I am not opposed to using chemicals, BUT...

I am not opposed to using chemicals, BUT, regular deodorants have been making my pits itch for a while now and that is just miserable.  So, I'm trying something different now.  Again.  I tried Lavilin cream before, but that wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

I remember reading about these a while back and wanting to try them, but I think I was a good bit more broke then.  I just decided to place an order and found that they have a coupon code on their page that expires today.  So, I just placed an order for a few trial-sized deodorant creams.  There is one that even smells like chai.  😳  I am so excited.  😃

https://pretty-frank.com/collections/primal-pit-paste-deodorant

I must be a super dork...

I must be a super dork because I am so excited about what I just bought.  A colander to make rinsing beardie and tort salad easier in the morning, and the coolest little poppy-top salt / pepper shaker for their vitamins.  😃😃😃

Well, I bet I just made Shaun's night. I stepped in a dog turd.

Well, I bet I just made Shaun's night. I stepped in a dog turd.

Super enjoying my time off of work.

Super enjoying my time off of work.  I've been lazy, I've been busy, I've been doing whatever I want.  I've spent most of my time just hanging with the guys and the ani-pals, so that's been a lot of fun.  😃

I've just about got the house situated how I want it.  I've got a list of things I want to do, so when I'm not being lazy I go and do a few things from the list, then forget about the rest of it until I'm damn well ready to deal with it again.  LOL  I'm making progress so I guess that system is working for me.  😃

I'm planning to have the rest of the house stuff done by Sunday - even if it means I have to push myself a little.  There are 2 major things I need to do that I am not looking forward to doing:  1)  Re-organizing Shadow's room (that just needs to happen everyone once in a while), and then 2)  Cleaning my roach tote.  I haven't done that in a LONG time, so I'm sure it is not going to be pleasant.

In any case if I get those things done and then work Monday and possibly Tuesday, then I have the whole rest of the week / weekend to see people and go places.  That is pretty exciting.  😃

Scoober and Alisha - do y'all still feel like coming to Anniston?  Sherri, what is your schedule like?  And Ange - I'm still planning to head your way and get to that new Ulta soon!  Let me know if there is a day / time that works better for you!  😃

Shadow and Tort Baby are arguing over a blanket.

Shadow and Tort Baby are arguing over a blanket.  LOL

Shadow's on the couch with a blanket hanging down and Tort Baby has apparently tucked himself into the part that's on the floor.  Whenever Shadow moves it Tort Baby moves it back.  Poor boys.  It's not as though there aren't 1000 other blankets in this house, but apparently,they both want the Spiderman one.  😛

I am hungry and REALLY have to pee, but...

I am hungry and REALLY have to pee, but I'm getting some super precious tort snuggles.  Baby has been chilling on my chest, AWAKE, for the last 10 minutes or so. ❤

Today I gave myself permission...

Today I gave myself permission to say "NO" AND "STOP" to someone who was using me.  BEST GIFT EVER.  I know I sound like a Scrooge to have done that on Christmas, but it had been building since August and enough was enough.

Letting a grown-ass person depend on me wasn't really doing them any favors, either, so maybe it was a gift to them, as well... although, I highly doubt that they will see it that way.  Oh well.

*****

The person you helped me help... they have been here literally every week since then asking me for things. 🙁 Toilet paper, tampons, food, change, Swiffer pads... I mean, it's too much. WAYYY TOO MUCH. Last night when I didn't have a dollar she wanted to ask my child for it. That was crossing a line.

*****

I mean, I'm not even always able to give her what she asks for, but I know that Shaun has given her food he was about to eat and things like that. They get food stamps and no one is looking for a job, so I'm just over here like, "Make your food stamps last and find a job. I can't keep doing this."

I mean, of all people to beg off of. Yes, I have Shaun, but I maintain my household as a single person. It's no secret that I'm not rolling in the dough.

*****

This is why I prefer to help animals. LOL They are always more grateful.

Also, I've been feeding her cat for about 7 months now. I will continue doing that.

I hope that everyone's had a good day.

I hope that everyone's had a good day.  I'm finally home, so I'm happy about that.

I saw both of my parents and my brother today, so that was nice.  Then we saw Shaun's parents and that was pretty funny in a few different ways.  They gave Shadow rolls of quarters this year.  They did that last year, too, and that's ok.  I don't think that is totally unheard of.

But I feel like the gift they gave me was pretty out there.  They gave me 9 packs of gum.  LOL  I would take offense except that I have been at their house when I've had a sore throat and have asked for a piece of gum, so they knew I would chew it (even though I generally don't, but there are times that I will).  So that was pretty funny.  😃

THEN, the food.  Look, I'm not making fun of Shaun's mom for her inability to cook because I have that, too.  I don't give a shit.  It's not something I'm good at or care about, so whatever.  If I know that I have company coming I'll order pizza or bake a frozen one or something like that if we're not going out.  No biggie, right?

Well, for Thanksgiving and Christmas she tries to cook.  She probably shouldn't, but she does.  LOL

Let me preface this piece of my story with this bit of information:  We had lunch with Shaun's parents at Logan's on Monday.  His mom ordered some food - part of which was a loaded sweet potato.  She didn't finish her food (she never does) so she took a bunch home.  Most notably, she took the sweet potato home because I watched her scrape it out of its skin, all the while wondering why she didn't just pick the whole thing up and stick it in the box.

Well, when we got there she said "I made some sweet potatoes for you."  I like sweet potatoes and usually have one whenever we go out, so she knows I eat them.  For Thanksgiving she made some sweet potato something that was pretty good, so that's what I thought we were having.  Nope.  It was very obviously her leftover loaded sweet potato from Logan's - scraped into a tin so it could be re-heated.  LOL  Needless to say I did not eat it.

She totally cracks me up with her "cooking."  My first experience with that was when she brought us some muffins to work one day.  Shaun had warned me about her food, but at that point I didn't know better and thought "It can't be THAT bad."  Only after I took a bite of one of those muffins did she disclose that she'd put cereal and Red Hots in them.  She just makes up shit and does whatever.  She's also brought us moldy cookies.  LOL  Hey, it keeps things interesting, at least.

BUT, from now until forever the rule is that we're stopping at my mom's house first on holidays so I can eat real food that isn't old and / or experimental.  LOL  I think that is totally legit.  😃

Anyway, yeah, glad to be home, hope everyone had fun, and now I'm off to wash a dog.  ❤

(And for the record I am not complaining about the gifts or the food.  I don't really celebrate Christmas so I don't have any expectations and therefore I'm not disappointed about anything.  I just found my day to be funny and interesting, so I thought I'd share.)  😃

I know that a lot of my friends aren't big fans...

I know that a lot of my friends aren't big fans of Wal-Mart for various reasons, but I'm too poor to have a choice.  It's walking-distance from my house and I can afford it so I shop there A LOT.  Like, for almost everything I need.

So they are doing this thing now called Savings Catcher (where they compare prices to other stores in the area and give you the difference back if they find a lower price), so I signed up because why not?  Any little bit of money I save helps.

