5AT: hello kitty for president and write it down

1. gifts in the form of Hello Kitty from friends - my friend Jason happened upon a Hello Kitty x Hello Art art show and pop up shop one weekend in LA and was kind enough to pick me up some goodies. awesome not only because he thought of me while he was at the show, but because they're things I probably wouldn't have been aware of or gotten otherwise.
2. days off from work - I don't want to be there right now. home crocheting and sewing is great right now. I have a lot to do and the time off is needed. now if only I had PTO.
3. finding the right color of yarn for a project - it's like finding the perfect pair of jeans. I've been on the search for a good navy yarn that's not to purply and I think I found it and it's soft too.
4. blog friends turned real friends - no explanation needed *waves hi to new friends*
5. this quote from Marc and Angel - "Love is a choice; it’s not magic. There is no such thing as ‘the one. You are not destined for any relationship other than the one you help create. Spend enough time with another loving person, and biology eventually kicks in. So use your head and find someone you really enjoy spending time with, who you don’t feel pressured to impress – someone who makes you feel loved, relaxed, and comfortable in your own skin."

I saw a couple of these write it down and link it up posts and thought I'd join in. I write in all caps most of the time. My coworkers think my "N" and "H" look the same. I guess I can see it. Whatever. The quote is from The Alchemist. Check out this post that I wrote last Saturday to see why it's a favorite of mine. And my signature, super simple.

reading - gonna go pick up A Feast of Crows by George R.R. Martin later today from the library

This post brought to you in part by:

5AT: blog friends and mystery shopping

1. Rima from Bolu by Rima - Haaaaave you met my friend Rima? We haven't met in person yet, but she's a super awesome friend. She sent me the two books above for my birthday. I can't wait to make some cute stuff and the journal is beautiful on the inside. It has some good blogging topics as well. She also loves Hello Kitty just as much as I do. We're like kindred spirits or something like that.
2. winning lottery tickets - I bought myself some scratch off tickets for my birthday just for fun. I won $5. Instead of just cashing in I went ahead and got 5 more tickets of those 5 tickets I won another $5. I didn't turn that in either. I got another 5 tickets in which I won $4. And again I didn't get the $4, I picked up 4 more tickets. No more winning though. But it was super fun and exciting. My friend on the other hand who dropped $40 only won $2 back. He deviated from how he usually plays.
3. mystery shopping - I don't know why I didn't sign up to do this sooner. It's pretty fun. You walk around a shop and observe and interact, maybe buy something and then a week or two later you get paid for it. And I believe in most cases you get reimbursed for most if not ALL of your purchase. I've done two so far and can't wait to do more of them.
4. Tuscan something or other white bean soup - it was soup in a box and all I added was the bacon and spinach, but this was delicious. Perfect for a sunny, but cool fall day. I also ate half a loaf of French bread with it. I can't wait to have more for breakfast/lunch...brunch.
5. etsy on sale - jYeah!!! I decided this morning to mark my entire store down 20% off and I didn't want to deal with a coupon code and I didn't want to go back and edit all my listings. etsy on sale to the rescue. You login, tell it what kind of sale you want to have, when to start and end and it does all the editing for you. Which means...

...I'm having a 3 day sale over at issa.ino:handmade. Everything is 20% off. EVERYTHING, custom orders too. And you know what, it's starting to get cold, so you should probably go ahead and pick up a cowl or a hat before it gets too cold. Better to be prepared you know.

reading - Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra

This post brought to you in part by:

5AT and Friday's Letters and what I...

Today's post is a 3 in 1. I thought about breaking it up into 3 separate posts, but that seemed like a lot of extra work and since today is my birthday I didn't feel like any extra work. So make sure you read it all the way to the end.

love - my tattoos Keiko and Stella. they make me feel more comfortable in my own skin.

wish -that I had some extra money to treat myself today. It's kind of a bummer when you have to watch your pennies on your birthday.

know - that when I think life is the pits, that there are people who have it worse off than I do. I've got people who care about me, a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food in my belly. in the grand scheme of things, life is far from the pits.

appreciate - that people are patient with me. I can be a procrastinator sometimes. I don't know that I'd put up with some of my own antics.

want - to eat lots of good food today: a juicy burger, some fried chicken, a cupcake or two, sushi and some cheesecake.

