Look at all the Pretties

Taming of the Shrew was entertaining today, although the ending fell a little flat. I never thought I'd hear Shakespeare done with a Texas drawl, but I did today and it was cute. The play was set in the 1950s and it was kinda groovy how they staged it. There was a large map up on the back wall that showed where the cities were. Padua was Chicago, Pisa was NYC, Verona was Dallas, etc. and the city names lit up to show the audience where the scene was set. The Minnola's owned an Italian resaurant and Petruchio owned a ranch. Some of the little improvs were aces. I enjoyed it, but I think I still prefer the Shakespeare Re-told version with Rufus Sewell and Shirley Henderson more. Now that is an aces performance.

There is going to be a table reading coming up on the 11th of Sense and Sensibility the Musical that is free to the public. I admit that I'm curious to see an Austen novel set to music. There weren't any more reserved tickets available, but the gent at the ticket office said there will be people that don't show up, so if I come there's a good chance I'd get in. We'll just have to see how I'm feeling that day.

We started the morning with brunch at Steuben's. Nomnomnom. Very yummy. Our server told us about another restaurant down the street called Water Course Foods that a vegetarian/vegan place that has a vegan/gluten free bakery. After the play we stopped by there and picked up some goodies. We didn't care for the chocolate chip cookie that we got, but my Ho-ho cupcake was pretty tasty. We got a few other sweets to try, so we'll see how it goes.

I wore my new cream chenille sweater today and paired it with brown leggings and my brown boots. I looked really good, but I, ah, apparently should only wear that sweater with jeans. It shed all over the place. My leggings looked frosted. It was a little embarrassing. But it's soooo comfortable. Regardless of the shedding I'd love to have it in more colors.

I am contemplating cutting my hair. At present the back falls below my bra band. I'm considering cutting it to just above my shoulders. Or maybe I just need shorter layers in what I've already got. I don't know. I just know I need a change. I found a three photos of hairstyles that Thomas liked and from what I can see they're all similar cuts, so that's hopeful. Think something along the lines of Cobie Smulders' current cut on HIMYM.

I come bearing piccies of my tattoo and a video so you can see it in a continuous shot and also hear what the tribal art means (if I can get it to load and play properly.).

First, here are the inspiration pics:

( inspirations )


Now for the actual tat:

( first pic taken immediately after is was completed )


Almost three weeks later:

( top/front )


( middle )


( bottom/back )


( vid )

This is the first time I've turned my computer on since last Thursday. I've been reading on Gemma (my Kindle) and Thomas and I weren't home much this weekend.

I went shopping on Friday and got me a new pair of Skechers ballet flats from the Skechers Outlet store and two sweaters from Kohls. One sweater is a crocheted dusky orange/melon colored shrug that goes perfectly with one of my dresses I got last year and the other is a heathered blue cardigan with a teal/oatmeal/olive green argyle pattern down the front. I like them both very much and they were on sale.

Have I mentioned how disappointed I've been with this season's fashions? Why is there no color? Everything has been so drab and muted. It's very depressing. On the other hand, I have found some pieces that sneeked through the blah cracks, so that's good. But still, is it too much to ask for some nice jewel tones or the occasional bright hue? Hell, I'll even take navy blue instead of So. Much. Black.

Saturday Thomas and I went out and about. We had a yummy lunch at a new pizza place that offers a really good GF crust. Then we went to Golf Galaxy and Thomas found himself two pre-owned golf clubs that he's been looking for and I found a sweater. A nice, comfy (read slouchy), soft, red sweater. After that we went to SuperTarget for some groceries and I managed to find another sweater and a 3/4 sleeved tee. The sweater is like wearing a cloud, it's such a soft chenille. It's a cream color and will go perfectly with my brown leggings and so much more. The tee is navy and olive green stripes. It goes perfectly with my new Lucky Brand cargos. I also got a three-piece pajama set that was on clearance. It's got an aqua blue long sleeve tee, purple flannel shorts with arctic foxes and polar bears wearing earmuffs and scarves, and purple/aqua/yellow/green plaid flannel pants. So comfortable. Can't wait to wear them.

All in all a very successful two days of clothes shopping.