I also have a BlueBird card that I use for pretty much everything.  I load my entire paycheck on there every week and I use it to pay all of my bills.  I prefer it to using a bank - because no fees.  It's not even possible to overdraft on it.  I prefer to have my card declined to being slammed with a $35 fee when I'm obviously already broke as shit.

So, if you sign up for Savings Catcher and have the money you get back from that sent to your BlueBird account you get DOUBLE the amount back until February.  So the Savings Catcher has found $7-ish dollars in the last week for me and since I've had it sent to my BlueBird card I've gotten $15.  That is not nothing and all I've had to do is scan my receipts in.

Just thought I'd share that for any of my broke ass friends who might be interested.  🙂

Picked up my Epi pens today.

Picked up my Epi pens today. Kind of wonder if they are necessary. I've been eating chocolate for two days, and haven't kicked out my dogs, or cut down my trees. I guess it won't hurt to have them, just in case.

So quiet and calm out, and then...

So quiet and calm out, and then suddenly lightning hit so close that it set off Shaun's car alarm.

Decided to go to Wal-Mart, but they don't have power, either. I've never seen it so dark over there. Now we're at Los Arcos. LOL

Power is out.

Power is out. It's not storming - barely even sprinkling, yet Nappy is freaking out. Can't help but wonder if she's scared of the unexpected dark. Big old weenie.

OMG, cats are NOT my favorite.

OMG, cats are NOT my favorite.  Especially not today!

So I was making my rounds this morning - same as I do every day.  Most of you are well aware that I have 20-something non-human kids, so I like it when things go smoothly.  Today, things are not going that smoothly.

Right now I have a lizard-shit covered cat stuck in a plastic bag hiding behind my couch.

Not only is the cat covered in lizard shit and stuck in a bag AND hiding behind the couch, BUT she made about a hundred laps around the living room at lightening speed with the bag stuck to her, therefore flinging lizard shit all over the place, too.

Thanks a lot, Addsie (ADDC = A Dumb Drooling Cat, as named by Shadow).  You really are dumb as hell.  Maybe next time leave my trash bag alone when I step out of the room for 2 seconds to let the dog out.  K, thanks.

*****

She just came out of hiding so I could free her of the lizard shit trash bag. Looking all afraid of me - like I did that to her! Jeez. Of course I get blamed. LOL

*****

It's ok - I'm laughing, too. You can't have a house full like I do and be mad when something goofy like that happens.

Everything is all cleaned up now and the cat is sitting there giving me the stink eye. All is right with the world. LOL

I have had a pretty good weekend. 😃

I have had a pretty good weekend.  😃

I am FINALLY (after the summer of depression and working not so much) caught up on my bills.  Not a lot of money left over for gifts, but I did manage to buy both Shaun and Shadow something small, so I'm done.  The gifts probably won't arrive before Christmas, but no one cares.  I love that we just do things our way.  ❤

I have spent most of the weekend cleaning, napping, and playing Mario with my guys.  LOL  It's been AWESOME and relaxing - which is just what I think I needed.  😃

I'm working tomorrow and Tuesday, so anyone who wanted to hang out I can't those days.  But any day after that, I'm probably free.  The only plans I for sure have is that I'd like to go to the new Ulta in Gadsden (preferably before my coupons expire!) so I can check it out.

I'm off to wash a dog and clean the dog room, then hopefully Shaun will come back and we can finish that world we unlocked that kept kicking our asses.  LOL  Since I slept late today and still napped, I'm pretty wide awake right now.  😃

I just ripped my closet door down.

I just ripped my closet door down. On accident. Because I'm a She-Hulk, I guess.

Had an allergy test done a few minutes ago.

Had an allergy test done a few minutes ago.  Know what I'm allergic to?  My two favorite things:  Dogs and chocolate. Not even kidding. 🙁

Also, pecan pollen (I have 3 giant pecan trees in my yard) and wheat (because that's not in everything I love). 

There's a whole other list of molds, trees, grasses and weeds, too.

I win an Epi Pen. Woo. 😕

6 years in and...

6 years in and I'm still happy about him. 🙂

BEST RELATIONSHIP EVAR.

Went shopping for Tort Baby after work today.

Went shopping for Tort Baby after work today.  He is now the owner of a fancy schmancy terra cotta pot to sleep in.  Also, he has a giant tile to eat from.  AND I got him some new dirt.  All for under $5.  I was pleasantly surprised.

He's sleeping, but I'm so tempted to wake him up and re-arrange his house.  LOL

2 Minutes of my Tortoise Taking a Bath

2 Minutes of my Tortoise Taking a Bath

Pardon the boys talking nerdy. I was not even paying attention to them. LOL

Oof. I am gonna be sore in the morning.

Oof.  I am gonna be sore in the morning.  And probably have a nice ASS bruise, too.  Thank you, Natasha.  o_O

So I was bringing the dogs in for the night and Nappy - who likes the cold - did NOT want to come in.  So I'm like, "Sorry, babe, some bad person might get you." and proceeded to get her by the collar to pull her in.

Before I proceed, please remember that Nappy is the dog who weighs as much as I do.  Like, literally.  LOL  So when I have to pull her in I have to pull with all my weight.

So I started pulling, she sat down in protest, her collar snapped, and I flew backwards onto the concrete and raised metal floor sill (yes, that's a thing - I just Googled the anatomy of a doorway so I could tell you).  Needless to say, that didn't feel very nice.

I think next time I will just bribe her in with treats.  LOL

This is how every place should treat animals.

This is how every place should treat animals. They have needs and feelings, too.

From Featured Creature on Facebook:

It is against Swiss law to keep guinea pigs alone. A service even exists that provides a guinea pig companion to keep a lonely guinea pig company should its partner die.

 

 

I was driving to lunch today...

I was driving to lunch today and saw a mangy (almost naked) dog outside of a business.  I didn't stop that second because I needed time to think of what I should do (my snap reaction isn't nice), so I had lunch with Shaun and then went back.  The dog was gone, but I asked the business owner about him.  He said that it's not his dog... it's just a dog that follows one of his customers everywhere.  The dog also doesn't belong to the guy he follows... I guess they are just buddies.

He said that he lives over there in the ghetto and pointed towards Glen Addie.  The business owner said they all feed him when he comes around, so that's nice.  I asked if I picked up mange cure if anyone would put it on the dog and he said that he's sure the guy he follows would.

So... I need two kinds of help.

First of all:  I'm not sure what kind of mange he has (or if that is definitely it), but he's almost totally bald and he wasn't a few months ago according to the business owner.  I know that Advocate will kill both kinds of mange plus de-worm him and that would avoid him having to be bathed in this cold weather, as I'm sure he's not an inside dog.  I bet he weighs between 30 and 40 lbs.  I can't think of any other mange cure that helps both kinds that doesn't require bathing, but if there is one out there, let me know.

