafting space set up upstairs, instead of in the living room. I am going to get some use from my vi...

I am bravely battling a sinus infection and I am pretty sure the sinus infection is winning. I even tried a netti pot, a thing which I have honestly feared previously. It works for a while, but it doesn't last and to me isn't worth the trauma. We went to see Alice in Wonderland last night. It was pretty damn good. The visuals were beautiful. The girl playing Alice was fantastic, as was Helena as the Red Queen. I had some issues with story flow, but otherwise I thought it was lovely. I feel Tim Burton sated. :) I found a pattern for a bunny finally to be used in my Alice swap, so I am going to get up and running. I also found the patterns for a couple of other pieces I am going to make for the swap. I need to get going now.

I received my Jar of Whimsies swap package today and it was awesome. A lot of vintage buttons, sewing bits, beads, etc. The "jar" was a pair of slippers (that I love). But my favorite favorite thing is this: Gonzo and Henrietta his new girlfriend. : )