Edit: Yes, I have a new theme. Hit Ctrl+F5 to see it. (I seem to be having some issues with IE. I am working on it….)

Happy December everyone! I can’t believe Christmas is just around the corner! I’ve got so much to do before Christmas and our trip to Florida. I still can’t believe I’m going to be at Disney World ON Christmas! I am a little disappointed that “the” Disney World Christmas Parade doesn’t actually occur on Christmas Day. Don’t get me wrong, they have a parade on Christmas, but THE Christmas parade with all the performers and such happened yesterday (November 30th). You have to buy special tickets for it, and they sold out in six hours apparently. Oh well though, I’ll be in the “happiest place on earth” on Christmas Day! I’m still very excited!

So here are some of the things I have been working on lately. First up, I decided today to go ahead and mix up a big batch of peppermint bath salts that are part of the goodies I am making for my aunts and cousin for Christmas. They smell super yummy! I love the little jars too. I got those from Hobby Lobby for 99 cents each. They’re very good, quality little jars. I love little containers and such.

I’ve also been busy painting cupcakes. I guess it was last week I went shopping and found these adorable cupcake ornaments at Joann’s. I bought all that they had. I also found some really awesome glitter paint. I used the glitter paint to paint the tops of the cupcakes. They are really sparkly though the picture doesn’t really show very well. Only one has gotten it’s cute happy face so far. They will all be smiling soon. I haven’t decided whether or not to sell these, give these away in ornament exchanges, or keep them for myself. They are so darn cute! Luckily, I bought lots.

Another thing I have been doing is making more little charms out of polymer clay. It’s not really as easy as it looks. It takes practice and patience to get the shapes and sizes just right. I’m getting better I think. It’s also tricky painting their little faces sometimes. It is time consuming, however, to shape the clay, bake it, let it cool, and paint several coats of paint on. In the end though, they’ve turned out pretty cute I think. I’ve got several I need to still paint.

One other thing I did this morning was make up a big batch of peppermint lotion. Now, I don’t know how happy I am going to be with the end product. The red dye really turned out more pink. I’m not sure if I got enough peppermint oil in the mix either. After it all cools, I’ll try it out later and see what I think about it.

I have so many more things to do: paint Christmas trays, finish the cupcake ornament faces, paint more clay charms, wrap presents, make sugar face scrub, make my peppermint soaps, and try out my new button makers! Yes! I am now the proud owner of a 1 1/4 inch button maker and a 2 1/4 inch button maker. I’m going to go crazy making cute buttons and mirrors! :kiss:

Oh yeah! And here are the two Santa ornaments I made the week of Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving, my family has an ornament exchange. Everyone brings an ornament. We number them, and then everyone draws a number and gets an ornament. I gave away the Santa on the left. My grandma got my ornament again this year.

You can see more pictures of my craft adventures on Flickr.

Oh, and both Karin and Jessica tagged me to post a list of seven facts about myself. I was already tagged before with that same topic (only it was six things). Since I didn’t have time to make a new list of seven things, here is a link to my previous answers.

Are any of you working on handmade gifts for Christmas?

Friday after school and after Colin got off from work, we went down to Nashville to spend the night. This was sort of a spur-of-the-moment thing. I needed to do some birthday shopping for Katee (whose birthday is the 23rd), and I wanted to go to Nashville because there are stores there that aren’t anywhere around here. Plus, Colin and I both have had a few long, tough, busy weeks of work, and a little trip seemed like a fun idea. PLATO testing has worn me out. Plus last week I had a professional development training after school and then two other days I stayed late to help teachers with their webpages. Enid went to school with me a lot last week, but I was so busy that she mostly just sat around my desk. I finally finished PLATO testing on Friday, and getting out of town was a reward of sorts.

When we got to Nashville, we went straight to the Opry Mills Mall. I got a lot of shopping done that first day. I got a really cute bag for my laptop at the Sanrio store. When we went back to the hotel that night, Colin and I tried out the wireless internet access and played some games. We also made a late night run to the McDonald’s because I was starving. We got Happy Meals. The toys have really gotten pathetic over the years. The toys used to be good. Anyway, Enid made a new friend from our Happy Meal (See the picture here.)