Second, I am pretty broke right now... as in... "I paid the mortgage payment this month, so Merry Christmas" broke.  LOL  It's not that big a deal to me because I'm not that much of a holiday person, so it's just whatever.  But this dog is breaking my heart.  Would anyone be willing to donate money towards getting him some medication?  I would greatly appreciate some help with this.  If you don't want to straight up donate to the cause you could go order from my Etsy and get something in return.  Either way.

As much as I really hate to sound like I'm pushing my Etsy, the shop is www.etsy.com/shop/PolishAllTheThings and there is an active coupon code for 25% off through the end of the year. The coupon code is "TORTROISE".  LOL  Maybe I should go in and change it to "mangy dog."  I'm not really going to do that.  Maybe I'll find a sick or hurt animal BEFORE I decide to make a coupon next time.  😛

But seriously.  Help him out.  It's too cold out to be naked.  ❤

Vicky is awesome.

Vicky is awesome.  Nice to see something smart in Cosmo for once!  😃

Get That Life: How I Became a NASA Engineer Despite My Disability

I'm on the couch with Tort Baby.

I'm on the couch with Tort Baby. He's smooshed in between my lower back and the couch. He was getting tired from walking around on the floor and he was getting cold, so I guess that means sleepy time for him. Thank goodness for him that he's cute. It feels like snuggling an ice cube once he's cooled off. LOL

When I got home he was still in his house. He usually comes to the front and lets Shadow know that he wants out, but he didn't today. When I got home and opened his door, though, he came to me. That made me pretty happy. 🙂

So I guess I'm gonna sit here and file my nails. I let my claws get too long and had a couple start breaking today. Maybe I'll even paint them. 😛

Best boyfriend ever...

Best boyfriend ever just surprised me with some muffins and milk.  My day has officially been made AWESOME.  ❤

I have been BEYOND lazy this weekend.

I have been BEYOND lazy this weekend. I have spent most of my time just chilling out with my animals, Shaun, and Shadow. So, no complaints here! Not about that, anyway. My hands are still bothering me, but maybe I will hear from my doctor tomorrow.

Other than that I kind of wish that Wal-Mart delivered. I could really go for some milk and muffins right now, but I REALLY don't want to leave my house. I am such a bum today. Oh well.

2 Minutes of my Tortoise Eating Salad

2 Minutes of my Tortoise Eating Salad

Snoozing on my boobs...

Snoozing on my boobs with a leg sticking out. Funny boy. 😃

I feel like I've been running around all day.

I feel like I've been running around all day.  Time to sit down and chill out with my Tuggle Snort.  😃

My hands have been pretty sore lately...

My hands have been pretty sore lately even though I'm on pills. Today, my forearms hurt for some reason. My knees have also started hurting, despite the pills. I called the doctor today and left a message. I've asked to see a rheumatologist. I hope they call me back soon.

So it's becoming a thing...

So it's becoming a thing where I get off work and have to find a tortoise somewhere in our family room.  LOL  He has apparently got Shadow wrapped around his, um, shell, because he demands to be let out as soon as Shadow gets in the room.  Then he stomps around the room until he gets tired and falls asleep somewhere random and hidden.  It is cracking me up.  It's also totally fine with me, because sleepy tort = snuggle tort.  😃

We still need to name him.

Shaun suggested Radagast.  Shadow likes Hamburger.  I suggested Bowser, but Shadow says that's too many Mario references in the house.  I think he is mistaken.  LOL  In any case we haven't settled on anything yet.  Oh well.

Little man woke up...

Little man woke up, stretched his neck out all long, AND THEN YAWNED. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen. So bummed I didn't have my camera ready.

My tortoise is more longular and Emily's is more circular.

My tortoise is more longular and Emily's is more circular. I'm excellent at describing things.

Tryna' be like "Woo, holidays!" over here, so...

Tryna' be like "Woo, holidays!" over here, so this is what I did to my nails.

Don't get me wrong...

Don't get me wrong - I am thankful for all that I have even though life is not perfect.  I've got some amazing friends and family, a roof over my head, and I'm able to work.  But I'm not gonna pretend this isn't a bad day for someone else.  Everyone should keep in mind that others are mourning what we are celebrating.  We wouldn't have what we have in this country (for better or worse) if our ancestors hadn't done a terrible thing to someone else.

Thank goodness!

TRIGGER WARNING:  Animal Abuse

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Thank goodness!

In Munford at the old high school...

In Munford at the old high school. Selling my wares. Nice to be back! 🙂

THEY GOT HIM! 😃

TRIGGER WARNING:  Animal Abuse
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THEY GOT HIM!  😃

Got to Dr. Hamer's office at 10:15...

Got to Dr. Hamer's office at 10:15.  Got a room at 4:20.  Saw the doctor from 6:something until 7:45.

He was worth the wait.  That was the most intense doctor visit I've ever had.

P. S.  I have psoriatic arthritis.

EDITED TO ADD:  He said that the steroids were a BAD idea.  He said it could clear me temporarily (which it did), but that it usually comes with a really bad rebound.  My hands have been stiff lately, which is part of that.  NO MORE steroids for this.

I think all of the "excitement" of the day has gotten to me...

I think all of the "excitement" of the day has gotten to me.  I'm not really a people person and for the last 4 hours of work I had to be around people.  I was stressed and exhausted well before I made it home.  Now I feel fever-ish and my face is red.  Un-related, as this started happening days ago:  My skin is on fire in places.  Pants hurt.  Shirts hurt.  Woo.

Good thing I'm going to the doctor in the morning.  I REALLY hope he's not out sick again.  I will be so sad.

'Night, Internet.  Also, see my previous post if you haven't.  I feel like that one is pretty important.  Confirmed Animal Abuser in Anniston.  Let's put that jackass out of business and run him out of town.

Animal Abuser in Anniston!

I am posting this with the disclaimer that I am not sure how true this is, but the dude has a shit reputation around town.  I wouldn't be surprised.

Animal Abuser in Anniston!  How about you boycott his business and run him out of town?  I've never been in there and it's lucky for him I didn't see that today.  I LITERALLY lose control when I see an animal in trouble.

From a reliable source:  "APD verified that witnesses saw his beating dog on outside deck.  Either he threw it or it jumped to concrete below.  Blood was coming from its mouth.  They will not say what vet has it, but that it is okay.  Many think it is dead.  I am hopeful that arrest for felony animal cruelty will follow.  He is a psychopath."

It's been a LONG day and...

It's been a LONG day and I didn't see that many people I know (shame on all of you except Brittany!).  BUT, it was nice seeing the S.A.V.E ladies again and we did raise money for a good cause, so it was worth it.  😃

Go ahead and mark your calendars for next year - we usually do it on the Thursday before Thanksgiving.  No excuses!

As of this morning...

As of this morning the car is no longer there.  There is a mini-fence up and they are doing construction-y stuff out back.

Tired, cold, and sore, so...

Tired, cold, and sore, so I guess I'm heading to bed.  But first!  Here is an update for anyone who was curious:

I had an appointment with Dr. Hamer today.  I went to 1700 Christine Avenue, which is the address Blue Cross had online, but he was not there.  He's now at 1820 Leighton Avenue if anyone needs to know that.

