mine, by magpie

welcome to the world, harper adelyn

2010-10-07T09:31:00.002-04:00

a tiny, gentle adelyn squish from auntie jennifer

my friends are better than your friends.

2010-09-28T08:15:00.002-04:00

mr. magpie to poopshack: i didn't know spidey was so high-waisted.

poopshack: giggle.

i WILL master this song

2010-09-24T10:01:00.001-04:00

it's just crawled into my brain and made itself at home. i'm about 3/4 of the way there. GOD, i love it.

i may be a city rat

2010-09-21T08:52:00.002-04:00

i may not have a grassy expanse to plant flowers in the front yard...

but we have a pretty good patch of blue.

i am loving the hipstamatic app.

Happy Birthday, Guppy!!

2010-09-20T10:11:00.002-04:00

mr. cool

best gift my brother ever gave me

my little guppy :)

i seem to be having a day...

2010-09-17T10:57:00.000-04:00

ho hum.

my friends are better than yours

2010-09-16T09:43:00.001-04:00

nerdyjess: Omg omg omg. So...the bride's dad is gay..so is his son...and they have the same partner!!!

magpie: WHAAAAT????

nerdyjess: I KNOW. I am dying. B just told me!

magpie: Gives new meaning to MEATING the parents. Yeah, I went there.

nerdyjess: *faints*

a new look and a disaster

2010-09-15T09:34:00.004-04:00

changing things up around here- i figured i could use a bit of lightening up.

do you get the urge to clean and get rid of things in the fall, too, like we all seem to in the spring? cuz i have it baaaaaaaaad right now. i walk into my apartment after work and all i can see are the bulging closets, the towering piles and the tipping shelves full of stuff i haven't looked at since the last time i "re-organized". and by re-organized i mean went out and bought a bunch of bins to make my crap look more tidy. i went through all of my craft and scrapbooking stuff and thinned the herd (lucky cindyrella and spacy tracy!) once i was through with that, i turned my attentions to the blog and got to work- then all of a sudden, it was 12:30am. um, my alarm goes off at 4:45am. well, not this morning- i reset it for 5:15...at 4:15...cuz once i DID fall asleep, i woke up every 20 minutes, afraid i'd sleep through my alarm. stupid both ends burning candle.

ack.

well, in the middle of all that hooha yesterday, i found the time to absolutely destroy a project with the help of my handy dandy mod podge.

this is not my first dance with this delectable jar of ooey gooey. i've used it plenty of times. i think my heart was just not in this current little project- well, more like my heart is in too MANY projects. this current disaster is a ribbon box. with some of my new etsy offerings (can you find them in my new header??) come a bunch of ribbon spools, so i need a place to keep them organized. i've seen tons of these ribbon boxes advertised-

and figured hey, we have some boxes in the hallway heading out to the trash. maybe i'll just make one. so, monday, i found a good box- shoe/boot/boat (as my father likes to call them) sized, picked out some cute paper, and set about measuring, cutting, and pasting those bad boys on. everything's moving along just fine until i get the top lid covered- of course, with the cutest paper-

and it starts to bubble up. craaaaap. i smoothed it out the best i could, and set it out to dry. yesterday, i slathered on the top coat.

*for anyone not familiar with mod podge, it's a glue and sealant. so it adheres and protects. and looks cool. well, most of the time.*

back to the wreckage. i started brushing on the top coat and just made a royal mess of it. i said screw it, about 30 seconds in, did the worst possible botch up finish and threw in the hallway to dry again. that got me thinking that i full well know there are rules to using mod podge and getting good results, so i figured i'd share my mishap and give you the solution. i was trolling around and found a great list to share from amy's blog, modpodgerocks. her list really breaks down the different types and the different uses for each type. and i learned something new- there's a paper mod podge now. nice. wish i'd known that yesterday! here we go:

from amy:

"WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MOD PODGE FORMULAS?"

#1 thing to remember: All Mod Podge formulas are essentially the same in that they can all do three things. They are all good for gluing, sealing and finishing. The finish or use may be different, but they are all capable of those three things. Don't forget that. Now read on.

Classic Mod Podge: There are 2 formulas that fall under this umbrella: Gloss and Matte. When Mod Podge was developed over 40 years ago, it was started with these two. The only difference between these two is the finish that results when it's dry. That's it.

Gloss - Shiny finish.

Matte - Non-shiny finish.

With Gloss I typically hear, "after it's dry, it's sticky." Sometimes I hear that about Matte too. There's a very simple solution: spray with several coats of a clear acrylic sealer and you'll be fine. Stickiness be gone! Extra protection too.

Result: great for all types of projects and most surfaces. This is your all-around Mod Podge.

Okay. Now after the two classics were born, the Mod Podge people thought, "What if we developed Mod Podge in different formulas - for specific needs?" So they did. They kept the two classics around, so if you notice that some of these properties overlap with those two classic formulas, you are correct. But think about it - can you really get rid of the original formulas? No way.

Satin Mod Podge: This is the same as as the two classic formulas, but the finish is satin. What is a satin finish, you ask? It gives a lustrous, soft appearance somewhere between a matte and gloss. Because it is oh-so-slightly frosted, it shows scratches less than matte or gloss.

Result: great for projects where you want a non-glossy, soft appearance that wears well.

Hard Coat Mod Podge: This formula was specially developed for furniture and other functional pieces. Provides extra protection for projects that are frequently used and handled. It has a satin finish - see above and you'll understand why. It doesn't show the scratches like the matte or gloss!

Result: perfect for furniture. It's the ultimate durable Mod Podge finish.

Fabric Mod Podge: It's not just wood or paper that people like to decoupage - it's fabric too! Not only that, you know I love to decoupage fabric TO other surfaces. This formula does both. You can decoupage things to fabric with it, and you can prepare fabric for decoupaging to surfaces by lightly brushing on and allowing to dry before cutting. It eliminates fraying.

Result: Use to prepare fabric for decoupaging to surfaces and for decoupaging things onto fabric.

Paper Mod Podge: A lot of people are confused by this one - can't regular Mod Podge be used for paper. YES! Here's the thing though: the Mod Podge people realized that there is a group out there that do more advanced paper projects; scrapbooking to be specific. These people like their projects to be archival, and that means they want their glues to be as well.

Result: Archival quality, keeps photos and papers from yellowing, and extends the life of scrapbooking projects. Comes in a gloss and matte finish.

Outdoor Mod Podge: decoupage + stuff that goes outdoors. . . . = Outdoor Mod Podge? Yes! Protects your decoupage project from moisture and the elements. Great for clay pots.

Result: Pretty simple. Anything you decoupage that you want to sit outside. I recommend also sealing with an outdoor sealer for added durability.

Sparkle & Glitter Mod Podge: Did you know there are Mod Podge with sparkles and glitter already in them? Yes. All three of these are in a gloss Mod Podge base. Use several coats for more sparkle and shine.

Sparkle - hologram glitter pieces (rainbow effect)

Silver Glitter - silver glitter pieces

Gold Glitter - gold glitter pieces

Result: Adds glitz to your project - choose the above "shparkle" that works the best for what you are doing. Note that the glitters show up great on dark surfaces.

Shimmer Mod Podge: Mod Podge is great for holiday projects, and so from this the shimmers were born. I would say these are definitely "specialty" - meaning, the shimmer they provide is not for everyone. However, if you like shimmer and shine, and you love pretty metallic projects, these are for you. It's basically a metallic sheen in the two following colors. The base is glossy.

Silver - silver luster

Gold - gold luster

Result: A metallic sheen to your projects. Note that if you have a pattern on your surface, the shimmers will cover it a little bit.

Glow-in-the-Dark Mod Podge: Exactly what it sounds like. It's the gloss Mod Podge with crushed fireflies! Kidding. Anyway, you'll need to apply several coats for the best glowing effect. I love this stuff for kids' project and my favoritest holiday in the world, Halloween.

Result: You can't really see the finish, but it glows-in-the-dark! Expose to light to recharge.

That should cover it! I want to let you know, as a final word, that ALL Mod Podge is self-sealing. You don't have to spray it with acrylic sealer. I sometimes recommend it, but that is only for added durability beyond what Mod Podge already offers. If something is going to get used frequently and beat up, then you should also spray seal.

thank you, amy for taking the time to go through these! it's a great breakdown and god knows i should have read this before i halfassedly jumped into going through a ton of it. my plan is to paint the remainder of the uncovered box, and put another coat of mod podge on it. i'll post here when it's done!

before i go, i found a few other helpful hints:

Allow Mod Podge to dry or at least 15-20 minutes between coats.

Open a Mod Podge cap that is glued down by soaking the entire bottle in warm water for several minutes.

Place your brush into water immediately after use. Mod Podge is a sealer; it dries to a hard fnish and is very difficult to remove from brush bristles when dry.

Sand lightly between coats to minimize brush strokes. Apply more coats to reduce ridges.

and finally

*****To minimize wrinkles when adhering paper to a surface, spray several coats of acrylic sealer directly onto paper before applying Mod Podge. ******

have you used mod podge? send me a picture and i'll link it up once i finish my ribbon box!

so what do ya think?

2010-09-15T00:12:00.000-04:00

thanks to linda's tutorial over at craftaholics anonymous, i made myself a new header! which made me just wanna clean house all around, and here we are. i think i like it. well, we'll see how i feel in the morning...

hootful alertness.