Saturday morning we went to Rivergate Mall and did some shopping there. We also went back to the Opry Mills Mall. I wanted to go to a few more stores, and I wanted to go back to the Sanrio store to pick up one more thing, and I’m glad I did. Guess who was at the Sanrio store? Hello Kitty! Enid had her picture taken with Hello Kitty herself! It was cute. You never know when you might see a celebrity in Nashville.

Colin, Enid, and I ate lunch at the Aquarium restaurant. This was our first time ever eating there. It was really neat! So many fishies and sharks and stingrays and scary eels! I took a lot of pictures (see some here) and Enid enjoyed seeing some fellow sea creatures. She was also happy no one wanted to eat her! She also made a new friend- a beluga whale named Hazel.

We drove home from Nashville yesterday and rested for 45 minutes or so once we got home and then headed to the races. My dad did a lot better last night! In the first race, he came in 3rd place out of 11 cars. In the second race, he came in 5th place out of 22 cars! He’s getting a lot better.

Today I’ve been playing around with my laptop. I’m going to be mailing Enid back to Bubs tomorrow if I don’t have to stay after school for some reason. I’ve had fun with Enid, and I think it’s time she moves on now so someone else can enjoy her.

Day 5 - Well, today Enid had a restful day. She hung out at home all day while I spent my whole day at work testing classes non-stop. I had about a 15 minutes lunch break and that was it!
On Wednesdays, Colin and I always go to my parents house for supper. Enid, of course, went along with us. Before we left my parents’, I snapped a couple of pictures: one on the front porch and one with my dad’s race car which Enid got to see last Saturday.

There’s one place in Madisonville I knew I wanted to take Enid from the beginning. Madisonville has proudly displayed a “Best Town on Earth” sign on two bridges in town for years and years. I think one of those signs was removed in the last year. *thinks* Actually, I think it was just moved to another location. Anyway, downtown they built this really nice little bench area and put up this big “Best Town on Earth” thing. It’s so silly! Enid just HAD to have her picture taken there! Colin bought a bear from MCC (Madisonville Community College) yesterday. His name is Dexter and he’s going to be traveling to Canada soon to visit some sites. Colin’s going to use the pictures in this presentation he’s going to be doing about Canada. Enid and Dexter sat on the bench together and had their picture taken. Is there love blossoming??

Tomorrow is a new day. I wonder what Enid will do next. I also snapped a pic of Enid (if this makes sense) in front of the side of Bartholomew’s restaurant. It looks like a nice house, when really it’s just a painted brick wall. She’s so tiny in the picture! I had to back way up to get a good shot.

My Roaming Octopus Photo Set can be found on Flickr. Check it out for more octopus adventures!

The octopus and I have been having more adventures over the last few days. But before I get to that, I must announce that the octopus now has a name. Bubs has given me permission to name her! So… I hereby name the octopus… Enid. Enid the octopus!

Day 2: On Sunday there was a family get-together at my Grandpa’s. We got together for his birthday which was on August 31st.

Day 3: Monday was a day off (Labor Day) so we went shopping with my mom and Katee in Evansville. We went to lots of different stores including Clarie’s. While we were there, Enid was checking out some Halloween headbands. She found a cute one that was a witch hat. I took a picture. She looks so glamorous. We looked for some good octopus books at Barnes and Noble but had no luck.

Day 4: Today (Tuesday) Enid went to school with me. It was a pretty boring day to be observed by an octopus. I was doing PLATO testing all day long. :tongue: I barely had a break today. Enid hung out on my desk all day and watched over things. Funny thing- one of the students brought a book to read when he finished his tests. It was a book about octopi!

Enid didn’t feel like writing herself today because she was afraid Rachael would tease her.

My Roaming Octopus Photo Set can be found on Flickr. Check it out for more octopus adventures!

I was browsing sites yesterday looking for a new Nintendo DS game to buy. (I finally bought Diner Dash yesterday.) I found a lot of neat games that come out over the next few months, but this one I am quite excited about. It’s called “The Bee Game.” Here’s what EB Games says about it:

The Bee Game for Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance lets players experience the adventures of Maya the Bee and her friend Willie as they search for their friends. A strong storm has blown through corn poppy meadow and some of the residents of the hive are now missing! Help Maya and Willie by taking on challenges and completing mini-games to find clues in the meadow, dark forest, blue pond, deep caverns and the garden to locate the other bees.