I went in and the receptionist guy was on the phone.  I'd left my cell in the car; otherwise, I would have known he was calling me to say that Dr. Hamer was out sick.  I stayed and did all of the new patient paperwork and all that (might as well get it out of the way), and rescheduled my appointment for Friday morning.  So, we'll try that again Friday.  LOL  I hope that the doctor is feeling better by then.

I am doing mostly ok.  My joints and bones aren't hurting, so that's nice - especially in this kind of cold we're having.  My skin is already breaking back out, though.  I guess it was fun having nice skin while it lasted.  LOL  It's not painful yet - which is my main concern, but I know it'll be getting there - and soon.  I've read that while steroid use can ease psoriasis in the short term it can also trigger massive breakouts when you're done with the meds.  I'm really hoping that doesn't happen in my case, but I guess we'll find out!

I know I mentioned that I am sore, but that's just muscle sore from exercise.  It's no fun, but at least it's not a bad thing.  🙂

I am also fighting a sinus infection.  It hasn't hit me hard yet.  I keep rinsing my nose out trying to head it off, so maybe that will work.

Other than that I think I gained 10 lbs from the steroids - as I ate like a hog while I was on them.  Trying REALLY hard to start eating normally again, but it's not easy.  I've still got a big appetite, but that could just be all in my head or what I got used to doing.  Either way, trying to get that in check.  If my joints are bad the last thing I need to be is unnecessarily heavier.

And I guess that's all for now.  ❤

Steampunk-ish nails!

Steampunk-ish nails! I've been wanting to use the gear stamping plate and this glitter polish from Loaded Lacquer for a long time and I finally got around to doing it. Woo!

Just so you all know: I have the best pack of mutts. For serious.

Just so you all know:  I have the best pack of mutts. For serious.  They are all so neat and different and awesome and they are all my favorite. ❤

I gotta say I just saw Emma problem-solve and it made my night. She was on dish duty pre-washing a bowl and it kept sliding away from her. She picked it up and moved it back once, but it kept sliding. So she picked it up a 2nd time and put it against the dryer. BOOM. Problem solved.

I'm sure dogs do smarter stuff than that all the time, but I thought it was pretty cool. I'm proud of my baby!

So... this weirdness is happening around the corner from my house.

So... this weirdness is happening around the corner from my house.

That is a car, turned on its side, spray painted with the words "Stay Away."

It's been there since yesterday morning and this is all I know about it.

Yay Anniston?!

Clearly not back on top of my nail art game, but...

Clearly not back on top of my nail art game, but this was fun, fast, and cute. Best of all, it makes me smile when I look down and see the little hippo. 😃

I am happy to report that...

I am happy to report that I have felt actually, really good today!  😃  It's bittersweet because it's been ages since I've felt this way and I'm kind of dreading it ending... BUT I'm not letting that ruin it.  🙂

One thing I've noticed since the shot / pills is that I am not freezing to death.  I was cleaning in my room last night and spotted my hat drawer and was thinking "Surely I'm usually wearing my hats by mid-November."  I mean, I'm wearing snow pants because DUH.  I'm still me.  But I'm not wearing two shirts plus a heavy jacket AND hat AND boots - and I'm just ok.  I'm ok!  😃  It's so weird, but really nice.  It's not unseasonably warm, is it?

I actually used to love the cold and my plan as a teen was to move to Alaska, but after I had Shadow all of the heat left my body.  It's like I've never been able to warm back up.  I've actually read something about the thing that gives you psoriasis is the thing that also keeps you from fighting your fetus and that it can cause problems after you have a baby, so I'm kind of wondering if all of that is related.

Anyway, I've tried with no luck to get an appointment with Dr. Hamer.  There are a thousand phone numbers listed, but none of them seem to be working.  My BCBS account gave me one that worked, but it said "For appointments, press 1" and when I did it was a recording about prescriptions.  So I will try again in the morning.

One way or another I'm gonna stay on top of this "health" business because I REALLY LIKE feeling ok.  It has honestly been the worst year for me health-wise and I think I had probably been on a downward slide for a longer time than that without realizing it and / or having any way to change it.  I am so thankful that I have insurance now.  Y'all have no idea!

I have the best guy ever.

I have the best guy ever.  For my birthday he got me a super nice printer and for Christmas he got me a little pop-up photo-takey kit.  I've had my printer for a while and I got the photo kit today.  With all of the Etsy and everything I've been doing I really needed both of those things.  Like, BAD.  LOL

I'm ok with most of my photos, but I was having to take them outside - in certain weather, at certain times of day, in certain places, and if I missed out... well, I had to use photos that weren't great, or that looked wayyy different than the others, and blegh.  With my bones hurting and winter coming I was NOT looking forward to having to deal with outdoors if I didn't want to.

These are my first photos using the kit.  I'm still trying to figure it out, but I think this is gonna be awesome.  I took these while sitting in a chair in my bedroom - not huddled outside in the dirt fighting the bugs and trying to get a decent shot.

The only thing I'm not a fan of is how clinical and white they look.  I know that most product photography is done on clean backgrounds, but this is boring as shit to me and SO NOT MY STYLE.  I think I need to use some props or something.  I will be digging around in my room to see if I can come up with anything super cool.  😃

If anyone has tips for me feel free to leave them here.  I see my bedroom lights reflecting in the rings, so I guess next time I will need to turn them off.  I know that the focus is off a little, but I usually photograph one thing at a time, so ignore that.  Other than that, I don't know why the backgrounds aren't PERFECTLY white (or if they even are supposed to be without shooping), so if I'm doing something wrong, tell me.

P. S.  Dinosaur rings.  I can do necklaces and earrings, too.  😃

Bittersweet day.

Bittersweet day.  Cookie Monster just found his home through Etsy.  This was from when I very first started making things.  I hope his new owner loves him!  😃❤

Polish All the Things was featured on another Etsy Treasury!

Polish All the Things was featured on another Etsy Treasury!  Woohoo!

winter is coming by NewKarakoalRain on Etsy

So here's a question:

So here's a question:

I found that a doctor who two of my friends recommended is eligible to be my primary care guy.

Should I change now or go back to the same place I went before for testing and a referral?  I was a little uncomfortable with the fact that there wasn't much testing done at the previous place before I was shot up with / prescribed meds, but then again I don't know what is normal for doctors these days.

So, give first doc another chance or just go ahead and make a clean break?

I blogged the left photo a thousand years ago on MySpace...

I blogged the left photo a thousand years ago on MySpace.  It might be up on another blog somewhere else, too, but  I doubt that most of you have seen it.

The left photo was taken fresh out of the shower sometime in 2007.  Hopefully the Internet won't flag it as too much nudity.  It's like, shoulders and jacked-up face.  Might be scary to some, but I wouldn't think super offensive.