Yesterday, ah yesterday, we braved IKEA for the first time since it opened last summer. I think we were there for over four hours, maybe longer. It's easy to lose track of time there. We got new shelves for the bathroom and a shelving unit that we're going to turn into a headboard for above our bed. I also go a new spatula. There was lighting that we wanted to get, also, but I couldn't find the color I wanted so we'll prolly order that online.

I'm going to finish going through my f-list then I've got to make egg cupcakes for Thomas so he'll have breakfast for the week. Hope y'all had a good weekend!

My new layout is up and I'm diggin' it. The banner and my icon were made by the lovely and talented rua1412 using the awesome ocean photography of Clark Little.


I had a fabulous time at the theater yesterday. Bring It On: The Musical was most fun. It was a little silly in places, but the dancing and cheer routines were outstanding. It made for a very entertaining afternoon.

In slightly related news, I hate driving on Colfax with the passion of a thousand fiery suns. White-knuckled doesn't begin to cover it.

One of my Christmas gifts this year was the Ninja1100 Kitchen Blending System. I go this in lieu of a stand mixer and professional blender, cos it says it can do both.

I'm inclined to believe it actually does as it says on the tin.

I've made cookie dough, sorbet, and today I made ice cream. Well, blended it all together today, but I prepped and froze the custard and fruit yesterday. I made peach ice cream and it's delish! I used Vanilla Almond Milk, heavy cream, and half & half (I didn't have quite enough heavy cream, hence the half & half) to make the custard along with eggs, sugar, corn starch and vanilla. I was afraid it would be too sweet, but when I blended it with the unsweetened peach puree it all came out perfectly. I've got seven 1/2 cup containers. Not bad. It'll make a nice treat in the evening.

Had a bad wakeup call this morning. I was jolted awake by a severe pain in my lower left abdomen around quarter to eight. It almost made me cry. It throbbed for about two to three minutes then subsided, but when I turned over and tried to breath easy it came back with a vengeance and lasted for almost five minutes. I staggered into the living room to let Thomas know that all was not well in case I passed out or something then staggered back to bed. Blessedly the pain eased off and I fell back asleep and just woke up again at noon. I still feel a little drained, but at least I don't hurt. I'll count that as a win.


On to happier news: We went to see Sherlock Holmes, A Game of Shadows yesterday. So much fun! I liked it better than the first one. The story just seemed tighter and more well put together. And still slashy as hell. :p I highly recommend it.

After the movie we drove back to our side of town and had a super delicious dinner at Outback. I ordered the Filet and Lobster Tail combination and wound up with two lobster tails, because the first one wouldn't come out of the shell easily and the manager didn't like that I had to get my hands dirty peeling off the shell, so he put another one down for me at no charge. I thought that was very sweet of him. ::nods:: And the steak was amazingly delicious. One of the best filet's I've ever had.


Today is prolly going to be a lazy day. Thomas has thoughts about moving our stationary bike up out of the basement, but is currently lacking the motivation to do it. We'll see how it goes. It would be a good thing. I could prolly ride miles reading my Kindle. :)


I hope y'all had a good weekend!

We got up early this morning to make the first matinée of Beauty and the Beast 3D out at Southlands. We got there early so we had breakfast next door to the theater at Le Creperie Cafe. Super Nom. The movie was lovely, but the 3D played merry hell with our eyes. I don't know that I could do that very often.

After the movie we went and got Stella washed then went for a little drive. Wound up at Murdoch's Ranch Supply in Parker. They were having a mondo clearance sale. All their clearance was marked 25% or 40% off and then you got another 50% the lowest marked price. Well, I manage to go one better on a couple of items. I found a pair of Lucky Brand Embroidered Cargo Pants and a pair of Lucky Brand Easy Rider Jeans both marked 70% off and then got the 50% off of that price. Woot! Two pair of $80 pants for $12 a piece. I also found a Columbia plaid shirt at a sweet price.

Yay for new clothes!

We had a yummy dinner at Dickey's BBQ then went over to the PGA Tour Superstore. Thomas found himself a new golf club. I found a skirt that I fell in love with, but they didn't have it in my size. I wouldn't pay that much for it anyway, but I would totally wear it (it's Michigan colors, see?). Let's Go Blue!