2010-09-14T07:44:00.000-04:00

that is all.

monday, monday randomness

2010-09-13T09:42:00.000-04:00

why is it that mondays are just never easy? and what is it with the sunday night blues? it happens every single week- 7, 8 pm rolls around and so does the antsy, anxious, i don't wanna go to work tomorrow feeling. and the worst part is, i actually like my job. hmph. it's the 4:45 am alarm that makes my first thought be, "punch".

anyway, after a fun filled weekend...

with a tiny sprinkling of work early on saturday morning, (here's a sneak peek of things to come!)...

and a hound that will sleep- literally- anywhere...

i'm ready to start off this week with renewed vigor! i'm ready to go out and pick up some more supplies, work on some shop stuff, dabble with the thought of a new header for here and etsy... i'm in that first stage of yay i'm excited but don't quite have a game plan as of yet :) i've been gathering ideas for the last week or so, thinking i'm going to change up the focus of my products towards nursery decor and baby shower gifts, along with the scrappy stuff. it's tough to know what's going to catch on and what's not. so i'll just wander through and throw in a touch of everything that catched my eye, hoping it will do the same for others.

i'm also thinking that i'd really like to learn more about photography. (judge not my crappy badly lit iphone shots) i have tended to lean towards the one setting point and click crapshoot, but i know with a little patience, i could do much more. any free advice is welcome :) but please advise in short words and small small phrases, since i don't know a thing!

it's been a bumpy road round these parts lately, so here's to a good week :)

Back away from the costume, ma.

2010-09-12T20:00:00.002-04:00

Chinese noodles? Really?

my friends are better than yours

2010-09-11T11:01:00.001-04:00

travel back in time with me to yesterday's email exchange:

spacytracy: omg i need this little man in my life!
my child is bigger than him!
_____________________________________________________

Guinness Announces New Shortest Living Man

We have a new number one!
_____________________________________________________

nerdyjess: ....he looks like a monkey.

______________________________________________________

magpie: "and he smells like one, too."

______________________________________________________

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TRACY!!!!

uh, mr. magpie...

2010-09-10T09:52:00.002-04:00

jess is so right- i need.

let the construction begin!

2010-09-09T09:13:00.001-04:00

well, i started working last night on items for a new section to my shop. i'm hoping to slave away and get opened up again by mid to late october. i've been super inspired by my friend's industriousness of late, goodmarvin. she is slowly heading towards the finish line of her pregnancy and is wildly knitting and sewing and stocking up her shop for when the baby comes. i've definitely had the bug, so i decided to jump in last night. i thought long and hard about whether or not to do a tutorial and you know, i'm thinking it's a good thing to do. the people who are just shopping will shop and the people who are looking for help, will either find it or figger it out themselves- so why not be a helper monkey? i like help. i like monkeys. it's a win win.

so, i'll stay a little vague for now, but hang in (all 2 of you heheheh)- i'm working it out! for now, i'll just try to concentrate on getting back in the swing of the blogging.

mr. magpie and i are spending the weekend with friends and i'm mixing up some yumminess today to take along.

first on the list, special requested by the glendale vintner is chocolate chipotle brownies.

these have been a HUGE hit anytime i've made them and i highly recommend giving them a shot. you can't go wrong with this one, it's a slammin' emeril lagasse original.

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon plus 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 tablespoon plus 1 cup all-purpose flour
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
4 eggs
1 cup chopped Mexican chocolate or semisweet chocolate morsels
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour an 11 by 7-inch baking pan or dish with 1 teaspoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the flour. Heat the remaining butter and the unsweetened chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted. In a medium bowl, stir together remaining flour, sugar, cinnamon, and ground chipotle. Add sugar mixture to melted chocolate mixture, stirring to combine. Add eggs, mixing until smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate or chocolate morsels.
Pour mixture into the prepared baking pan or dish. Bake until the center is set, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely and then cut into small squares.

second up, creamy corn chipotle dip.

this is a weight watchers recipe that i made a couple months ago and i think i need to adjust this a bit because mine turned out very brownish red and veeeeeeeery spicy. i think i may have needed smaller cans of the chipotles? i'll let you know what adjustments i wind up making this time around.

INGREDIENTS
4 oz fat-free cream cheese

2 items canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded
3 cup(s) frozen corn kernels, or fresh corn kernels
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp table salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Place all ingredients in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade; pulse a few times, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and process until smooth. To store, spoon into a medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days; return to room temperature before serving. Yields about 3 tablespoons per serving.

and last up- thanks to spacytracy for finding this little gem- the itty bitty chocolate chip cookie-wiches, created by the picky palate. i am DYING to get started on these babies. how freaking cute are they??

i got lucky and found the tiny toasts in one of our local dollar shops!

here are the details!

INGREDIENTS

1 package Imported Petits Toasts

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (This Recipe worked great, stayed on top of toasts nicely when baked)
2 sticks butter
3/4 Cup brown sugar
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
2 Large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
3 1/4 Cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Cups chocolate chips, I used semi-sweet
INSTRUCTIONS
To prepare cookie dough, cream your butter and sugars in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla until well combined, scraping sides of bowl. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl; mix then slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips. Beat on very low until just combined. Transfer dough to a tupperware/bowl with lid and chill for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
To prepare Cookie-wiches, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place mini toasts onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Place 1 teaspoon of chilled cookie dough balls over top of toasts and bake for 9 minutes. Remove from oven and gently press more toasts over top of hot cookies. Don’t press too hard or cookies will just oooze all over the place!!
Melt chocolate, spoon inside a corner of a ziplock, snip a tiny edge and drizzle chocolate over top of toasts. Let chocolate harden…or don’t Serve and enjoy!

i'm cheating and using store bought cookie dough- gonna be straight up about that one. i can only go so far, people! but i'll let you know how it goes!

there's nothing like a clean cave

2010-09-08T07:50:00.000-04:00

well, the relative-to-what-it-looked-like-last-week kind of clean. i just do not have the domestic goddess gene. my mother- you could eat off of her floors. apparently that gene skipped me. i try, but i don't cut it most of the time. *sigh*

we have a running theme of hoarding in our household. for a solid year i have been sorting, re-organizing, purging, re-sorting, re-purging, and re-re-organizing. it's still a bit run over, but for an apartment space, i think we do okay. where does it all come from, though? why do we think we need all this crap? cuz you know half of it is in the closets waaaaaaaay in the back and it's just sitting there, pissing me off. so, it means it's that time again. look forward to more ridiculous-things-we-own posts. it's coming.

i'm also doing a little inventory at the moment of supplies. it's time to get myself back in order and back on the track that made me start this blog in the first place. etsy and i have not spoken for some time now. in fact, my "i'm getting married in august, check back at christmas!" sign is still the hanging...lonely...in a bone-dry, empty shop. well, kids. i've already started working and i'm hoping to get some things back in there by october. i'm also thinking of doing some tutorials. i'm on the fence about that. and by on the fence, i mean selfish. and sneaky. cuz when i see something i like in etsy, i try to find a tutorial to make it for myself. eh- we're not the freakin' rockefellers. whaddayawantfromme? any thoughts on that subject? does it hurt or help to have tutorials of items you're also trying to sell in your shop?

okay- that's it for me today. i know i've lost any following i have cuz i'm wildly inconsistent. i prefer quirky and spur of the moment. but that's just me!

wow.

2010-08-25T07:38:00.003-04:00

words with friends for the iphone

2010-08-23T09:00:00.034-04:00

better known as "trash talking scrabble with daddy"

i am the lamest.

2010-08-19T18:39:00.000-04:00

hang in with me- i'm fixin' to get back to work and get back here. my one year wedding anniversary is three days away. i am shortly thereafter getting on a plane and meeting my best internet buds, nerdy jess and spacey tracy next week- which i'm sure will be a WELL documented weekend :) i have some new items to add to my shop. i may do some tutorials- if you all are into that.

summer's been good enough to keep me away, but now it's time to get my sharp tongue back in shape and let my fingers to the pecking...

REAL housewives of NJ sigh

2010-07-13T09:32:00.000-04:00

i don't do this often ("often" meaning here- more than i would care to admit, but less than you would think) but watching something of this magnitude of absolutely ridiculous during the real time slot is so much fun.

i'm usually a day after, hulu kind of girl. but it's the mad texting between the friends spread out over several states that makes it for me.

hell, i'll say it- i watched the first season finale of "rock of love", madly texting back and forth with my long island best bud, the broke-ass babe. mr. magpie joined in, too. sitting next to me. on the couch. CRACKING. UP.

i spent last year's finale of the bachelor going bonkers texting with mr. magpie (planted next to me on the ol' potato sack), poopshack and nickels- who, btw, were also sitting next to one another on the couch in PA, but come on- different jokes for different people and all.

the mister was alseep through half of the episode, and disgusted with me for the other half hahahhaha. welcome to matrimony. sorry, baby! had he been more awake and in the right (trashy) frame of mind, he would have been on this, for sure.

so here's a little glimpse into the fevered fury last night from 10-11pm, EST.

magpie to nerdy jess, nickels and spaceytracy: oh lawdy, lawdy. there's a rumble in franklin lakes. this. is. awesome.
nerdy: Omg are you watching it?!! I am FREAKING out.
spacey: damn it! i better stay up! (she's got baby j, so the texting was minimal THIS time)
nerdy: So so good
magpie: Fabulous
nerdy: But but! They broke her shoes!
magpie: HAHAHA "chasing ensued"
nerdy: I love that you are watching this live, you never do!
nickels: i had nightmares that I was one of them last time I watched and had to trust them to babysit little nickel. I think I woke up crying.... I'm not even kidding one bit.
(magpie forwards this to nerdy and spacey)
nerdy: Teresa has blood in her eyes!
spacey: ahhahah poor nickels. she must be so traumatized.
magpie: omg this is so awesome.
nerdy: I love Caroline. Her face is priceless
magpie: "that's my reawl hai-yeh."
nerdy: I just want to scoop albie up and pet him.
magpie: me too.
nerdy: Omg jacqueline is now my fave.
magpie: Ahahahahahhaha un-be-weave-able
nerdy: She's ridiculous. Also? She dines at some broke ass places for such a rich lady.
magpie: hahahahahhaha i'm dying!!
nerdy: I have GOT to visit jersey.