Come link up.

• my birthday - it's my BIRTHDAY! as of 1:43 AM I am officially 33 years old. Woo! not sure how I'll be spending my day just yet. I really want to eat some good food and buy myself a new pair of shoes. I'm not sure that will happen though.
• stick and balls - the hole in my ceiling is FINALLY fixed. I don't have to be creeped out by it anymore. a friend of mine said it kinda looks like a misshapen pecker and balls. I can see it. it's been painted over as well. you can still totally see where they fixed it. oh well, I don't really spend much time staring at the living room ceiling.
• birthday rewards - it's kind of a pain to get all the emails from rewards cards and what not that you sign up for, but the birthday rewards are worth it (the other coupons too). so far I've partaken in a free lottery ticket and $10 off of $10 at Godiva. I paid $1.07 for 3 fancy chocolates and one of their fancy frozen chocolate drinks. awwwww yeaaah! I have a few more I plan to partake in soon.
• passengers who handle business - the other day I was catching the bus home and the bus driver was being nice and let a drunk man on the bus even though he didn't have payment...but, he wouldn't move passed the yellow line and/or sit down, so he was holding up the bus from moving. the rest of the bus yelled at him to move and he finally did. then he got nasty with a gentleman in a wheelchair and they got to arguing. the bus driver tried to get in between them to stop them before the drunk guy got his shit handed to him by the man in a wheelchair. then a few passengers snatched the drunk guy by the pack of his shirt and tossed him off the bus. they didn't want any trouble for the bus driver. 
• weekend off - I've worked the last 3 weekends. I'm normally off every other weekend so this weekend is a welcome break. I actually requested Saturday off since I wasn't sure how I'd be spending my birthday.

I'm linking up with From My Grey Desk's H54F (high five for Friday).

Dear Tummy: Thanks for finally stopping with the weird aching pain and not making me have to go to the hospital. While I'd like to know what your problem was, I'm glad you're better.
Dear Chub: We can't be friends anymore. We never really were friends, I just put up with you. You should go, the sooner, the better. You should've never come here, so just go okay.
Dear ScruffyNerdy: I miss our late night Twitter arguments or whatever. They always gave me a good chuckle.
Dear Weather: Nice and sunny on Wednesday and Thursday and then raining on my birthday and my weekend off. What is your problem? Come on, that's just down right rude.
Dear You: I wish we were spending the weekend together. I could use some good cuddling. I'm still patiently waiting for you to find me.

There's still a few more days left for you to enter my birthday giveaway!
finished - Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah reading - Sex, Lies & Online Dating by Rachel Gibson

5AT: lunch with a famous person

this photo has nothing to do with this post, but it's hello kitty and she's always relevant

1. night in, dinner with friends - my friend JW was in town from LA this past week and we got together at another friend's house, RB, for dinner. this is usually what happens when he's in town. it was good to be around good people and getting to see JW again.
2. phineas & ferb - I don't have cable so I don't get to watch it often, but while dinner was cooking this is what we watched. for the little one that was having dinner with us and because I wanted to watch it too.
3. autumn equinox - it's here! it may have swooped in faster than I would've liked, but it's here. cooler weather, hot cocoa, hoodies and jeans, check out my fall wish list.
4. balls - I have the maturity of a 12 year old boy. that word just makes me laugh for no reason. chocolate salty BALLS.
5. lunch with a famous person - HA! had lunch with JW on Wednesday and our server recognized him from a group he used to sing/rap in about 6 years ago, before I knew him. when she asked him if that's where he was from, I burst out laughing. I think the whole restaurant turned around to look. I don't know why I thought it was so funny, but I couldn't stop laughing.

I'm linking up with From My Grey Desk's H54F (high five for Friday).

5AT: tea time and powerful thoughts

I've been home all week and not really taking many pictures so this is a one picture post this week.