I think it looks totally cute, but the coolest thing is- it’s Maya the Bee! Anyone remember the show Maya the Bee? It used to come on Nickelodeon in the 80s or early 90s. It is actually a Japanese show from the 70s. The theme song is so catchy!

Today was my first full day with Bubs’ octopus. I’ll let her tell you how the day went.

Today was a neat day! I got to travel to a whole other state! Ashley decided she wanted to buy a new Nintendo DS game. She looked up a few things on the internet, and finally she decided she’d just buy Diner Dash since she’s wanted that one for awhile anyway. I thought this was a good choice. I just wondered if there would be a seafood restaurant on the game….

Ashley, Colin, and I drove up to Evansville, Indiana to go shopping. Apparently, there’s not a lot of good places to shop locally according to Ashley. I guess she goes shopping in Evansville a lot. I might even get to go back there before I leave to go home.

To get to Evansville you have to cross the Ohio River. They are working on re-painting the bridges right now. Ashley said they’d gotten kind of grungy looking. Going over the river was fun. It looked really cool and refreshing. The water was so sparkly! I’d have loved to swim around in there (although I know it’s not exactly the same as ocean water).

After crossing the river we were in Indiana! We went to Chick-Fil-A first so Ashley and Colin could get something to eat. They love to eat there. Ashley does this weird thing where she dips her fries in mayonnaise. After eating, we all went over to GameStop so Ashley and Colin could each buy a new game. They had Diner Dash for Ashley, and Colin got a cute looking detective game.

On the way home from Evansville, I got my picture snapped in front of the welcome to Kentucky sign. I think Kentucky needs a better welcome sign right there. It was kind of small and not very noticeable with all the other signs that were around. We went over the bridge again. This time, we went over the south bound side where two lanes of traffic have been turned into three! That was a little scary. I just focused on the Ohio River and how pretty it was instead of thinking about how everyone was squished together on that bridge!

Ashley’s dad drives a race car at a local race track on the weekends sometimes. He had been having some problems with his car, but luckily he got it straightened out and was able to race tonight. I have never been to a race before! It was exciting! There were so many cars, and food, and people! Ashley’s dad was running 4th in the first race, but he got kind of greedy and pushed his car too hard and got spun around. He still finished the race in about 6th place though. In the feature race, he came in 7th out of 16 or so cars. He didn’t wipe out, and he passed several people! Yay!

Ashley and I got home late (like 12:30). It’s time to go to sleep. Maybe Pouncy will snuggle with me!

My Roaming Octopus Photo Set can be found on Flickr. Check it out for more octopus adventures!

As you may or may not know, Bubs of Bubblessoc.net loves octopi. So much in fact, that she decided to start a Roaming Octopus Adventure similar to the Roaming Gnomes you’ve probably heard about at some point. I signed up right away when she was looking for people to participate. I love fun stuff like this.

While I may not live in the most exciting place in the world, I hope to show her octopus a good time. I was very happy when I returned home from work to find a box outside my door. The octopus had arrived!

I shall now turn things over the little octopus and let her tell you about her adventure thus far.

Well, I arrived in Kentucky today. I was sitting outside in the heat for quite awhile just waiting for someone to get home and let me out of that box! It seemed like forever, but finally Ashley let me out! Ashley is very nice. She has a cute cat named Pouncy who was very interested in me. I also met Ashley’s husband, Colin.

I spent the rest of today resting and getting used to my new surroundings. Ashley and Colin have an ocean themed bathroom, so I felt most at home in there. Lots of fish, crabs, and octopi!

Tomorrow I’m not sure what Ashley and I will do, but I hope it’s fun!

My Roaming Octopus Photo Set can be found on Flickr. Check it out for more octopus adventures!

And now for some random cuteness.
First up, some cute Octopus stuff from Joann’s. All of these items were $1.00 each. The massager and pencil sharpener came in a couple of other colors (yellow, blue, and purple, I think). The stickers are puffy stickers. These things made me think of Bubs.

Callie, a stray cat that’s been at my parents for several months (guess it’s not so “stray” anymore!) had a kitten. Only one. How weird. Anyway, it’s a few weeks old now. Here’s a picture of her.

And last but not least, I drew this fantabulous Rainbow/Cloud picture on Pink Flamingo’s Groupboard. Pink Flamingo is a really cute site with some neat stuff I just ran across the other day. If you like cute stuff, check it out.