2010-07-11T09:38:00.001-04:00

Wilcox Session - Family of the Year (Hero) from Wilcox Sessions on Vimeo.

anyone know about this band?

2010-07-04T09:25:00.000-04:00

i dig it.

Wilcox Sessions - Dead Henry (High Marriage) from Wilcox Sessions on Vimeo.

spiderman, the musical?

2010-07-02T09:30:00.002-04:00

are you as puzzled by this shite as i am? cuz it gets WORSE.

spiderman, the musical.
co-written and directed by julie taymor, the wondrous genius behind "across the universe".
music & lyrics by BONO & THE EDGE.

whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

just for a moment, don't you have to wonder how that conversation went?

ring, ring.

edge: hello?
bono: hey, edge- i've got the BEST idea...

apparently the music supervisor, matthias gohl, from "across the universe", is on board as well, which makes me think that this strange little show is in good hands all around, but again- whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

here is the casting breakdown i found:

Among the roles being sought to fill are the young-man-turned-hero Peter Parker/Spider-Man ("male, late teens to early 20's...[with a] great pop/rock voice") and love-interest Mary Jane ("female, late teens to early 20's...[with a] great pop/rock voice") as well as villain Norman Osborn/Green Goblin and Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson (both call for "male, 50s.")

The character breakdowns provide some insight to plot points as the character Arachne ("female, 20-35 years old, any ethnicity") is described as "a beautiful, boastful young woman turned into a spider for her hubris and lack of respect for the gods. She subsequently appears to Peter Parker and the audience as in turn a powerful spider-woman who comes from another time to inspire Peter; an otherworldly lover; a bride; a terrifying (and sexy) dark goddess of vengeance; a dance partner in a charged and violent spiders dance of death; and, finally, a lonely, fragile young woman." Casting is seeking a "strong Celtic, Balkan style, e.g., Sinead O'Connor," noting, "outside the box ideas are welcomed. Could be someone from the music industry."

Also, a "Geek Chorus" consisting of "three teenage boys and one girl" are described to "meet to ritualistically retell the greatest Spider-Man stories."

i...uh...i have no more words.

spotted around the city...

2010-07-01T08:33:00.001-04:00

so, i find myself in the dilemma that somedays, i just don't have anything interesting to say. or i think i do, but i can't imagine my -5 readers would really be all that interested. so, i will try to stay consistent and keep posting with little segments like this new one- "spotted around the city". delightful little oddities i thank my lucky stars i'm there to see cuz no one would believe it if i didn't get a picture!

this one was spotted on a subway line advertisement for betty's new show. actually, the bandit got every single ad in the station, but this one was our favorite!

cartoon reality

2010-06-28T08:58:00.000-04:00

love at first hold.

2010-06-25T10:45:00.001-04:00

i am one of the lucky few. i've never been one of these before. i gotta tell ya, it feels spectacular. i am the deliriously happy new owner of the iphone 4. i am lucky because of the story of HOW i got it. i made my pre-order with everyone else (lemmings, as the mr. referred to us) last week. i was told that the at&t systems crashed quite early in the day and that i would receive a call that night or as soon as it was restored and my information was put into the bottomless well. at that moment, i pretty much steeled myself for the sad fact that it was not gonna happen the way i hoped. well, i woke up yesterday morning to pictures like this on the news here in nyc:

which quickly panned back and turned into pictures like this:

there goes the possibility that i was going to get this phone that i was absolutely dying to have in my hot little hands. why was it driving me so insane? i don't know. all i know is that i NEEDED it.

WELL. apparently, i struck gold with my choice of where to pre-order. i went to radio shack. i was planning on hitting the radio shack in my neighborhood in queens, figuring there wouldn't be a mass exodus out to my neck of the woods, but there's a radio shack right by my train stop. so i peeked in on pre-order day and it was pretty empty! i signed up and waited for my confirmation call. it never came. i stopped in almost every day after work, just to say- "hi, stalker girl here. where's my confirmation number?".

wednesday night, i received a call saying my phone was waiting for me, but i had to be in early to pick it up because after 12, they would have to release it for first come, first served. so i got my butt over there at 9am, figuring this was a crapshoot. it's going to be a madhouse and i've got 30 minutes before i need to be back at work. (this is the second break i've taken at my job in about five years!)

i walked in, was taken care of, had my phone handed over to me and was back in work within 20 minutes. WHAT??? remember this?!?!?:

*le sigh* radio shack was THE MAN yesterday.

THE MAN.

so, while i'm not as obsessed as these tools-

i am one happy nerd.

p.s. - rev. nerdy is the man.

by poopshack: more musings of a 3 1/2 yr old

2010-06-23T09:00:00.020-04:00

guest post by poopshack

this post is brought to by the letter P.

this will be a running guest post by my brother, poopshack.

Musings of a 3 1/2 yr old

These are are unprompted, random quotes from his 3 1/2 yr old son (the guppy). There are so many that I can't remember so I decided to start writing them down. I'll update the list whenever he says something worthy.
* Out of nowhere @ 6:30AM:
guppy: daddy you are so so pretty (followed by a big hug).
daddy: um. thanks buddy.
guppy: can i have oreos for breakfast?

* me and pa (that's grandpa) are gonna get in the corvette and chase chicks. (I think grandpa helped him out with that one)

* the guppy's rendition of "five little monkeys jumping on the bed":
five little septa commuter trains jumping on the bed. one fell off and bumped his whistle...(laughs hysterically)

* In the car:
guppy: why is the sun so hot?
daddy: because it's summer time and the sun is hot in the summer.
guppy: well can you blow on it?

* After I peeked in his room at 11pm to randomly check on him before I went to bed (fully expecting him to be asleep), and found him standing on the edge of his bed, staring at me wide-eyed and panic-stricken like a deer in headlights...with his pants and pull-up around his ankles and in the all-systems-go position to start peeing on his Geotrax train set on the floor: daddy you can't come in here. i'm doing private things.

to be continued...

abraham lincoln is pretty badass.

2010-06-18T08:49:00.000-04:00

so, i'm chillin' with a some relatively new friends on a lovely saturday afternoon (well, actually, i was sweating, but there was beer involved so it was all good)- we're all celebrating the recent purchase of a lovely home by peaches and his lovely wife, half & half. all of a sudden, the conversation takes a sharp left and we're knee deep engaged in the throes of a heated discussion about zombies. well, really the heated part of the conversation stood between another couple, arguing over whose fault it was that their year old house purchase was still vulnerable since they did not have a zombie attack/escape plan in place.

seriously, it really was heated.

well, the talks soon turned lighter- to the subject of books- which brings me to my latest read. one i highly recommend you rush to the library/book store/kindle to get.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN, VAMPIRE HUNTER

the actual first suggestion was that i get

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!

to be honest, neither jane austen nor the zombies were peaking my interest past a chuckle. but when i jumped on amazon and saw good ol' honest abe- totally down with that. i'm a sucker for books that weave real historical events in with fiction, so i was doubled down pretty much two pages into the introduction, starting with the the words i was still bleeding...my hands were shaking. as far as i knew, he was still there...watching me. and ending with this is the journal of abraham lincoln. that's all i'm gonna tell you. but, if you're interested at all, click through the title and check out the summary on amazon.

abraham lincoln is pretty badass.

guest post by poopshack: musings of a 3 1/2 yr old

2010-06-16T09:00:00.010-04:00

guest post by poopshack

i have to be honest with you, i'm hurtin' for shite to talk about- i dunno what it is. shaun t is kicking my ass and that's great but i swear, my brain has become a blank slate (and shut up those of you that know me well enough to chuckle). so, naturally, i jumped at the chance to blatantly ride the coattails of this brilliant list my brother has started.

so without further ado... today's post is brought to you by the letter P.

Musings of a 3 1/2 yr old

The following are unprompted, random quotes from my 3 1/2 yr old son (the guppy). There are so many that I can't remember so I decided to start writing them down. I'll update the list whenever he says something worthy, but here's a few to get started...enjoy!

* After eating a piece of bacon: aw daddy that meat feels good on my teeth

* Driving in the car, after about 5 minutes of silence: daddy. i'm thinkin bout flowers and chevy's

* After eating pudding and getting it all over his face: daddy can u wipe my delicious face off

* While in time-out: when i'm big, and you're little, if you're bad...i'm gonna take all YOUR toys away

* Out of nowhere: uncle bucket is a boy. and does toots just like me. (uncle bucket is my brother-in-law, aka mr. magpie, but the kid has only ever known him as uncle bucket, why? i dunno. cuz its funny.)

to be continued...

happy pre-order day!!!