1. making new things - looked at my old coach wallet and thought, I bet I can make one of these and I did. If you think it's cute, you can buy it and it's matching card holder here.
2. tea time - with the cooler temps, it's now okay to drink a nice, hot cup of tea. mmmm, the perfect way to start my mornings.
3. powerful thoughts - I had a thought earlier this week about wanting to sell some card holders and within 10 minutes the thought came to pass as someone made a purchase online from me. I love when the Universe works quickly.
4. consignment deposits - I love when I check my inbox to find an email letting me know a consignment shop will be depositing funds into my account. it always feels like found money.
5. PRODUCTIVE time off - I've had the last seven days off and I've spent most of it being productive making things for the shop and filling orders. not finished yet though.

I'm linking up with From My Grey Desk's H54F (high five for Friday).

5AT - i can think of anything to put here right now

this photo has nothing to do with this post. i just couldn't find another suitable photo for this week. i made this.

1. color me rad - I ran my first 5k on Saturday. IT. WAS. AWESOME. You can read more about it here. Now go read about it. 
2. winner, winner, chicken dinner - I won two fabric shop giveaways this week. I don't have the extra money to spend on fabric right now, so it's perfect timing. I'd decided to use the first fabric shop credit to buy fabric to make another charity quilt. As I was picking out fabric I received notice I won ANOTHER giveaway. I felt like I was being rewarded for my kindness.
3. cooler temps - even if they only lasted a few days. I'm so ready for it to be fall. Bring it on!
4. blogger friends - you ladies are the awesome sauce. I've quite enjoyed getting to know you all lately. I hope that we can one day all meet up and eat good food. That's what I like to do with friends, eat good food. 
5. chocolate chip cookies with sea salt on top - yum. that is all.
   

I'm linking up with From My Grey Desk's H54F (high five for Friday).

5AT: getting it done

1. Hawaiian Host + Hello Kitty - Oh how I miss macadamia nuts and Hawaiian chocolate add Hello Kitty and I'm like *squeee* Thanks to the new and awesome candy shop downtown that carries all sorts of random and fun yummy goodness. 
2. Sharky - completed my first quilt this week. You can read more about it here.
3. 30 Days of Lists - I procrastinated on making my book and getting my lists started, but now I'm all caught up and ready to keep up. I kept it simple this time. Post to follow with the first 5 days. Maybe later today...or tomorrow.
4. card holder sales - order from my aunt and then as soon as I list those suckers on etsy they get sold. I can dig it. With very little hours at work this MONTH, I've got to make up the income. I like having a place to live
5. hey DJ can you play that song - I've been waiting for this guy to be released. Isn't the cutest. A DJ friend of mine keeps calling him Biebs. But...um...the Biebs doesn't have black hair. I think he's a Biebs fan boy. LOL!

I'm linking up with From My Grey Desk's H54F (high five for Friday).

5AT: finished

1. couch to 5k - after the set back this past weekend with the blisters on my heels, I was FINALLY able to finish the couch to 5K training on Wednesday. It felt good. I'm so ready to run the Color Me Rad 5k next Saturday. Bring it.
2. the Universe - the Universe has been a doll this week. I put it out there asking for some financial support through my etsy shop/business and within 24 hours I got it. Just what I need and right on time. I have a four day weekend from the job, but it's grind time at the business. I've got a lot of stock to create for the shop and to send out to a consignment shop.
3. fellow bloggers/tweeters - you folks have been super supportive cheering me on when I post about my runs. I truly appreciate it. your comments make my day.
4. frosties and french fries - my coworker mentioned  wanting a frosty and then I had to have one too. I took off after work to have one and then came home afterwards and passed out for four hours. I guess it was just that good. It surely hit the spot.
5. bella by Lotta Jansdotter - if you haven't seen this fabric, look it up. Oh so pretty and soft. I received an order for card holders this week and thought even though I'm on a fabric freeze, I needed to pick up a little bit of fabric to stretch my stash and this was it. I can't wait until I can buy more of it.
   

I'm linking up with From My Grey Desk's H54F (high five for Friday).