The left photo was taken at a point when I didn't have insurance or a lot of other options for dealing with my health issues.  I don't know why, but my psoriasis hasn't been shy about getting on my face.  A lot of people who have this condition don't seem to have that problem, but I almost always have.  Face and scalp have always been terrible for me.  That's one major reason I used to keep my head shaved.  It was just easier to deal with head flakes when there was no hair in the way.

I remember back when I used to try to hide my face with makeup.  That only made things worse, and then one day I had the experience of someone asking me if I was trying to hide scabs from a skate-boarding accident.  It was at that point that I realized I was fooling no one, and just let it show after that.  It FELT better, at the very least - even if I wasn't like, proud of my face.

I've had it to varying degrees on the rest of my body.  It's not usually intolerable, though, unless I'm under a lot of stress, my diet sucks, or it's winter.  There are definitely some things that make it much worse.

For anyone who's curious, psoriasis is not contagious.  Yes, it hurts and itches, and I've been like a lizard in shed for most of my life.  Woo.  There is also an arthritis that comes with it sometimes, which is my current major worry.  But I'm working on that.

The photo on the right is my face right now.  Fresh out of the shower, no make-up, not shooped.

I wish I could just tell you all how I feel about it, but I'm just gonna cry instead.  I have real skin!  There is really real skin on my face.  And it's soft.  And it's not coming off.  And it doesn't hurt.  I think that after all this time I had forgotten that was even a possibility.  I feel really emotional right now.  ❤

Nails I did the other day when I was hurting so bad and couldn't sleep.

Nails I did the other day when I was hurting so bad and couldn't sleep. Happy Nails to me! LOL It was a nice distraction. Not super fancy, but that's because I used whatever was in arm's reach.

Ok, I know that my last like, 12 posts have been me whining...

Ok, I know that my last like, 12 posts have been me whining about boring health stuff and I apologize, but this one isn't gonna be much different.

I have a question, though.

Is it possible that I've been in a small amount of pain for a long time without realizing it?  I always thought I had a pretty high threshold, but it sounds crazy to me that I wouldn't even notice / acknowledge it.

Twice this weekend I've gone to places where I had to walk on hard floors.  Once, the mall (crazy, I know!) and twice I've been in Wal-Mart.  I don't think that either time I was grumpy or angry that I was there.  Granted, I was at the mall seeing an awesome girl I never really get to see, but there is usually no reason for me to not be angry that I'm in a Wal-Mart.  LOL

I don't think I'd realized it, but standing around in places had begun to bother me.  I'm not a shopping kind of girl (unless it's the rare occasion I'm looking at nail polish outside of the internet), but for the last few years I've HATED to go anywhere that I might have to stand around (such as Wal-Mart or Best Buy.  Shaun is a shopper, while I, on the other hand, usually know exactly what I'm there for and run through to get it.)  I also noticed when thinking back that if I DID have to wait on him I'd become one of those people who sat on shelves or in the floors.  I'm not lazy.  It's not like I can't freaking stand up.  But I think I was in some sort of discomfort that maybe wasn't registering as pain.

Does that happen?  Because when I went to Wal-Mart last night it's not like I was super excited to be there, but I felt ok.  Like, weirdly, surprisingly, physically ok.  There have been a few other instances the last couple of days where I felt the same.  It's like the absence of discomfort has made me realize that it was there in the first place.  Can discomfort / pain come on so gradually that it's just there without you knowing?

I feel so baffled right now.  Y'all don't even know.  I always thought I was so in tune with myself.  😳

So far I'm a little riled today from the steroids, but not majorly.  Still hungry like a horse.  Shaun is taking me to a buffet.  I will try not to bite his head off for him being so nice to me.  LOL  I did sleep last night - a lot.  I feel rested, but I am majorly lacking motivation to do anything, though I feel sort of energetic.  Not sure if that's the pills or if my body needs to rest.  So much to figure out!  😕

Later, peeps.  Food time!  😃

It has been a weird day.

It has been a weird day.  My body and my brain are not in sync.  There have been times I felt like exercising, yet I would fall asleep. There was a time I was so drowsy on the couch, but I couldn't sleep because my arms and legs felt buck wild. I'm not a super fan of this weirdness. 😕

My biggest accomplishment today had to have been the amount of food I've eaten. It was a ridiculous amount and I could still eat more. I'm sure I will regret that soon.

I'm in my bed in hopes that I can sleep. I feel drowsy with no super wild body parts at the moment. Wish me luck. ❤

I feel crazy cranky wild.

I feel crazy cranky wild. Physically mostly ok-ish, but I think these pills are making me mentally or emotionally JACKED UP.  I'm an unpleasant beast right now. 😳

What happens when I'm done with the pills?  I don't think they intend to keep me on them. Just wondering what the next step is...

It's been a weird day.

It's been a weird day.  Not really bad, but definitely weird.

I slept for about 8 hours last night.  It was lovely.   Dogs woke me up around 9:30, so I took care of all the kids, ate, and then took my first two pills.  Sat on the couch like a knot on a log - watching Andy Griffith and messaging my besties.  Was super pleasantly surprised that I haven't felt like barfing, though my stomach has felt a little off.  I guess that's normal and ok.

Don't know if my body just needed the rest or if it was the pills or what, but I fell asleep for a few more hours.  Woke up about 30 minutes ago.  Usually that much sleep gives me a sleep hangover, but not today.

I feel weird.  Body isn't TOO sore, skin is still nice like "Whoa."  A little jeebly in my guts.  Still having random shooty pains, but those aren't so bad.  Better than constant pain.  At least these are like little surprises.  LOL

About to eat and get the 2nd pair of pills down me.  Maybe after that I can stay awake for a while.

Heard from the doctor's office today.

Heard from the doctor's office today. They want me to come back either Thursday or Monday after I finish my steroid pills. They said we could talk and run some tests to see about doing a referral for me. So, I guess that is my plan for now.

Today I have felt ok. My lower back and thigh pain have mostly faded. My knees and hips are better than they've been in a long time. Even though it's chilly this evening my whole body isn't seized up and sore. That's amazing. 

The only complaint I have is slight back soreness and some random occasional shooty pains. I can live with that.

I have been freaking myself out all day with my skin. It is SO SOFT. My hair, too. I can't stop petting myself. When you've lived with sore, flaky, rough skin for so long - feeling like you have fresh soft baby skin suddenly is mind - blowing. Like, in a big way. I wish you could all touch my face right now, but that would gross me out. LOL

Anyway. Will start my steroid pills tomorrow and hope that goes ok.

So far today I have taken a nice hot shower.

Well, my dogs woke me up earlier than I'm used to and I couldn't get back to sleep.  I did sleep most of the night, though, so yay for that.  I needed it.

So far today I have taken a nice hot shower.  I used my medicated shampoo, even though my head wasn't really itchy or anything.  With the cold weather upon us I don't want to take any chances.  My psoriasis always worsens in the winter, so I figured I should stay on top of it.

This is probably super gross, but while I was in the shower I think I washed off 20 layers of face.  I try not to scratch my face even when it itches, but I often fail.  After the shot the other day either it stopped bothering me or I was too busy hurting to care about it, so (since psoriasis basically just causes you to produce extra skin all the time) I had A LOT of extra skin just hanging out on my face.

