Wasting Time

Sometimes I sit at my computer wishing I had something to do while waiting for super-slow pages to load. Unfortunately, it seems the only thing I can think of doing also involves the internet. Of course, that won't work. If I'm already waiting on something to load, the other page won't load either. Maybe I could open a writer document and type out a blog entry while I'm waiting. That's something I can do offline! Then later I could post it on my blog...

Technologically Deprived

It's funny how we get accustomed to, even dependent upon, technology that perhaps we didn't even know existed a few years ago.

Our home server has crashed. The hard drive is ka-put. This server runs our Myth TV and my scanner, both of which I'm missing very much at the moment. For those of you who are Linux impaired, Myth TV is basically an opensource (i.e. free) version of TiVo or Direct TV. I've lost all the shows that I'd recorded and lined up to watch in my "free" time. And now while I'm stuck with daytime TV, I can't even capture whatever creations I might art up because my scanner is incapacitated too!

Etsy

So this isn't a very interesting, personal life story, illustrated sort of post....but I've been thinking a lot about Etsy lately. I'm absolutely going to open a shop there. Actually, I've already set up a shop, but I haven't listed anything for sale yet.

It's kind of funny really that I've developed such an interest in the site. When I sold my ACEOs on Ebay and was active in the ATC/ACEO groups there, I saw several references to Etsy, especially as Ebay fees increased (again and again). I remember looking it up and being completely unimpressed and a little confused. Now that I've revisited it, I've purchased a few things, considered opening a shop, and my favorite things list keeps growing and growing! I can spend an hour browsing around without even noticing the time....

JournalPals

One of the things I'm recently "in to" is journaling. Duh! I suppose that's obvious since I've started blogging again.

Anyway, it was swap-bot that got me started writing again. That silly place is addicting! But I've enjoyed joining journaling swaps with writing prompts for entries, and I've found that I'm more encouraged to write and keep writing knowing that I'll be sending the journal to someone else.

Today I discovered JournalPals. It's just a series of swaps that the hostess decided to name JournalPals, not some big movement or entity. The idea is to write one journal entry on a predetermined topic and send it to your swapping partner. Yay! That's like writing a letter with a prompt. I can choose to as many entries as I want and stop whenever I want instead of committing to a 20+ entry journal!

I've signed up to participate in "A View From My Window" and "Streaming Thoughts/Images," but I missed a couple before I discovered this series. So, I thought I'd just blog about the other topics that interested me. "Autumn Reflections" to be posted soon...

Just a Cotton Pickin' Minute

Yesterday we went to the Fall Roundup at Nash Farm in Grapevine. Yes, the kids really did get to go into the field (small garden really) and pick real, live cotton. They thought it was great! We brought it home in little plastic bags, and I have no idea what we'll do with it.

The Recycling Gene?

She most likely learned to create new stuff from trash by watching me rescue treasures headed to the landfill and transforming them into who-knows-what. But when my 4 year old daughter hauled an empty apple juice bottle in to find me and asked if she could make something out of it, I had to wonder if there was something inherent there. She even knew what she wanted to make -- a bat. And with Aunt Sarah's help, that's exactly what she did (the white bit on the front are his fangs).

"The Paper Bottle Bat"

Some of our previous recycled creations include the Oatmeal Container Power Ranger hats. My idea to create something with the empty container (doll cradle??). Her idea to make it into a Power Ranger hat, and of course, each subsequent empty container in the different colors. Here you see the beloved Aunt Sarah modeling the green Power Ranger hat, and Evelyn, herself, being the ever-popular red Power Ranger (in her fancy flamenco dress that Gran sent from Spain, no less!).

My Favorite Kitchen Appliance

For my October Wishlist on swap-bot.com, I wished for some blogging prompts. I've already received some good ideas, and this is one of them. Actually, I think "My Favorite Kitchen Appliance" is the most interesting and unique one. You may see others coming up in between "Corner of My Clutters" because I think it's great fun to share my mess with you (whoever you might be).

My favorite kitchen appliance is by far my electric kettle! I like an occasional cup of tea, but I usually make myself a couple mugs of instant coffee a day. It was really an underappreciated appliance until last week though. The lime scale nastiness started flaking off in my drink, so I had to stop using the kettle while I figured out how to clean it. Unfortunately, it doesn't open so you can get in an scrub or anything, so I had to look up solutions. Boiling a lemon juice and water mixture worked quite well, but in the meantime, I was resigned to boiling my coffee water in the microwave. I don't think I even own a stovetop kettle anymore. I'm ever so glad to have my electric kettle back in service and am going to make good use of it now with a cup of Cafe Vienna!