2010-06-15T09:55:00.000-04:00

i'm totally geeking out on this one. i'm going straight from work to (most probably) stand in line for a pre-order on the new iphone, with the rest of nerdtastics here in the city. i just can't help it. i heart it, so much.

it sure is purty.

will end in the pm or the am?

2010-06-11T09:43:00.000-04:00

this weekend we are heading to PA for peaches and half and half's (she used to be nicknamed "cream" but she said it sounded kinda porno) housewarming party. we actually went to h&h's 30th birthday party over memorial day weekend, but because of friday night traffic, we didn't make it to the surprise party until midnight- which wasn't very surprising at all. BUT, given the fact that bars in PA close at 1 am, we did wind up heading over to their new house and getting a private tour. it was so great, but a little too comfortable. mr. magpie, my brother-el peepee- and i were pulling up to my mom's house at 6 am, with el peepee all nervous and "what are we gonna do if mom catches us". snickering in through the door like a herd of elemaphants. nice.

so we're looking forward to another fun weekend, getting to hang with good friends. but i'm a little nervous about the ending- will it be pm or am? i'll check in and let youse all know!

Mustache Cat

2010-05-26T07:31:00.001-04:00

Mustache Cat, originally uploaded by whalecake.

the first rule of mustache club is that you TALK about mustache club.

ba.na.nas.

2010-05-14T11:35:00.000-04:00

i know, i know. i just get startedback up and then i drop out again. it seems like time is flying by lately!

i'm in week two, day 11 of insanity. it. is. crazy!

i've definitely noticed a change in how i feel. i still can't keep up with them, though! it warms my cold, twisted heart to see the people in the videos dropping like flies and to hear shaun t ready to pass out. makes me feel a bit better about my need for multiple breaks. but i keep moving and modify where i need to and it's been good. i still really like him and i think he's a great motivator.

it's been rainy and gloomy here alot which is probably contributing to my lack of blogging- i gots nothin to say. just ready for a great sunny day tomorrow to recharge the batteries and sore muscles!

what are you doing this weekend?

insanity. yeah, it totally is.

2010-05-05T09:02:00.004-04:00

i can actually feel the muscles in my shoulder blades as i type this. i am on to day three of the insanity with shaun t workout and it. is. brutal. but i have to say that even at the level of pain i'm in right now, and knowing the level of pain i will be in by friday, i am about it. t is really motivating and never stops speaking throughout the workouts. it was good to hear him out of breath by the end of yesterday's program. i can't do all of the moves- i modify where i have to- and i take a massive amount of tiny little breaks. but i expected that and i know it will get easier as i go- that's what i'm in it for, right?

the fit test on day one was 30 minutes long and i swear, i could not have been prouder that i did throw up at the end. i was sweatin' like elvis and twice as incoherent by the end. you just have to know going in that you are going to get your ass kicked and that's that. day two, yesterday, was 47 minutes. i seriously thought i WAS going to puke all over my sweat covered floor. but i didn't. score another one for the magpie.

i think mr. magpie is still at the i-don't-know-what-to-make-of-this stage. i think he will be all the more puzzled when he actually sees what it is that i'm doing- he hasn't looked at one of the videos yet. but like i said, shaun t really keeps you in the moment and you feel like he's there cheering you on. loving it.

we'll see how i feel about him in the next few days! hahahah! here's a quick peek. feel free to drop me a line if you wanna know anything about it or if you're doing it!

tootsies

2010-04-30T08:56:00.001-04:00

i woke up this morning- scratch that... i was rudely torn from a fitful night's slumber this morning- yeah, that's more like it...

do over.
i was rudely torn from a fitful night's slumber this morning by my wretched alarm clock. i felt like i'd been through a war. what the hell? a full night's sleep- by normal human terms- is a rare commodity in our nest. neither one of us sleeps a full night through, we both wake up several times a night.

but today is a day we've been looking forward to all week, because mr. magpie gets out early today- the same time that i do, in fact! so, we get to meet up, ride the train home together, and have what will feel like a mini vacation day. imagine my surprise when i got to work, started to change in the locker room and noticed that this was how my day was starting. oops.

you can call it a mistake, laughable, mismatched (at least they coordinate!)- but i'm callin' it quirky and i'm goin' with it. and the evil llama agrees.

best tee moment so far

2010-04-28T08:30:00.005-04:00

so, the guppy calls me tee.

auntie was too much of a mouthful, and tee stuck now that we're at 3 1/2 years. i LOVE it. he calls mr. magpie uncle bucket. which is the BEST ever.

well, actually, we have our own celebrity couple name straight out of the brain of the guppy- we're teebucket. one word. "daddy, is my teebucket coming today?" yeah. i know. you're jealous. it's the coolest.

well, poopshack emails me the other day to tell me that the guppy has started forming his opinions about music, and currently they lie with females- particularly sheryl crow. she's cool because she had a song in "cars". of course.

well, poopshack proceeds to inform the guppy that his tee is a singer.
"my tee, daddy? my tee is a singer?"
"yeah, buddy- you wanna hear your tee sing?"
so he puts on an album and he watches him and he says he can see his little brain working and understanding that it's me that is coming out of the speakers. a few days later, the guppy has a favorite song. he requests it.

*thud* <--- that's me, falling over from cuteness.

that was pretty much enough for my heart. but then i get this text. i am singing "baby, fly up, high up, high up in the sky". the guppy thinks i'm EXTRA awesome because he thinks i'm saying "BEE BEE fly up, high up, high up in the sky" and he is also currently obsessed with bees. YES.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

yeah, it's good to be tee.

a love letter

2010-04-23T08:11:00.001-04:00

i had a wonderful wednesday this week.

my friend, seta, was in town and we spent the better part of a beautiful day walking through central park and catching up on one another's lives. it was really such a great day. we covered ALOT of ground and laughed and hugged and hashed stuff out.

seta and i went to school here in nyc together- we were assigned as roommates. and when i say roommates- i mean four girls, two rooms, one bathroom. needless to say, we got to know one another pretty well, pretty fast! that, my dear friends, was 1991.

dear. lord. we are old.

seta and i continued to live together after school. life took us off into different directions. we found our way back up into each other's bidness. life went zoomy again. and then, boom. back in focus again. and here we are today. over the last couple years, we've been through some serious lows and serious highs together- never clinging to one another for dear life- but safe in the knowledge that the other would pop in at just the right time for a hi, a nudge, a smile or the all important belly laugh.

which leads me to this thank you. planning a wedding put an interesting focus on the friendships in my life. (*disclaimer*- let me preface what i'm about to say with i am not one of those people who thought the world totally revolved around me and MY wedding. in fact, i drowned a bit cuz i wouldn't ask for help, knowing life was still going on around me. my philosophy was i chose to do things this was- man up and get it done!) there were people i thought i'd be in constant touch with that i wasn't, some that i was- and that grew to a whole new level of friendship. there were people who were far away, but lent so much support ranging from the mental sounding board ya need in a crazy time like that, to just surprising me with notes of love, wish we were there, how's it going, miss ya. there were people i thought i'd be sharing this rite of passage with and be growing life long bonds with, who just barely batted an eye at this life changing event in our lives and there were people i was just getting to know who stood by quietly waiting to pick up pieces as they fell out of my bag, my head, my anything- and left me sweet little surprises whenever we were together. there were people whose lives were just as insane as mine at the time, who came up for air just to see how it was going- i have a day off, let me help- and i'll tell you, those moments were at the exact time i needed them most! there were people from our past that surprised us, took a weekend away from their children and shared a weekend with us alllllll the way in another state, which just filled my heart.

and there was seta, who flapped her wings northbound, each time she came for anything to be with us. to be with me.

the point of this ramble is that as you get older (good grief- doesn't it just MAKE me old that i said that), friendships change because each of our lives change. but the friends that are true- you make it happen, you make it work. and to be perfectly honest, i'm not all that surprised at what i learned. it was obvious already, i just wasn't ready to see it. it became quite clear to me how important it is to work on those friendships. how the smallest thing meant the world to me, and how easy it is to do the same in return.

so this is a love letter to my friends. you know who you are. and to seta, for still being here. a hug huddle is in order :)

my new favorite band

2010-04-22T07:51:00.002-04:00

mr. magpie heard these guys on the radio the other day. we both knew the name of the band, but i guess nothing had really stuck with us until he played me this.

i'm digging them :)

don't read this, mommie.

2010-04-21T09:16:00.000-04:00

i warned ya. it's not gonna be pretty.

so, last night, mr. magpie and i were sucked into the bottomless vortex that is ANY reality television program on at the moment. it's AWFUL.

really.

we sit there and say things like...

mrs: "what are we doing?"
mr.: "we're never going to get back this hour. you know that, right?"
mrs: "why won't you change this?"
mr.: "why won't YOU change this?"
mrs: "well, the remote is over there on the table."
mr.: "i need a remote for the remote."

my brain started to shake as we watched this terrible interview/clip montage that was going on (yes, we were watching a live interview show of one of the reality show "stars". it really is that bad." but was brought back down to earth when the interviewer told us all that right after this break, we'd be able to revel in a series of clips featuring the interviewee's favorite swear words.

which brings me to my question of the day, and again, i warn you, mother. don't keep reading. it'll only make you you shake your head and throw your hands up in the air.

i love to swear. i mean, i really love it. i try so hard not to- i've gotten so much better. mr. magpie really cleaned up my potty mouth. but sometimes, there's just not a better word to use! so what's your favorite swear word? i wanna know. what word gives you the most satisfaction because there is no better descriptor for whatever grinds your gears?

my current fave : douchebag.