Yeah, also probably super gross to most of you - I hadn't washed my face since Wednesday.  I felt too bad, and it wasn't a priority, and over-washing with a skin condition often worsens things.  ON THE BRIGHT SIDE my face looks pretty much like a regular face today.  🙂  There was a patch of psoriasis on my chin that was so inflamed two weeks ago at the craft show in Alpine that a lady thought I was bleeding.  You can barely see it now - so that's something!

After my shower I put some of the medicated crème on some of my other spots.  Didn't do all of them because I want to see if it does anything or not.  Also wanted to make sure it doesn't like, chemical burn me or anything like that.  I've had that happen before, so I started small this time.

So, skin is feeling a lot better.  Yay for that!  Bones and muscles... not 100% (I'm still sore), but MUCH improved from yesterday so far.  I don't hate life yet today, so that's a really nice feeling.  LOL  Probably doesn't hurt that it's Friday, either.  I'm excited about getting paid and excited to have the weekend off.

I have decided that I will start my steroid pills tomorrow in case they do make me sick.  My boss is setting up for Winter Market (which starts later today), so she won't be in the office much if at all and I have some things that need to be done TODAY.  If I'm not functional that will be a problem, so I'll just wait.  I don't think it will hurt much to give it another day.  Doc didn't even tell me I was getting pills or that I should start them immediately, so it doesn't feel like a big deal.  If I'm doing it wrong, well, that's on him for being non-communicate-y.  I'm not going to worry about it.

So, Happy Friday, people.  I hope it's a good one for all of us!  ❤

CAN. NOT. WIN.

Sat on the couch with Shaun.  Starting dozing.  Realized I might be able to sleep tonight, so I got up and took care of the furkids.  Now I've got a killer headache.

CAN. NOT. WIN.

Got my meds from the pharmacy today.

Got my meds from the pharmacy today.  Dr. Keel said that he was prescribing me an ointment for my psoriasis... what he failed to tell me is that I had 4 other prescriptions waiting.  😳

He prescribed me some Selsun Blue shampoo with an active ingredient of 3% Salicylic Acid, which is the same active ingredient in the Dermarest Shampoo that I told him I was using, (and yes, I told him also what the active ingredient was).  He also prescribed some Scalpicin for my head itch. I guess that's ok, but I could have gotten both of those products at Wal-Mart had I wanted them.

For the rest of my body he prescribed a hydrocortisone for itch (I don't really feel that I needed that, either - I'm not a fan of treating symptoms. I want to treat my problems.) He also gave me a steroid cream to TREAT my psoriasis - which I will use.

He also prescribed Methylpred - some steroid pills. I am scared to take them, but I will start them in the morning.

That steroid shot from yesterday has made me so sore in the muscles in the lower half of my body - as if sore joints weren't bad enough. I took Ibuprofen this morning, but it didn't do a thing.  I have been pretty damn miserable all day due to the pain and not being to sleep last night. So you can probably see why the thought of taking more steroids terrifies me. Not only that, but they are pills with nausea and dizziness as a side effect, like, in big red warning letters on the package.  🙁  I am super not happy about that.

It would be one thing if I didn't have to work or take care of my animals, but I do, and I really need to be functional.  My guys are being great and picking up extra things around the house and Shaun has been a big help, but damn.  I don't feel like myself.  This morning it took every bit of effort I had to drag myself out of bed and get ready for work.  I fed all the animals, but I didn't scoop litter boxes or anything like that.  It was just too much.  I WILL do all of that before I go to bed tonight, though.

I also called the doctor twice... once because of the muscle pain from the shot and once to get a referral.  I had to leave messages both times and no one called me back.  So yay for that crap.  I'm not super pleased with that place right now - I don't think he did tests or anything, then he just prescribed me a bunch of crap - half of which I don't need or want and one thing that I basically already have.  Not cool.

I am sorry if I'm coming off all whiny.  If I am it's because that's how I am IRL at the moment.  I am such a sad person right now.  I know that lots of people have it worse than me and that just makes me even sadder.  It maybe wouldn't be so bad if I had a knowledgeable doc on hand to explain shit to me, but I don't and I really like to know things.

Anyway, probably goes without saying that I'm not doing any shows this weekend, which sucks because I need money kind of a lot right now, but I just can't.  I am planning to take it easy until I feel better - however long that takes.

Later, friends.  I have work here to do.  😕

I was feeling too sore to sleep, so...

I was feeling too sore to sleep, so I stayed up and painted my nails as a get-well present.  It kind of made me feel better and took my mind off of how sore I am.  I feel as though I've been beaten from the waist down.  Kind of afraid to take anything for the pain.  I don't like to have a lot of medication in me all at once.  😕

About to climb up in my bed and try to get comfy.  Thanks for all the well-wishes.  ❤

Had a very hard time sleeping last night.

Had a very hard time sleeping last night.  It was well after 4 when I finally fell asleep.  I turned off my alarm because I figured I'd need the rest.  Well the doggies woke me up around 9:45 and I couldn't get back to sleep.  I have a headache, so I'm having some unsweet tea and Ibuprofen for breakfast.

Physically, I'm still not good by any stretch, BUT, my knees and hips aren't AS SORE as they were.  A lot of the general pain from last night has faded, but my thigh muscles and lower back still hurt in a not so insignificant way.  That didn't start until the injection, so here's hoping that fades soon or that the Ibuprofen at least kicks it down a notch.

Slowly but surely getting ready for work.  If I can't rest I don't see why not.  Wish me luck.  ❤

Blegh. Went to the doctor today.

Blegh.  Went to the doctor today.  Because I know nothing I didn't get a referral to a specialist.  I think I thought he was allowed to experiment on me, then decide he couldn't fix me before giving me a referral.  I have been told repeatedly that I am wrong, so I will call them by next week.  I really feel like I need to do my own research right now.

So he came in and asked how long I'd had my "rash" and I told him that I was diagnosed with Psoriasis like, 15 years ago.  He said that often arthritis comes with that (psoriatic arthritis), so I guess he thinks that's what I have.  They took 3 vials of my blood, but as far as I know they only tested it for infection.  No x-rays or anything like that were done.  I did find out that my blood pressure is good and that I weigh 120 lbs.  I would be happier if I was back at 110 (and it might be easier on my joints from what I've read), but the doc said nothing about that.  (Before any of you jump on me for saying that's a low weight - please remember that I am not even technically adult sized.)

Anyway, they gave me a steroid shot in the ass called Celestone.  He said it would help with the inflammation in my skin and joints.  The shot hurt, but not terribly (I am no wimp), but I almost passed out shortly after receiving it.  Meds affect me a little more than they do the average person, I think.  So they gave me a Dum-Dum sucker and let me sit until I felt better.  It was a pretty good sucker.  Since I felt all jeebly I asked Shaun to come and get me.  I really didn't want to drive at the point.