5AT: people watching and yummy stuff

1. who ya gonna call? - GHOSTBUSTERS! GenCon was this past weekend as well as MotoGP so downtown was prime for people watching. I left the comfort of my apartment JUST to sit in the mall and watch people. Best weekend of the year with all the costumes, mixed with all the bikers that were parked downtown too. It was a nice mix.
2. free schtuff - This was a pretty good week for free stuff. Nail polish Klout perk from Essie, razors from CVS with ECB (just when I needed them) and pizza from a friend when I was super hungry. I love free stuff, but not all free stuff is good. I don't care for STD's. You can keep those.
3. pillow time - I started sewing together my space invader pillow this week. I ran out of fabric, but I was able to make some adjustments. I hope to have it done by this evening so I can stuff and throw it on my couch. I see a couple more of these in my future.
4. pumpkin muffins - is it fall yet? I'm trying to push the season by making pumpkins muffins. These are delicious and only TWO ingredients, unless you're like me and want to doctor them up and add two extra ingredients. cake mix + canned pumpkin + pumpkin pie spice + instant putting mix put in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes on 35. Thank me later.
5. run forest run - this is my last week of couch to 5K training. I so enjoy those morning runs much better than the evening. I have two weeks until the 5K I signed up for. All I need now is to work on my time/speed. 
6. Indie Gift Box - Okay, so I'm adding a sixth because my shop is the current feature on the Indie Gift Box site. Awwwww yeah!!!

If you're not busy, stop by my etsy shop and check out this new cowl I just posted. Time to start getting ready for fall and winter.

Also, after 12 years of living here the Midwest has finally decided to welcome me by giving me allergies. I love it. *grumble, grumble*

I'm linking up with From My Grey Desk's H54F (high five for Friday).

5AT: nom, nom, nom

This whole list was almost all State Fair food, but I decided that I should share other stuff too.

1. Momma Smacker - *drools* Best grilled cheese sandwich ever. I wish I'd seen this when we first got to the fair so I wouldn't have wasted my money on a dang corn dog and could've gotten a WHOLE sandwich instead of half of one. This sandwich consisted of smoked gouda, pulled pork (and I don't really eat pork) and caramelized onions nicely grilled. They had some other interesting grilled cheese sandwiches too.
2. Red Velvet Funnel Cake - *drools some more* I love red velvet. This was delicious and just the right portion. I actually judge cupcake shops based on their red velvet cupcakes. This didn't not disappointed. Thank goodness for $2 Tuesday at the Fair. (I went with $20 and left with $1. I ended up eating/drinking at 5 different spots.) SCORE!!!
3. new projects - I've got pretty much all my must do projects out of the way and now I can start work on stuff for me. I'm pretty geeked and ready to start working on a space invaders pillow. He's gonna match Lucy. Hopefully they'll both come together right as fall is beginning and then I can cuddle up on the couch with both of them.
4. winner, winner, chicken dinner - Played the lottery on a whim at the Fair and won a spin and $2 whole dollars and then I won 5 more scratch off tickets. Those things can be addicting. If I would've had more money to spend I probably would've bought a couple more. Now all I need to do is win a jackpot. Gotta play to win.
5. Oh Lucy! - Her top and bottom are done!!! Oi! Her top...I now know that I need to plan out my designs first instead of just jumping in and doing. I don't know how many times I had to make changes and ended up having to cut extra pieces. Thank goodness for having extra fabric. Now all I need to do is baste, quilt and bind. Then it'll be cuddle time.

I'm linking up with From My Grey Desk's H54F (high five for Friday).

5AT: I DID IT!!!

1. running a mile - for the first time ever...in life...I ran a mile. though according to Map My Run and GPS I ran almost 5 and I was all over the place. Ha! It was great! I'm totally loving this Couch to 5K training. I never liked running until now. I'm not looking forward to the colder temps and I'm not sure what I'll do then, but for now I'm going to enjoy this while I can.
2. vending at a fashion show - I also vended for the first time ever at Sew Loco on Saturday. I've had my items in pop up shops and in consignment shops, but I've never been present to vend somewhere. It was a good experience and I'd totally do it again. I met some cool folks, make a couple of bucks and traded with another vendor.
3. handling Herbert like a boss - dealing with a bat at 2AM is not my idea of fun, but instead of freaking out and hiding in the bathroom or my closet. I trapped him and let him go in about 30 minutes. jYeah!!! He was kinda cute. I really wish he had turned into a vampire. We coulda been BFF. ;)
4. lasagna cupcakes - YUM! It started when taco cupcakes came across my tumblr time line. with a  link to these babies. Petite and delicious. Be still my heart. I love cupcakes and I like lasagna, put them together. *deep heavy, happy sigh* I switched out the meat for spinach since I'm eating vegetarian this week.
5. crafty goodness - now that Sew Loco is done I've been able to work on other crafty fun. I completed two sewing tutorials and some jewelry. I may share them later. This weekend or something. I think everything turned out great.