*sigh* i know, it's awful, right? i'm such a lady.

small talk six- very late edition :)

2010-04-20T07:58:00.004-04:00

i came across this fun little game on saturday over at bubbleboo's the thought bubble. it's called

and usually takes place on saturday, but let's be honest- i'm a little rough around the edges and rules be damned! i'm playing today!

this week's topic was 6 movies that make you cry. i have a feeling my list is going to be a bit stranger than most but, so here we go:

1- across the universe- if you haven't seen this, run. run to the store and get it. it is spectacular.

2- the patriot- ahhh, there are several absolute breakdown moments in this movie. mr. magpie always says that nobody makes the heartbreak face like mel does when his son is killed. so true.

3- band of brothers- this isn't technically a movie, it's a miniseries but again- rules be damned! i cried throughout the entire thing.

4- what dreams may come- this movie is seriously intense and not for the faint of heart. it's a rough ride to a great ending.

5- august rush- mr. magpie stood up off the couch and applauded at the end of this one!!

6- american history x- yeah- you didn't see that one coming, didja? i think they should show this in schools. i filled up alot throughout this movie.

so there's my list. i know it may be a bit unconventional, but it's mine :) so, if you'd like to play a little side game here with me, post and put your link in the comments below. i'd love to know what your top six tearjerker movies are!

a pancake. it's a PANcake

2010-04-17T09:32:00.001-04:00

pause for puppy love

2010-04-16T17:45:00.001-04:00

our sweet little terror. she's a slower terror in her old age. jezebel. the lady of the house.

wedding DIY day!

2010-04-15T09:43:00.001-04:00

well, today's the big day! i definitely have a lot to share from the insane diy projects of 2009. i had a great time coming up with a million ideas, and picking and choosing the ones we could follow through with for our wedding. it was a ton of work.

A. TON.

first - a bit of advice.

brides- ASK FOR HELP. i cannot stress that enough. i definitely did not ask for enough help throughout that crazy time, which goes by at top speed.

my outlook on wedding planning was steadfastly budget-minded. i quietly vomited in my mouth on PLENTY of occasions. the markups on all things bridal, wedding, favors, flowers, etc to the millionth degree- sticker shock does not even begin to cover it. i actually laughed in salespeople's faces. not out of rudeness, just astonishment. these people are SERIOUS when they quote you those prices. unreal. how do they wake up in the morning? do they gag on their own thieving saliva as they cheshire cat their way through these bride's bank accounts? i never lost that distaste for the industry. which worked for me!

oddly enough, the "strategy" that worked best for me in negotiating- unabashed excitement. ODD, RIGHT?? i know. i had a form letter type email put together to send off asking for venue quotes. i sent it out to a bunch of places. then i found what was to be our dream place and something in my just broke free. i basically typed the equivalant of a live conversation with me when i'm siked about something. there might as well have been hand claps and jumping up and down visuals. and the woman we worked with loved me so much for that enthusiasm that she worked with us to make it happen.

once i realized that we were going to have our wedding at a place that felt unattainable to me, i started thinking- i could really do all of this crazy wedding stuff at a much lower cost if i make everything i really want. if i couldn't make it, we didn't really need to have it. once i came to believe that- the whole thing went much smoother. SO! without further ado, here's my little contribution to the wedding-go-round!

right outta the gate- i made 4x6 photo books with funny pictures and crazy color schemes to ask each of my bridesmaids if they'd be a part of the wedding. it was so much fun!!!

when it came time to send out save the dates, we looked and looked for something fun and different and i finally stumbled onto this amazing idea at aylee's bits which just fit perfectly, since our venue was an old train station! had i had more resources, better knowledge of graphic design, etc etc etc, i could have gone further with these, but i was so proud of what we came up with and it was a huge hit with the guests, too!

i bought a giant packet of this parchmenty paper at staples for i think $15. this packet got us through all of our save the dates, the extra cards for the hotels and directions in the invitations, the table numbers, the day of timelines, and the seating cards. i used every single sheet. wise investment!!

next came the task of finding actual invitation. did i love the cool letterpress, modern, hip choices out there- of course i did. etsy is my friend and my enemy because the world of possibilities is just wide open, but the cost is steeper than what we could afford. i was strolling down the wicked wedding aisle at michaels one day just out of curiousity and came across these invitations, which came in a kit. i didn't tell the mr. which ones had caught my eye, and just let him look for himself and luckily, he was drawn to the same kit. so that was that! we went back a few times, coupons in hand, and got what we needed for a steal.

invitation kits = $60 for 120.

now, we get into the fun stuff! stuff you don't really need, they're just lovely touches. i made these signs for outside of the rooms we were getting ready in the morning of the wedding.

i have a bit of an anxiety issue, so for my own sanity, i made each member of the bridal party a day of timeline card (i cannot find the site i got this template from, i'm sorry! i'll keep looking though. she did such an awesome job. i have it saved though, if anyone wants me to send it to them.), so no one would be asking me questions while i was already nervous that morning! it definitely made for a very calm experience.

everyone teased me, but nothing was forgotton and i'm glad i did it!

i really wanted little charms for each of girl's bouquet, but they were actually pricey for such a peripheral thing, ya know? so i bought some scrapbooking metal letters and some sparkles and hotglued those puppies on to make each lady their own monogram :)

we were slated to have our ceremony in the garden on the grounds of the station, so i had grand ideas of making fans for everyone that would double as programs. i found a ton of wonderful templates for serious from scratch fans, but i was running out of time! so, armed with more coupons, we went back to michaels and luckily found these, which had five pages each and was attached with a ribbon. they were lovely.

3 kits= $18

BRIDES! vistaprint is our friend. go sign up for emails- they send out TONS of coupon codes. we had cards with our photosharing website address, so guests could upload and/or order pictures from the wedding, and cards made up for the donation we made in the name of our wedding guests. very inexpensive! they also have tons of freebies, so i ordered personalized notepads, pens, a banner to welcome home the newlyweds, a magnet for the car when we were going to the wedding- i know, i was excited :) just fun stuff and all for free!

***photosharing- i looked and looked for a site that would be easy to use and convenient to get prints from. shutterfly has a wonderful photosharing option- you build your own little site, and people can upload pictures and videos, anyone can order whatever they'd like copies of, and you can use it to then post and share in the future as your family progresses :) **

my lovely maid of honor, the broke-ass babe, made me this awesome ringbearer pillow! i showed her a picture i'd found online and she took it and ran with it! so, buster had this special pillow to watch over.

we had two ringbearers. our nephew, the guppy, calls the mr. "uncle bucket". so, of course, he had to bring bucket's ring down the aisle...in a bucket. awwwwwwww. i popdotted, then hotglued this awesome marah johnson heart with wings embellishment onto the tiniest bucket we could find. i tied a ring onto a ribbon to hang in there, and he never held the bucket by the handle, he put his finger through the ring and carried it that way. *thud* so cute.

the next awesome fun thing i HAD to have....wait for it...drum roll, please...mustaches. at every place setting. the mr. rolled his eyes and then said- of course, that'll be fun. and god, was it!

buster

the guppy

some of the girlies :)

next on the list- the seating cards. i threw around a few ideas in my head and then i saw a knottie with A TREE! *died* had to have it. we bought a $7 "pot" (i think it was really supposed to be a bathroom trashcan?), went exploring in the park one afternoon and found some awesome branches. the mr. sprayed them brown, just so there was uniformity. then we collected some large rocks to keep it steady (technically i think "collected" means stealing here, since it was in front of michaels. teehee!).

i made three circles. the largest one was doublesided cardstock. you could also have a patterned paper in there, but you'd have to glue them back to back, which was just one step too many for me at that point! then i cut two more circles per card- one had a table number, the other side, the name. it was SO beautiful.

the mr. came back from a last minute run at michaels with this little surprise for me to have in the tree- two little bride and groom birdies and a nest. *sigh*

the tree was such a hit that our friends, peaches and fun-size, who got married soon thereafter in october, used the tree at their wedding! instead of circles, fun-size wanted leaves to go with their fall theme, so i busted out the wishblade and made it happen!

our lovely tree is currently residing in our music studio room in the apartment, awaiting the next wedding!

i also made very simple table numbers (kind of like little sandwich boards, with the number on both sides) and a sign for the head table. ooh- and i found the mr. and mrs. chair signs for $1 in the sale aisle at michaels- they matched our invites!

i didn't want a big flower arrangement that would be here and gone in a day or so for the tables, so the mr. found these amazing lanterns! they are white, with a little clocktower in the steeple that was already set at 11:45, which was when we were married! we bought the mossy green candles (1.50 a piece in the sale aisle!) to put inside and one sheet of beautiful blue paper to put under each one- they matched the bridesmaids dress color combo almost perfectly!

our cake. ahhhhh...our cake. i loved our cake. we found an awesome picture that we took into the bakery and they did a wonderful job recreating it. i wanted the layers off kilter and the little fondant flowers that matched our colors...so pretty. the best part though was the cake topper. mr. magpie made me this amazing cake topper!!!!