Also, I've been nominated for best Willow/Angel(us) Author and my fic To Frienemies has been nominated for best Willow/Angel(us) fic in the current round at the Willowy Goodness Awards! Thanks ever so much to whomever nominated me. It means the world.

glitter-graphics.com

Title: Under Wraps
Author: Angel’s Kuuipo
Fandom: BtVS/AtS
Rating: FRT (for a couple of swears and a bit of the subject matter)
Characters/Pairing: Angel/Willow/Xander, Buffy, Spike, Cordelia
Spoilers/Warnings: Post-Chosen and NFA. Set about five years after the end of Angel. Not comic book compliant for either series. In my world Cordelia went back to the Upper Realms after You’re Welcome and has been keeping an eye on things.
Disclaimer: Not mine, never have been, never will be…damn it. They belong to Joss.
Author’s note the 1st: As seems to be tradition, my first fic of the year is for the super fantabulous velvetwhip’s birthday. Congratulations, sweetheart, you broke my writer’s block. :D I hope you have a truly magical day and wish you much peace and happiness now and always. This is not angsty by any means, but I do hope you like it. {{hugs}}
Author’s note the 2nd: Thanks be to Elisabeth for the beta. Any remaining mistakes are mine.
Written: January 13, 2012
Word Count: 1,151
Summary: Angel, Willow, and Xander want each other. Everyone knows it and they’re tired of waiting for the three involved to figure it out. So they take matters into their own hands in true Scooby style.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

( As gestures go, they supposed it was kind of sweet...in a creepy way )

In an effort to kick start my muse and to celebrate my 8th year of writing anniversary on February 7th, I'm taking prompts for my Fifth Annual Fic-A-Palooza!

...

Is that sentence as confusing as I think it is? ::shakes head::

Anywho, I will take pairings/prompts for the following fandoms: Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Doctor Who/Torchwood (9 & 10 only), Leverage, Numb3rs, Original fiction, Stargate SG-1, The Fast and the Furious, and The Sentinel. I will also take a crack at, but can't guarantee: Due South, Highlander, Labyrinth, NCIS, Warehouse 13, and White Collar. I will also do crossovers.


I'm aware that I still owe some people birthday fics. I will do my best to get them written. I have just not had the inspiration lately. I miss it. But! We're in a new year and hopefully my muse will return. :)

On Saturday, Sean turned me on to a totally fabulous cover band with a twist: Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. All they do are covers of songs from different decades, but they do them with a punk flair.

It's awesome.

And I think I actually might have heard their cover of Somewhere Over the Rainbow before and just not known who it was. They even did a punk country album. Hee!

All I can say is that I'm really glad we were almost done with my leg, because I totally wanted to dance to the music, but I couldn't move! :D

I'm not dead, I've just been doing stuff.

There is going to be a delay on more pics of my new tat. The peeling has started and it's looking a little ragged. I also can't shave until it heals. Well, I can shave around the site, but the inked area itself is looking a little furry and that's not attractive at all. So, I'm thinking it'll be a few weeks before I can really show it off.

Got to spend a couple of hours with sionnach_ayame on Monday when she flew in on her way home. Sometimes long layovers can be a good thing! We had a lovely visit. It was just too short. :)

I made that Antipasto Bread last week and it came out pretty good. I still need to play around with it a little bit, but I think it's worth trying again. If anyone's interested I'll post the recipe.

I'm going to the theater on the 18th! Living Social offered up heavily discounted tickets to Bring It On: The Musical, so I got me one. It's an 11am matinée, and since I knew this wasn't a show that Thomas would want to see I figured I'd treat myself. I've got a good seat too. Hopefully it'll be fun, even if I do have to drive downtown all by myself. That...won't be so much fun, but I'll get by. At least I know where I'm going.

We go to see Taming of the Shrew on the 28th. Looking forward to that, too.

We have tentative plans to go back up to Fort Collins to visit the museum this weekend. I really hope they'll be open. There's also a possibility that we might check out the 9th Annual Big Thunder Draft Horse Show up in Loveland. We'll just have to see how we're doing this weekend.