I'm linking up with From My Grey Desk's H54F (high five for Friday).

5AT: powerful words and good people

I struggled with this week's list because it hasn't been too exciting, pretty much just working and hanging out at home getting ready for Sew Loco tomorrow. But here you go.

1. statements/wishes coming to pass - be careful what you say or ask for because you just might get it. I posted on my other blog last about going on a spending freeze, but it'd be super awesome if I won some giveaways to feed my sewing habit. and I did. I won Rachel of la la List's giveaway for blog ad space and Shannon of luvinthemommyhood's giveaway for a fabric bundle. On top of that I won I giveaway for a Quilt Along I'm participating in. That's three in two weeks. This isn't the first time this has happened. I once mentioned I wanted to see some checks in my mailbox and not long after that did I end up with two unexpected checks from consignment shops that sell my wares. On that note...I want win some more giveaways and win the lottery. I better start playing.
2. running/jogging for 5 minutes straight - training for this 5K has been great. I've been learning what I'm capable of. I don't think I've ever been able to run for that long. I'm enjoying this journey and can't wait for September to run this 5K. On Sunday I'm supposed to run 20 minutes straight. I'm a little nervous, but ready for the challenge.
3. family and friends that are there for me - I realized Friday when I got paid that I was short on rent and that my bus pass was about to expire...not good. The icing on the cake though was when I went to take a shower and realized I'd ran out of shampoo. It was kinda funny, but not. I posted to facebook of my dilemma, but didn't want to just ask for money because I didn't want to have to worry about paying anyone back (work is about to get slow) so I offered up my crafty services. My aunt who lives in Texas purchased a cowl from me. Did you read that last part...she lives in Texas. Greatly appreciated. And then a friend (who coupons) offered off some shampoo from her stash. The rent is paid and I'll be picking up a new bus pass for work. Huge thanks to them for helping out.
4. weekend of sewing - I had another weekend off and spent the majority of it sewing (thought I really should've been crocheting). I added four more rows to Lucy (pictured above). I wanted to keep sewing but needed to work on another project and eat, otherwise I probably would've gotten a few more rows added to the old girl.
5. cold oatmeal jars - old fashioned oatmeal + cut up bananas + Nutella + Greek yogurt + milk in a jar over night. I think is my current favorite breakfast right now. The Nutella usually ends up in one huge lump in the middle even after some vigorous shaking, but it's still ALL good in my tummy. I try to add a fruit smoothie to this so I'm full and can make it to lunch time when I'm at work.

I'm linking up with From My Grey Desk's H54F (high five for Friday).

5AT: new glasses and Nutella cheesecakse

@ScootDubbs Why. So. Serious?

1. a working phone - Yay!!! I finally have a phone that functions properly (it doesn't shut down and get stuck in reboot mode and I can take pictures) after almost two months and I didn't have to travel all the way out to Timbuktu to get it fixed. Thank goodness for insurance.
2. house parties - I got to hang out with a bunch of friends and our guy ScruffyNerdy before he leaves for grad school. Lots of good food and good conversation and good fun. While it sucks he's leaving us, I'm glad he's off to do something he wants to do, making a change to get where he wants to be.
3. Nutella cheesecake - *drools* Oh so yummy. This was my first time making this and even though I screwed up the recipe a bit, it was STILL DEE-licious. I made this for the house party somewhat at the request of ScruffyNerdy. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and I had one person ask for the recipe. I'm loving baking and cooking more and more.
4. new glasses...for cheap - I've been wearing glasses since I was in 2nd grade. They can be expensive. I'm so glad that I found Coastal. They have such a great selection and are ALWAYS offering free pairs of glasses w/ the cost of shipping. I scored the glasses above for $16. You can't beat that. I haven't bought a pair yet that didn't work for me.
5. naps - Who doesn't love a good nap? I don't think I have to explain why naps are such a glorious thing. lol

I'm linking up with From My Grey Desk's H54F (high five for Friday).