we saw a picture of it and it was just so expensive but he came in to save the day! absolute perfection!

lastly, we hauled everyone out front with their mustaches for a group picture, which we then went back to vistaprint with and made up our thank yous!

i feel like i'm missing something here and there, but i'm exhausted just writing this post! hahah! it was certainly alot to take on in an eight month engagement and we were going up until minutes before the rehearsal. but, that day could not have gone any better. it was absolutely thrilling to see all of these things put together, the whole vision come to fruition, and know we did it on our terms, without financially losing, you know?

so, what did/will you do differently at your wedding? did you diy? please share with us! i can't wait to see!

a date on a calendar

2010-04-14T07:51:00.000-04:00

i FINALLY got to spend some quality one on one time with one of my best girls yesterday, the broke-ass babe, (i'm just gonna keep putting your blog up til you start writing in it again. i'm such a bully.) which was long overdue and so good. we were both absolute lumps of marshmallow, exhausted little minxes, but we caught up on life and work and love and all that and set a date for a big crafty saturday in may!

the two of us actually met online through a scrapbooking website, cautiously met up, i'm pretty sure i dropped the eff bomb first and it was love at first slice. we used to be absolutely obsessed with creating the next little page or project and what's new out there in the patterned paper world (don't laugh, you civilians- you don't ever even need to make ONE thing- all you have to do is walk down the aisles and check out that patterned paper and you get sucked right in. it's some kind of addictive chemical they put in the paper...makes you crave it fortnightly.) and then life sped up, as it does, got full of hullabaloo, wedding hooey, a few crisis's and here we are now- closets bursting with all of these tools and materials we HAD TO HAVE or we would have shriveled up and died.

and it's aaaaaaalllllll dusty.

but we've set aside a day far enough into the future that we can both go through, reorganize, think out what we're gonna do and prepare accordingly. i plan to get some gifts done (yay!) and throw some ideas together to get my shop back open and i'm really excited!

so my question to you is, how do you gear up for a new project? do you get an idea first, or luxuriate in your many materials for inspiration? how's it work for ya?

random thoughts

2010-04-13T08:31:00.000-04:00

um, last night i saw a wee little man, on wee little crutches. i started to quake with the need to just pick him up and carry him wherever it was that he was going. turned out it was a bar. of course it was a bar.

then, not two minutes later, i saw a gigantic man that made me spastically, but quietly, utter the words "anybody want a peanut" under my breath. well, not so much under my breath as hushed. okay- out loud. don't judge. i have to take the comedy where i can find it. i'm just singing about what i see.

it did crack up my brother.

just thought i'd share.

how was your night?

playing house

2010-04-12T08:48:00.000-04:00

*shakes like a doggie, in from a rainstorm*

it's kind of interesting brushing off the cobwebs here. i'm hoping getting back to writing will help me get back to creating music. it's been a rough and frustrating ride trying to put fingers to guitar for the husband and trying to put pen to paper for the wife- let me tell you. after putting music aside to plan and execute the whirlwind kennedy wedding from start to finish (which, btw- i have not forgotten. i will share all the diy projects that completely consumed me in that eight month period!), it absolutely feels like the well is dry.

it goes like this.
we start.
get stuck.
look at each other.
grumble a bit.
wonder if we should quit.
start again.
write something.
like it.
get stuck.
look at each other.
grumble more.
put down guitar and pen and walk away.

yeah- not great. we have yet to complete a song, thought, idea. blech.

so we turned to the apartment. the neverending project we call casa kennedy. it's a great place right now. well, the inside at least- the hallway, that's another story ALTOGETHER. so the apartment goes living room, kitchen. bathroom, tiki bar, studio, bedroom, office. it's a great and amazingly sizeable apartment in terms of the new york city scene. we have rooftop access which will soon and shortly be put back into good use for after work cocktails and sunsets. we have a full view of manhattan from top to bottom from up there- i seriously live the good life. so... why, so fidgety?

well, my biological clock seems to be ticking around the music, not a baby. a baby- i know we'll try soon. and if we are meant to be parents, it will happen and we will be blessed and blissed. the music- what will happen to the music when there is a baby in the mix, if we're having so much trouble now? it's worrisome. and sad. it feels selfish to put it out there into words, when i'm comparing it to a child, but it's what defined us as individuals apart from one another, and then as a couple. and now it seems to be a distant and frustrating memory.

but, like i said- i'm hoping writing here will rattle some tension outta me, show me it's not so hard to put the thoughts back out there like i used to, and get on with it already! which in turn will help the mister to fall back into it as well.

life is good. life is now. if we live in the what will happen next, we miss the now, right? send me muse-y thoughts...

not quite clear-headed, but close enough for now. oh- and married!

2010-04-08T17:30:00.023-04:00

it's been quite a long time since i've written here- a fact i can probably count on my charming and subtle friend spacey tracy pointing out (down to the day) in a comment below! i just didn't have a thing to say, to be honest. i felt mute. drained. spent. unwieldy in my ability to form coherent and/or interesting thoughts. for months!

planning a wedding was exactly what everyone said it would be- a two-fold experience. it was both wonderful, exciting, heady, whirlwindy, magical, incredible and fun, while at the same time scary, unreal, grounding, demoralizing, drudgery, exhausting and...okay- still fun. planning a party that represents who you are as a couple and what you're all about- seriously thrilling and seriously overwhelming. figuring out the wording for a ceremony where you speak your undying resolution to love, honor and cherish the one person your entire gravitational pull revolves around- there are no words to describe that.

as i fully expected, mr. magpie and i had a million and one ideas that i could not put into practice. making peace with the compromises of what we could afford came fairly easy, to be honest. we had a budget and we stuck to it. i am not a princessy, dreaming-of-the-day-all-my-life kind of girl- not that there's anything at all wrong with that kind of girl, it's just not me. i was way more about how can we be different? how can we make this day stand out in people's memories the way i know it will in ours? everyone thinks that they've planned perfection- i didn't want anyone blowing smoke up my hindquarters.
so i set up a file that was absolutely bursting out my hard drive by the end and tried my best to make it all happen. music was such a huge, thoughtful part of our day. we tried so hard to come up with a balance of what we felt strongly about, while not knocking the socks off the parents and older family members. i think we did a pretty good job. i was SO lucky to stumble on to the vitamin string quartet- they pretty much dominated sweetly and perfectly throughout our ceremony. i just got chills thinking of everyone being seated to a classical version of coldplay's "strawberry swing", whose hook line is "it's such a perfect day". it didn't matter that probably four people knew it- it meant so much to us. and our wedding party walked into jimi hendrix's "little wing". classic. i walked down the aisle to joe satriani playing "amazing grace". a tribute to my husband to be, who is a guitar player, and just a beautiful way to make THE entrance, you know? i thought my dad was gonna burst from pride when i told him that was our song to walk down the aisle! nothing like it.

well, after all was said and done- i still had a few shreds of hair left on my head, my fingers finally came unglued from wedding diy's and my groom-to-be was still in! we had a wonderful day that flew by faster than anything i have ever experienced. we did it all our way, no compromises, and looking back- as i often find myself doing, when does that start to fade??- i wouldn't change a thing. it even makes me happy to remember how it rained the night before and we couldn't have our ceremony outside- the decision was taken out of our hands and my mother was so stressed out about the thought of melting while we lived through this amazing moment in our family history. air conditioning abounded and i thank the heavens for sealing that deal for me.
here's a little photo overview of the day. it's a lot of pictures- it's so hard to pick and choose, so get some coffee! i'll leave all of the DIY for another post. it's good to be back!

ahhhhh...that dress. dreamy

beautiful bestie, the broke-ass babe

cool shot of my ladies!

mr. magpie :)

buster & the guppy- we worked on the holding hands for 8 months and it worked!

many awwwws from the gathering here!

buster bruiser

happy happy monkeys!

just a wee bit excited :)

our first dance

father daughter dance

mother son dance

i also had a second "parent dance"where i had my dad pass me off to
my mom halfway through, so i could do something special for her

all photos by jeff shurak photography

a giveaway at april's house!

2009-02-23T08:00:00.004-05:00

so, i know i've been here and gone, here and gone lately. and when i AM here, i foam at the mouth about wedding goo. i think i've gotten it out of my system for a little bit. it's really all consuming, which i wasn't expecting. but i do have other things to say. so, here we go!

we went to register at target yesterday (which was a terrible dud, btw. the shelves were empty- they didn't have anything. we hit macy's - same deal. oddly enough, we strolled over to the other end of the mall and went through jcpenneys and found what we wanted to see in person. hm. rachael ray cookware is out and paula deen is in. nicely done, paula. nicely done.) SO, coming very soon again, i'm hitting round two of "the ridiculous things we own". it's that time again, to start going through closets and cubby holes and under the bed and...just everywhere. we have a "storage loft" in our office, which directly translates to place-we-shove-things-that-mr.-magpie-is-not-ready-to-let-go-of-yet, or things-i'm-not-sure-we'll-use-again-but-it-could-be-part-of-an-awesome-project loft. time to laugh and cringe and "oh my god- i have one of those, too- crap i should get rid of it, too" and throw the hell out- well, donate, when it's appropriate.