We had lunch and that was ok.  But off and on all afternoon I have felt as though I am being pinched in random places, I've had pain in other joints that weren't bothering me before, I've had crying spells, and my lower back and thighs are now killing me - in addition to my bones and skin hurting.  🙁  All in all, this is worse and I hope it gets better.

I asked what the side effects of the shot would be and the nurse said my face might flush for a day.  I asked how long the shot would last and they didn't know.  No one knows anything, not even me.  Like I said - I have research to do.  I'm not super thrilled with how the day went, but I'm probably not the best patient, as I don't have experience with doctors.  I didn't know that it was appropriate to ask for a referral - and especially not on the first visit.  Popular consensus seems to be that I need to see a Rheumatologist, so I will check around Anniston to see who's available.  If anyone has recommendations, let me know.  I am new to this and need all the help I can get.

I'm off to put on something soft and warm.  I'm curling up on the couch until my Shaun arrives to bake me comfort cookies.  Not the best for my skin, I'm sure, but I've been super careful with my diet lately and if cookies will at least make me feel emotionally better, then I'll take it.

Later, peeps.  ❤

Heading to bed.

Heading to bed.  I'm up a little more than an hour past my self-prescribed bedtime of midnight tonight.  😕  I was productive, though, so I'm not in trouble.  LOL

I updated my Etsy... mostly my small earrings, so now they can come in clip, post, or dangle.  I also edited some wording and keywords, so woohoo for all that bizness.  I still have tons more to do, but I'm saving that for another day.

I'm for sure going to the doctor tomorrow.  I'm not feeling any worse off, but I have my car, I have the money, so I have no excuse not to.  I just have to do it.  I'm nervous, but I'm doing it.

Discovered last night that my bed stays warmer in the winter now that it's almost to the ceiling.  That's nice for my bones.  Maybe the climbing up and down isn't that great, but I don't care.  I love my bed and whatever is wrong with me isn't gonna take that from me.  I will have to be in a walker before I give up my high bed.

Anyway, goodnight peoples.  ❤

All of my friends, if it's not too personal, what is wrong with you?

All of my friends, if it's not too personal, what is wrong with you?  Physically, I mean?

I haven't had a very good health year.  Like, AT ALL.  The IUD / depression thing earlier this year was bad enough.  But now, my psoriasis is flaring up big time.  It hurts to wear clothes.  TMI Alert:  I haven't worn a bra in months because the band hurts my skin so bad.  Good thing I have teensy tatas.  If you've seen me out in public in what appears to be pajamas it's because my skin was too sore to wear anything tighter or with a coarser fabric.  I have got the homeless hobo look DOWN.

As if the skin isn't bad enough my bones are killing me.  Like, for the last few years in the winter they have been sore, but not unbearably so.  But this year... oh man.  It's only been cold for like, 2 days, and I already know that I can't go all winter this way.  I am going to the doctor either tomorrow or Wednesday.  My hips and knees are quite painful.

I had a little mini meltdown over the weekend.  I have thankfully been healthy for most of my life, but at 31 years old I feel like I am starting to fall apart.  It is so scary.  I have no idea how my health measures up to other people my age.  I keep thinking that I am too young for this, but then again I know that some people are born in worse shape, so then I just feel like a big old douchebag for having such thoughts.

So... anyone out there care to tell me all the ways in which they are falling apart?  If you are ailing, at what age did that start?  I just feel like talking about it.  I am curious.  It makes me feel better to talk about things.  ❤

Aaand... Shaun just gave Shadow his Christmas present.

Aaand... Shaun just gave Shadow his Christmas present.

We do what we do. LOL

My night just turned awesome.

My night just turned awesome. Tim Minchin (something about with an orchestra) is on Hulu. 😃

One of my favorite creatures ever.

One of my favorite creatures ever.  So misunderstood - much like snakes.

Knowledge will set you free of your fears.  ❤

Power came back on earlier.

Power came back on earlier. Now it's back off again...

The power is out on Halloween.

The power is out on Halloween. Nope, not creepy at all. LOL

Creepy Smiley. My child is weird.

Creepy Smiley. My child is weird.

My turn! Make-up time!

My turn! Make-up time!

Progress.

Progress. Shaun is doing pretty good! 🙂

What has Shaun done...

What has Shaun done to my child? LOL

I won some nail polish from Finger Paints.

I won some nail polish from Finger Paints. I got 4 in the mail. They look like Mardi Gras colors. 😃

I am pretty sure I've been quiet on here lately. I've still been making stuff. Haven't Etsied all the things I need to. Having a hard time keeping up with social media for Polish All the Things. I am not sure how crafty people keep up with making things, stocking their stores, then posting and talking on here, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, too. I feel pretty overwhelmed. 😕

Right now I'm about to set some stones. Almost all are those kickass Winter Trees since that's my best - selling thing and Winter is coming. I just felt like I should have some ready to go. 

So, I'm doing that and Shaun is over here taping up Shadow's face. Shadow is dressing up for the pep rally at school tomorrow and the face work is pretty intense -  for a first time doing something like this, anyway. We probably won't have time to do it in the morning - at least not all of it, so here we are. LOL I will get a photo of the end result. I'm interested in seeing how it turns out. 😃

For anyone who was curious about this guy...

For anyone who was curious about this guy (I've been calling him Wally) - I let him go tonight.  I wasn't super sure he was going to be ok at first, but over the course of a week or so he finally started walking around and eating and drinking like he should.  Last night he even growled at me, so I took that as a good sign that he was ready to be back in the wild.  Yay Wally!

First nail pic since JULY. 😳

First nail pic since JULY. 😳

Yep, I have sad little nubs right now. But they are MY sad little nubs, so I'm happy to have made them pretty again.

I know that these are SO NOT IMPRESSIVE, and that's ok. I feel accomplished for having just sat down and taken the time to do this. I've REALLY missed it.

Well, this happened while I was gone:

Well, this happened while I was gone:  I'm in an Etsy treasury now.  Pretty cool!

Trendsetters by Emmelin Golling on Etsy

I'm home. The festival was pretty slow.

I'm home.  The festival was pretty slow.  The booth fee was $15 and I made that back.  Then I made another $15, but spent that on food because I felt crappy and I thought food would help.  It didn't really.

I would say that I broke even, maybe, depending on how much gas I used getting out there.  Probably not quite.  LOL  But the weather was nice and I met some nice people, so I'm not upset that I went.  You just never know if it will be worth it before you go, so I learn something new every time.

Also, my car drove me there AND back, so I'm pretty impressed.

Now I plan to relax some, make some custom pieces since my new glaze came in, and then work on Etsy.  I've gotta get that finished because it's driving me nuts.  I also want to make some new stuff, but I feel pretty dumb doing that when I can't even get everything I already have put up for sale.  Blegh.

Later, peeps.  My couch misses me.  ❤

Just toppled a chair over. With myself in it. LOL

Just toppled a chair over. With myself in it. LOL

I will be the first to admit that I am clumsy and severiously (severely + seriously) lack grace, but in all fairness the ground here is uneven.