5AT: drum circle and Nutella whipped creme

normally this is where I'd put a picture from instagram that I'd taken sometime this week, but the camera on my replacement phone is not functioning properly. I'm not happy about this. so today you get a pretty blank space. my deepest apologies.

First things first, a little rant because I want to end on a good note. Word verification when you go to comment on someone's blog...annoying. I rarely if ever get spam comments, so I've turned this off to make life easier for commenters. I wish all bloggers would do this. It's one of my pet peeves. Also, I wish bloggers would preview their blogs when they design them. Scrolling back and forth to check everything out...not fun. And last but not least...choose your font wisely. Comic sans? Swirly curly? What year is it again? Keep it clean and simple. It makes it easier on your readers eyes. I will often close out of a blog if the design and fonts are unappealing. Okay, I'm done. I know my blog isn't the greatest either, but I'm working on it.

Now...on to five awesome things...

1. drum circles or things like it - spent Friday evening out on The Circle with friends and their band, minus any type of instrument that needed to be plugged in. The breakers were out dancing to the music and the fixed bike riders were all out hanging out too. The vibe was just right. A nice breeze and some noms would've made the evening perfect.
2. color me rad run - This is the run that I decided to join in order to get my but moving and into shape. You can check out Jen of Jen loves Kev post about it. I'm pretty excited about it and think it will be boat loads of fun. I just wish I could find a friend who was willing to do it with me. Hopefully one of them will at least come out and watch and take pictures.
3. friends that have my back - did you read about what happened here earlier this week? If you haven't, got do that. I'm way thankful to have friends who will step in a fight or whenever I need them.
4. kind coworkers - one of my new coworkers couldn't figure out what he wanted to buy himself from work on Monday and spent most of his shift trying to decide. I suggested he buy a tiny little thing as a joke. At the end of our shift he picked it up and bought it for me.  How nice is that? It was an ice pick me up for the beginning of the week and a long shift. I'm totally gonna have to bake him something now.
5. Nutella whipped creme - OH MY HEAVENS!!! I totally had this for dinner the other night, frozen. I've had the recipe to make this on my magnet board in front of my desk for months and finally just went ahead and made it on Tuesday. It was delicious just by itself AND frozen. It made it seem kinda like ice cream. I will definitely have to make more of it. 

I'm linking up with From My Grey Desk's H54F (high five for Friday).

5AT: BYOB and naps

1. break from the heat - I like summer, I do, but the heat has been ridiculous here. Finally on Sunday we had a nice temperature drop. What a heavenly breeze. I just wanted to sit outside and sip ice tea and watch traffic while the breeze cooled me off. But I had to go to work.
2. Wednesdays off - sleeping in after a night out with friends. Woo! I'm thankful that my manager is nice enough to schedule me off on Wednesday when she can. You can't do Take That Tuesday if you gotta work all day on Wednesday. I mean you can, but yous gonna be tired.
3. great customer service - I work in customer service, so there's nothing better when you shop and get good customer service. My glasses cracked and I've had them almost a year. I contacted the company I bought them from and they replaced them for me. I received the new pair before I even got the old ones back in the mail and there was no charge on shipping on the return. Easy peasy transaction. I love it.
4. BYOB - who brings their own beer out to a bar? This girl. I had a special bottle I'd bought when I was in Wisconsin for work and I'm not a big drinker and sitting at home by myself drinking is weird. So I brought it out with me on Tuesday, pulled it out of my bag, popped it opened and enjoyed it with the company of friends. That's how drinks should be. And I'm not the only one who brings their own alcohol to bars. I had a friend who kept pulling out a flask to refill his drink. Ha!
5. naps - I don't care what you say, you're never too old for a nap. Nice and refreshing after a short or long day at work or being outside. I could go for a nap right about now.

I'm linking up with From My Grey Desk's H54F (high five for Friday).