BUT the first thing i'd love to make room for, is what april is giving away today over at 4 kennedys and a dog! she did a little shopping, and graciously picked one of these sweet little ring dishes from anthropologie for herself and another, hopefully for one of us! so head on over there and leave her a comment to be thrown into the drawing. it's just too cute to pass up! plus, if you don't read her- she's just fantastic. i highly recommend you add her to your daily reading list.

so, just one more mention about the great magpie marriage. I GOT MY DRESS THIS WEEKEND!!! seeing as i cannot post here, for fear of the mister accidentally seeing it, that's all i'll say about it. but wow- for a girl who is not a girlie girl- i sure girled it up this weekend. my future momma-in-law drove us down to pennsylvania where we met up with my mommie and went to a fantastic shop called the belle of the ball bridal shop. we had such a fantastic experience- they fussed over me, they fussed over the moms, they had cake and mimosas and i just can't say enough about the memory they created for us. and single girls, it is absolutely true what they say- when you put THE one on, you just know. it's pretty insane. i am completely head over heels for my dress and thank you, mommie. thank you so much for my dream dress.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

i got an award!

2009-02-21T07:06:00.003-05:00

awwww! thanks so much to audrey over at bustables! what a sweet thing- i saw it and then i got completely caught up in something else and promptly forgot. how are those for manners??? well, she gave me a Luv-Fest award! How cool!

To continue this Luv-Fest please allow me to share my current Blog Luv list.

Honorees, please follow these instructions and share the LUV!

1.Put the logo on your blog or post. (You can highlight the photo and text of this post and copy/paste wherever you need to...start your highlight from the bottom up to get the photo)

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show GREAT ATTITUDE and/or GRATITUDE

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received the award.

bustables!!!
diary of sweet nothings
nerdy jess
she's lump.
bee's musings
4 kennedys and a dog
how we roll: the meza's official for the record blog
where are my angels
the scattered mind of a tattoed minivan mom
sussing out lost

i'm really thinking i need to get back to the ridiculous things we own. it's time for some spring cleaning...

save the dates!!!

2009-02-20T17:27:00.011-05:00

so, mr. magpie thought i should wait until everyone started getting these in the mail, and i got plenty of texts and facebook updates that they have hit the marks, so here they are!!!

oh wait...maybe i should preface this with a little background.

you're dying, right?

The Columbia Station is a beautifully renovated train station with a wonderful garden area, where the ceremony will be held, and a fully restored caboose. We really have no idea how we're going to get the ring bearers to come out of the caboose for the ceremony!

so....

here they are! yay!!!

heeheehee!!! i love em! wish they showed up as good on here as they do in real life.

for anyone who's curious, here's our website- mr. magpie and magpie. what a really great deal! i highly recommend wedsite to couples- it's been so easy to use.

and i got my mine, by magpie stamp in the mail today! do ya like it?? i'm so excited!
and we also ordered a new address stamp from this same shop- sweet papery - who did a fabulous job on both and it was pretty quick, as well!

so if you're looking for a stamp- i'd highly recommend sweet papery!

some blogger i am!

2009-02-19T09:45:00.005-05:00

i gotta tell ya, life is barreling by like a bullet train.

i'm so behind on everyone's blogs. i promise i will hit y'all up asap.

what's going on, you ask? i thought i'd be all cool and calm and collected during all this wedding planning- it wouldn't take over my life, i'm not that kinda girl. yeah, well it turns out i am that kind of girl and it has taken over my life. no joke. i am loving all the planning, but it is ALOT of work. and i'm pretty obsessively organized (we do live in an nyc apartment- it's a necessity. oh...and we're pilers of things. pile of books here, pile of clothes over there, pile of coats on that chair *sigh*).

BUT the great news is, with the exception of two addresses i'm (at this point) impatiently waiting for- our save the dates are out! the website is juuuuust about finished. tonight, i will scan in our save the dates and show you what's been keeping me so busy! it's really exciting! shall i also give you our website address? *gasp* then you'll know our real names and i'll no longer be living incognito...hmmm...

was it the moon or something??

2009-02-13T09:21:00.002-05:00

so, it's friday. this week was a very strange one. did it have something to do with the crazy, bright, very full and close to the planet (at least in my neck of the big ball) moon? if so- it's freaky friday, the 13th of the red-headed stepchild month. what the hell is gonna happen tonight??

in truth, i don't much care. isn't that refreshing? we have a date with a good portion of our wedding party. gonna make some introductions, blow off some serious steam, be bridally fawned over a bit (not too much, just enough), fawn all over bride-to-be half & half(her fiance's nickname is peaches- we'll save that story for another post, so we used to call her cream, but she said that was a little too porno, so - half & half it is) a bit, and hopefully find someone for seta to make out with before the night is over :) that's my agenda for this evening.

what're you doing this weekend? any valentine's day rituals planned? me and mr. magpie usually order sushi and watch a movie, but i think we're gonna be working on save the dates this weekend- wanna get 'em out on monday. exciting! howsaboutyou?

a few simple questions.

2009-02-12T09:53:00.002-05:00

when jobs were created, waaaaaay back in time, was it for the express purpose of making someone feel less than someone else? was there ever a time that everyone was treated with trust and respect and the courtesy that said lesser person continuously extended to anyone they encounter? was there a time that people did not pass the buck, or take time away from a stressful situation to "correct" or "scold" someone because it's just the easier route, when they could be using that time to jump in and make the machine run smoother? is it just one person that gets singled out, cyclically passing along the long line of lessers than?

or is it just time for me to move on?

thankfully, the fighting irish is coming over today. i should be in a much better mood tomorrow. or possibly just drunk.

in a pickle.

2009-02-10T09:17:00.005-05:00

i've got a terrible problem.

i don't know what we're going to do.

we're tied up in knots over it.

we don't know where to go for our honeymoon.

i know, the problems i have to deal with- it's really just horrible. despicable. but, really! we're at a standstill!

i must explain that in the close to seven years we've been together, we've never gone anywhere for a significant amount of time that didn't involve pennsylvania. we visit my family, hang with friends, or go camping for a weekend. we drove to washington dc for a weekend once, to visit with a friend. that was cool. we went to chicago for a weekend for mr. and mrs. jerkface's wedding, which was awesome! but never have we whisked ourselves away on a bonafide vacation. that makes this whole honeymoon thing is twice as overwhelming.

so at first, we were talking about italy or greece or spain or a whole long list of other amazing places. then mr. magpie informed me that greece was like a 23 hour flight. yeah, cross that off the list. then, all of a sudden, the advertising started working on us.

the pictures of sunsets,

the hammocks on the beach under little huts,

the frilly drinks,

the spa massages...totally winning us over.

we are going to seek some professional help, but i also would love to hear from you! where have you been? what adventure did you have that is a fantastic memory? what place do you recommend?? we're pretty open to anything still. so lay it on me!

why, poopshack!

2009-02-09T12:09:00.002-05:00

you've been moonlight-dancing at other people's weddings! you'd better put a good show on at mine! wow- you must be doin' alot of stretching...

the big photo shoot.

2009-02-06T09:29:00.001-05:00

so the other day, i came across this article on wedding bee pro's blog. what an idea! it was inspired originally by the rocktographers blog (which you should check out, if you like my post) it really sparked an interest and i couldn't wait to give it a shot! of course, then we had a cloudy days and a snowstorm, but yesterday i raced home to take advantage of the sweet, sweet sunshine and these shots are some of the fruits of my labors.

my sweet bridgette brought me back this owl (and two smaller ones that go with it!) from a trip she was just on.

mr. magpie bought me this awesome wooden heart necklace a couple years ago.

awww- the perfect pear.

we have a serious monkey thing.

this is the cork from the bottle of veuve clicquot that mr. magpie bought for after his proposal!

and my favorite. the conversation hearts. :) you can make out the other part of the engraving- the "forever my" part of the "forever my bubble". teehee.

oooh! new boots!

2009-02-04T09:40:00.003-05:00

so i finally gave in. i've become one of the masses. i should have never stuck my foot in these in the first place. it was out of pure curiosity- i just wanted to know what all the hype was about. i tried a few different brands, cuz the BIG NAME is just way out of my range. but then i found these. also more than i would ever spend. but i had christmas money. and etsy money. and a serious jones. and they are chocolate brown. my favorite.

i have two pairs of perfectly good boots. i told mr. magpie that i just had to do it. even though he vehemently informed me of his hatred towards them. but the songs my feet sing in them. pure heaven. i'm sorry, sweet husband-to-be.

this kind of thing does not happen. yet, here i am. very angry at mother nature for the slush and yuck on the ground that prevented me from taking my ridiculously expensive and freshly sprayed boots out for their first walk.

but, as i type, the sun is high and bright, working her magic on the ick i trudged through this morning. tomorrow, my cushy new friends...tomorrow may be our day.

the beginning of the everything

2009-02-02T07:49:00.002-05:00

so i printed out all of our save the dates on saturday night! i'm so excited to work on cutting them down and then move on to the envelopes. once i send them out, i'll put them up here and include the files i used for anyone going DIY that may stumble onto my little branch of the tree.

this morning is a rough monday. i had terrible insomnia last night- slept maybe an hour- and i'm having a hard time keeping my peepers peeping. i did get to see a couple episodes of csi that i never saw before. i love me some csi. but, good trade-off? nah.

i'm having one of those days that i just got nothin' for ya. hm. it's been awhile, but i'm thinkin' i should get back to adding music. so here ya go. have a good monday!

off to the races!

2009-01-31T10:00:00.001-05:00

it's official! my ladies have all said yes!