Watched the remake of Fright Night today. I guess it was alright. Not really my kind of movie. Although, David Tennant in guyliner makes up for a lot.

Okay, I think that catches me up. How're y'all?

It took about four hours (actual tattooing time; it was another hour and a half before that to numb the skin), but my turtle tattoo is complete! I've only got one picture so far, but after I take the bandage off tomorrow I'll try to take a couple more so y'all can see everything. My lower leg feels like it's on fire right now, but all in all I'm not doing too bad.

( whatcha think? )

I'm gonna have to return the red sweater that I got today. :( Thomas noticed a small hole that I did not and there's no way to fix it or keep it from unraveling once I wash it. I'm also going to return the striped sweater, as I really won't wear it much. Yeah, it's pretty and fun, but it's not really me. But! I'm keeping the dress and the other shirt, so it's not a total downer.

So I got takeaway for Thomas and I to have lunch together (the leftovers of which will be dinner tonight) and I went shopping. A little. Well, I hit one Ross and found some pretties, so that counts as shopping, right?

I found a brick red version of the sweater my niece got me for Christmas a couple of years ago (snatched that up right quick, let me tell you), a white and teal striped fine-gage sweater, a pretty dusky aqua baby-doll with an abstract floral print, and the one I'm really proud of: a red & black rose print satin cocktail dress. The cut give me a Marylin Monroe-esque hourglass figure and fits me to a tee. I either have to wear a black lace cami underneath or I'll have to tape the neckline down to keep the girls from being a little too on display, but I'm okay with that. Best part is that Thomas likes it! He just got home and I modeled it for him. I'm going to wear it to Wicked in May. I'll post a picture then I'm sure. I'm going to have C do my hair for the event (I'm thinking Audrey Hepburn a la Breakfast at Tiffany's). Sweet! I'm glad I've got that sorted now.

I stopped by Target before going on home and got the rest of the ingredients I needed to make Antipasto Bread. If it comes out well I'll post the recipe. Wish me luck! I'm going to make it tomorrow along with the 3 Cheese Polenta & Italian Sausage Gratin. That is so my new favourite dish. It's easy to make and the taste...oh! It's beyond delicious.

I hope y'all have had a good day!

For my first post of 2012, I thought I'd share a groovy video and do a little pimping of a very talented pair of musicians collectively known as The Piano Guys.

I think china_shop was the one to bring them to my attention and for that I thank her very much. These guys rock the effin' Kasbah and their vids are outstanding.

So, enjoy watching Cello Wars then check out the rest of the videos at their YouTube Channel.





Seriously, these guys are good.

glitter-graphics.com


2011 was a travel year for us. In April we roadtripped to Nashville, TN and on our way back we stopped in Branson, MO and Wichita, KS where we got to meet the fabulous and lovely sionnach_ayame. In May it was down to Tucson for our pseudo-nephew's high school graduation, which I didn't get to attend as I was too busy losing the contents of my stomach for the worst two days I can ever remember. Fourth of July weekend brought the fantastic dragonydreams to our fair state and we spent the weekend driving around and showing her why we like it here so much. I hope we succeeded in that. :) In August it was back to Tucson for my mother's 60th birthday surprise party. We were part of her surprise. I managed to lie convincingly when I talked to her that morning and she was wishing we could be there when in fact my dad was driving us to our hotel as we talked. :p September was the Celtic Festival in Estes Park, which was made even better by my folks joining us. It was a very lot of fun.

In January and October we got to see Christian Kane perform live. I will enjoy his shows a lot more if he wouldn't schedule them during sporting events and then delay starting his show so everyone can finish watching whatever game is on.


My writing was almost non-existent this year. I just don't have my head in the game, I guess. I've got my fingers crossed that I have more inspiration in 2012.

( my year in fic )


Total Fic= 10

That...is disappointing. I will endeavor to do better in 2012. ::nods::

We had a plan for our anniversary, as I said before. It was a good plan and we liked it a lot, but it didn't survive contact with reality.

The Museum was closed. :/

Now, I was on the museum website a few times this week and nowhere did I see that they would be closed today and tomorrow. So, I state that it's not my fault.