I'm gonna have a nice butt bruise later. 😛

I made it and I'm all set up.

I made it and I'm all set up. Google took me in a circle and I was late. Went past two cotton fields and a car with a gas tank on the trunk. When I saw that again, (but from the other direction) I got nervous. 😳 BUT, I made it. In my own car, even. So that's pretty exciting.

I still feel crappy. 🙁 I had some barbecue for breakfast when I got here. I also took some Excedrin Migraine. Really hoping I'm better by 4 and not worse. Otherwise, I'm not sure I will be able to drive home.

Missing Shaun. I'm not used to being out in this area / so far away from home without him. ❤

I'm not feeling it this morning.

I'm not feeling it this morning.  I've got a headache like whoa and I'm nauseated and tired.  But I'm packing my car and leaving.  Gonna be a little late, but mom and Cade will be there already and will set up the tent.

I really hope I feel better.  Alpine is a long way from home.  🙁

So unbelievably tired this evening.

So unbelievably tired this evening. And I have an all day show tomorrow at Logan Landing in Alpine. It's their Pumpkin Hollow Festival and it looks fun. But I'm SO tired. I can't even look forward to it right now. 😕

I am ready to have a weekend off. An ENTIRE weekend. I'm having so much fun at the festivals, but I think I've only missed one or two weekends in the last 3 months. I'm also still behind on getting things up on Etsy. I just feel so worn out right now. I think I need to hibernate. LOL

Craft friends who use Etsy...

Craft friends who use Etsy... I don't think I know very many of you (like, 2 are coming to my brain), but I'm posting a status anyway:

Have you seen the new Etsy card readers?  I guess they came out today and I signed up right away.  Apparently, the sale fee is the same as Square, BUT, if you're working a craft show, Etsy will automatically take whatever you sell out of your shop's inventory, so there is no worry about selling more than you have.  At this point I'm not selling a huge bunch of stuff no matter where I am, but I slightly worry about selling something I don't have since I do have OOAK pieces listed on Etsy.  This sounds like it would eliminate me trying to remove items with my freakin' cell, rush home to do inventory, or put my shop into vacation mode when I have a show coming up.  Woo!

Also, when it sends the customer a receipt it sends images from your shop, kind of like a little bit of promotion after the fact.  And Etsy also doesn't charge the other fee it normally charges when you sell on their site.  It seems like a pretty sweet deal and I haven't found a down-side yet.  Is anyone else going to try it?

P. S.  If you have a shop leave me a link so I can find you.  ❤

Lots of screams...

Lots of screams coming from the The Terrortorium tonight. They could really be chainsawing people in half for all I know. LOL

Got another Etsy sale today...

Got another Etsy sale today and now this ring has a home. Y'all have no idea how much it makes my day when that happens. I could die of excitement. 😃😃😃

In case you somehow missed it, my shop is www.Etsy.com/shop/PolishAllTheThings

My Emma J. is the sweetest.

My Emma J. is the sweetest. Her food is in the room next to where we all hang out, so when she wants to be with us, but also wants to eat she gets a mouth full of food, comes and spits it in the floor of the room where we are, and then eats the bits one at a time. Sometimes she doesn't quite make it back in here without eating it, so she runs back out for another mouth full. LOL This is how she eats almost every night. I guess she gets her exercise in with dinner. LOL 

But seriously, would anyone other than a dog trouble themselves so much just to be in the same room with you? Generally speaking - I think not. Doggies are the best. ❤

I think I need to get a video of this. 🙂

Emma and I are in agreement...

Emma and I are in agreement that it is NOT COOL when lotion and candles don't taste as good as they smell. It is so misleading.

It's been a pretty long time since I've posted anything regarding rehab efforts.

It's been a pretty long time since I've posted anything regarding rehab efforts.  I have distanced myself from the whole rehabbing thing since I can't easily obtain a permit in my district.  I don't want to do anything that's not lawful and have it end in an innocent animal losing it's life because of me.  I couldn't live with that.

HOWEVER, I also can't look the other way when I see someone in danger.  I went to Wal-Mart and this is what I came back with.  I'm going to call him Wally while he's with me.

I parked my car, looked ahead, and saw this huddled mass out in the aisle, where the cars drive.  Right as I looked up, he was narrowly missed by a huge truck.  Instincts kicked in, I didn't even know what it was before I got there, but I already knew I was picking it up.

Since I was totally unprepared I didn't have a glove or a kennel or anything with me, but this baby didn't even hiss.  I think he (or she, I haven't bothered to check) was pretty petrified.  Since I needed greens for my lizards I just stuck him in my car, ran in, got what I needed in a hurry, and came back.

Baby is resting now.  I haven't seen any obvious signs of injury, but he's really dirty.  I have offered water, but he hasn't drank yet.  He looks old enough to be on his own, so if he seems ok I'll let him loose ASAP.  If he's not ok I'll take him to AMC so that he can be transported to the wildlife center in Birmingham (or humanely euthanized if that is what's best).

I'm betting he crawled up in a car for warmth like cats do.  I can't think of any other logical explanation for why he would be in the middle of a Wal-Mart parking lot in the daytime like that.  Poor thing.

I just had the most amazing time tonight...

I just had the most amazing time tonight.  I had my first official nail art party!  You know, with someone other than friends or family.  I was a little nervous at first, but that faded fast.  The girls were smart and funny and awesome and we just chatted away while I painted.  Amanda and Tanya made me feel right at home!

The weirdest thing, though.  I knew I was going to see one of the girls I met at OxfordFest again.  What I didn't know was that I would be seeing two who were at the Farmer's Market outside of work a few weeks ago.  What a small world!

I just had the most fun.  I can't even believe how well it went.  I am so so happy right now!  And I feel like I've made some friends!  😃  Super yay!

Just wanted to post up some of my latest water marbled rings.

Just wanted to post up some of my latest water marbled rings.

Huge thanks to Tabitha for meeting me with a trap.

Huge thanks to Tabitha for meeting me with a trap.  Now my back neighbors are set with a trap and some apples.  I hope they catch some of the buns.

🙁 Dang.

🙁  Dang.  Just carried a little bunny home.  He was probably dead.  Someone came by and told Shadow that one of our rabbits had been hit by a car.  We don't have rabbits, but I had seen two of our neighbors' rabbits in the bushes just the other day.  I guess they haven't had any luck catching them.

I got a flashlight and went to check and found him up on the bank - not in the street.  Nothing looked obviously broken and I didn't see blood.  He was still warm and not stiff at all.  If he was breathing, it was faint.  I didn't feel any obvious breathing or heartbeat, but I took him back to his people.

I think a few more bunnies have gotten loose.  If anyone can loan me live traps I'm going to see what I can do to help them round all of them up.  I worried about them all night with the weather that was coming through.  🙁

Tabitha, Margaret, anyone in the Anniston / Oxford area with a live trap - do you have one I can borrow?  My car works now.  I could pick them up and bring them back to you.