Lunch, however, was ohsodelicious. I really wouldn't expect anything less from Rodizio.

Thomas gifted me with two absotively gorgeous necklaces. I wore this one today. This is the other one. Aren't they beautiful?

I gifted him with a Kindle gift card. :)

So, aside from the museum being closed (grr argh) and the weather being very cold and blustery (holy crap the wind was harsh!) it's been a very lovely anniversary.

Seventeen years. Here's to many, many more! ::raises phantom glass::

I'll do my year-end fic recap in a little bit. Hope y'all have had a good day!

I am a bruise.

One big walking bruise.

All in the name of feeling better.

Thomas and I went to see our chiropractor last night. My neck and shoulders have been wonky all week and Thomas was having his usual set of issues with his neck and hip. Dr. E found a knot on my right side I didn't know was there and the knot in my left shoulder I did know was there but couldn't get to, and worked them out, but the cost was some pretty deep muscle work and now all across my upper back is feeling like I've been slammed repeatedly into a wall. I'm almost afraid to look and see if actual bruises have come up.

Hopefully, a hot shower will help.

I have errands to run today, so I guess I should get on that shower.

I'm using the spare change we've collected over the last couple of years to pay for my tattoo. Yes, we've accumulated enough loose change to cover the cost of a pretty sizable piece of body art. It's all rolled and now I need to take it to the bank and exchange it for cash. If the gallon-size ziploc bag I've got the rolls in holds up for much longer I'll be really impressed. That sucker is heavy

I'm also on the hunt for new shampoo and conditioner. See, I've been trying to use products without Parabens and SLS and I'm discovering that products without those toxic chemicals make my hair feel dry and it tangles a lot more. But! I'm determined to find something that works. As much as I hate to spend a lot of money on these kind of things, I'm going to try the It's A 10! brand. I use their leave-in spray and it's aces, so I have hope their shampoo and conditioner will be what I'm looking for. Wish me luck.

Third on the list is stopping by McAllister's Deli and making use of a couple of the Living Social Deals Thomas picked up. That'll give us yummy meals for the next few days and give me time to come up with a meal plan for the first week of the new year.

Thankfully, all three places I need to go to are in the same shopping center.

The plan for tomorrow is to paint my nails so they'll be all pretty for the weekend.

...

Yeah, I doubt it'll last either, but I live in hope.

I scheduled my appointment for my tattoo: Saturday, January 7, 2012 at Noon.

Woo hoo!

I figured if I didn't do it now I'd chicken out and that would be very bad, since I've already put a good chunk of change toward it with the LS deal. It shouldn't be too bad, though, cos I'm opting for the Ink-Eeze numbing cream. It'll just hurt after the fact. I can and will deal with that. I'm so excited!


In other news, yesterday kinda sucked. Thomas had a migraine and shared with me. We did a whole helluva lot of nothing yesterday, with the exception of a bit of laundry. I still feel pretty crappy today. Not cool.

Let's just get all the suck out of the way this week, yeah? I want to enjoy our anniversary on Saturday. Seventeen years. Where does the time go? We actually have plans. ::gasp:: We're going up to Ft. Collins to do the Chihuly Venetians Glass Exhibit and then lunch at Rodizio. After that we'll come home and avoid the crazy people. :) I hope it's going to be lovely. Actually, if the weather is good we may do Zoo Lights that evening. It's a possibility.

How're y'all?

Thomas and I have had a lovely day. We didn't have anything to unwrap as we've pretty much bought Christmas all month long. It was a bit of a Kitchen Christmas for me. I got the Ninja Blender system and a Bialetti Aeternum Ceramic-coated cookware set. And we both got the Kindles (have I mentioned recently how much we love those?).

We went to the movies this afternoon and saw We Bought A Zoo. It was wonderful, beautifully told story, though not quite the lighthearted romp I was expecting. I cried several times. Matt Damon's performance is amazing and the animals are aces. Highly recommend it.

After the movie we got Annabelle washed then drove around to dry her off, stopped at Safeway for a few things, and now we're home watching the Bears and Packers.

All in all a very nice day. I hope y'all's was as well. ::squishes f-list::