2009-01-29T20:15:00.009-05:00

i couldn't be happier! i have such an amazingly wonderful group of women standing by and for us, i feel so lucky. so i was trying to think of a creative way to ask them...okay, let's face it- i've had a lot of time to mull this over! hahahaha! so i decided to make little 4x6 photobooks and give them to each of the girls. i get shy sometimes (shut up. i do.)- so i let the pictures do the talking for me.

and did they ever. here it is!

will you be my bridesmaid??

the guy in the middle really tried.

gotta get the back shot.

accentuate the positive

seriously. stop it.

you won't look like this,

and i won't look like this.

so we were wondering,

would you be my bridesmaid???

PLEASE!!!!

i'm thinking dress color (this has changed after being blinded at david's bridal)

and this accent color (also changed, due to temporary blindness)

sunflowers for all of us!

or we could just with this :)

so now IT'S ON!!! i sent out an email to my sweet ladies, and sent them invites to the google calendar (which sent me a text reminder for the first time yesterday- IT RULES) i made to keep track of all the days that aren't good for everyone and festivities and things. yes, i'm such a google nerd. but i really thought it might help. well, i at least know poopshack and the fighting irish will be on board. i think google calendar is an extension of my love (compulsive need) of making lists.

all of this absolute joy came after a very tough day at work. i've suddenly become very aware that people i have little to no interaction with on my staff (we have very independent jobs throughout a hospital, one person per floor) do not like me, don't care for me, are incredibly irritated by me, etc, etc. i took it very hard all day and just don't understand it. i mean, i literally have maybe hello, how are you, have a good day interaction. and these people really dislike me. so after pondering, mulling, and plotting to change this strange phenomena all day long- i ended my day with my last bridesmaid book being delivered and have now parked myself right back at bliss.

if you can beat 'em, move on.

china? not our thing.

2009-01-29T08:58:00.001-05:00

so we've been starting to slowly think about what we want to put on our registry. we've been living together for 6 years, so we have a lot of things, but we do need to get some new stuff like towels, sheets, new dishes- time to officially wrap up the non-married bunch of things that don't match period of our lives, right?

so we've talked a bit about how we're really not china people. we don't have the space for a unit to store it in, like a breakfront or a cabinet. and let's be realistic- i should really just change my name to bull because i'm just a mess and i break stuff.

but we want to get a new set of dishware that is something special and cool and timeless, but not white, preferably with square dishes, but that's not a deal breaker. something not just plain white, not flowery or girlie. anybody have any good sites you can recommend? i've only hit target, bed bath and beyond and kohls so far. i'm kind of thinking i'll probably find a winner in some small shop online that's funky and modern and cool. so whatcha got in your favorites, my pets?

gotta say...i'm curious.

2009-01-28T08:31:00.002-05:00

BUMPITS INSTRUCTIONS

part hair across crown of head, directly up fromt he back of ears, where the headband would go.

brush parted section upward.

simply place BUMPIT at scalp right below the part line.

pull hair down over bumpit, give hair a gentle tug downward to tighten the grooves of the teeth. this is very important to keep hair from parting later. spray immediately with firm hold immediately with firm hold hairspray.

fluff, even out, and pinch out areas of hair that are uneven or sparse.

spray firm hold hairspray for that all day perfect volume!

when removing, be gentle. never pull hard...gentle!

many women's favorite way to wear BUMPITS is to simply pull back sides after putting in one or two BUMPITS.

sign me up. i'm such a lemming. but don't judge me. i have flat hair.

bee's bizarre/weird wtf-was-i-thinking pictures

2009-01-27T08:51:00.004-05:00

bee has declared this bizarre pictures day! so yesterday, i scrolled through my handy dandy walkman phone- which i looooooove- and tried to remember why the hell i took these.

i do remember that this was written on a bathroom wall in a store. i just wondered, if you're going to declare yourself a "lady", then why 1-are you peeing in a public restroom, let alone writing on a bathroom wall and 2-elmo? really?

this my kids made no inauguration day. they had a parade up and down the floor, all wearing sunglasses and squiggly pipe cleaners with cotton balls on the ends in their ears- secret service, ya know?

ahhh...fao schwartz. i had never been their and buddy bridgette took me a couple weeks ago. nothing like an eight foot hagrid made outta legos.

except maybe be chewbacca.

i do not mess around in the winter.

mr. magpie, convinced that his ponytail made him look just like tom cruise in the last samurai.

yeah, we weren't tooooo tipsy that night...

and i leave you with the tiny blue army. i took this picture and sent it to my best friend from high school, eddie, who used to whistle the smurf theme song under my bedroom window if he needed to tell me something after curfew. yeah. those were the days. we were young and had the world at our fingertips. *sigh*

why does monday suck so much?

2009-01-26T07:35:00.008-05:00

just asking. cuz it does. this weekend went SO fast. and mr. magpie and i both feel like we got hit by a freight train. how is it possible to have two days off and not feel rested at all? saturday night was just riddled with insomnia.

i would tag in as mr. magpie would drift off- then about an hour later, i'd tag out and he was up. ugh.

BUT, we had a lovely time visiting with some friends yesterday- hmm...i don't officially have a nickname for jerkface's lovely bride...

i'm gonna have to work on that one. so we met jerkface and mrs. jerkface's (that's so wrong- i really gotta come up with somethin') sweet baby girl, who had such an infatuation with mr. magpie, it was adorable. i watched him get all melty within three minutes!

(ooooh- you are sca-reeeeeeewed, my friends.)

the mr. asked jerkface last week to be a groomsmen- most befitting since he was not only our friend separately but he was the one to introduce us!- and yesterday, i got to ask his lovely lady to be a bridesmaid.

we had such a sweet moment as i was asking her and i'm so happy to say that she is officially the first bridesmaid in our wedding party! i should have more as the week goes on, and i'm so excited to talk to each one of them- i got all teary yesterday and so did mrs. jerkface- it was great!

mr. magpie also took me to david's so we could once for all solve the big color controversy- hahahhaha! he was really happy to go with me, which i was glad for, and we walked out with different colors than we went to see and i'm SO happy to say that we BOTH love them. thanks so much, my pets, for bearing with my moment of crisis last week and offering your sage advice. i think we came to a great combo, together- which was very important to me, and i'll share it with you as soon as i get my girlies on board. wanna take a guess? YAY!

so this week's project is to get the save the dates together- much easier to do now that we have the colors locked down. we sent our first check off for the reception deposit on saturday. i think we're doing just fine.

how was your weekend?

a mexican standoff

2009-01-23T07:33:00.005-05:00

so we've come to our first wedding induced mexican stand off.

it's over color. i know- it's so ridiculous. and i'm sure i'm overthinking it, but it's stickin' in my craw. (what the hell does that mean?????)

so i chose very bright, cheery, happy summery colors- i wanted the colors to reflect what i know i'll be feeling that day, ya know? now, mr. magpie is not a stereotypical guy- he has a very good eye for colors, design, etc. when i showed him the colors i liked, i expected that to start a conversation where we choose them together. well, he surprised me and told me he wanted for me to be happy, the colors are going to be on the girl in my bridal party and i should pick what made me happy, what my first instinct was- although it did surprise him that i chose such bright colors.

we're both pretty equally drawn to muted, darker colors- i love to antique things when i'm scrapbooking. but for our wedding, i wanted to be different, be bold, be unique. they are still colors i'm drawn to, just at a different end of the spectrum.

well, last night we had a conversation about it again (i know, i'm astounded that i'm still talking about this. trust me, i've already socked myself.) and i asked him to please give me his honest opinion. he said he thinks of more sophisticated colors (and by sophisticated he meant not a dig at me, but as a description), like gem tones almost, and that that doesn't mean he's right. i tend to listen to other people and change my actions to please and wind up disappointing myself. he's got me there, but at the same time, how can i knowingly make a decision that i know he's not 100% on board with, and is only going along with to make me happy.

he says i should should just let him step back on this one and do what my instinct is. i feel like that is a little selfish. do you wanna weigh in on this one?

the world is changing right before our very eyes, and all i have to blog about today is color palettes. really?

good morning, my pets.

2009-01-22T09:24:00.003-05:00

i'm am still stick and llama-ey. do llamas get sick, i'm not sure. but even when they're well, they are some funky looking creatures.

so yesterday, i toiled away on the bonecrunching task of simply plugging in text and pictures for our wedding website. it was death-defying work, but i came out just fine. i will post it when we actually have some kind of a finished product, but i really dig it! today, i shall start working on our save the date cards. we COULD just send an ecard out, but we found something super cute to do and i'm dying to get these puppies made and have a big reveal here! i clapped my hands together like a five year old when i came across them, and mr. magpie had a similar but more adult reaction when i showed him. so we have a winner there! one more checkmark on my list- and you know i love to check off my lists.

ooh- hold on while i send my whole paycheck right off to that credit card.............DAMN, that feels good. SO close.

so what've you got going on for the weekend? anything great that's getting you through this week? we're going out tomorrow to see a friend play and then having lunch with some friends on saturday, followed by a whole list of wedding related stuff to check into. and sunday, i'm not waking up until noon. should be a good weekend.

hump day is kickin' my arse

2009-01-21T09:02:00.004-05:00

i am sick as a llama today.

seriously, i tried to work my way through not feeling great last night. i started on our website, we picked out a save the date card, i talked to my mom about dresses and things. but i was pretty miserable the whole time. we were supposed to be bustersitting tonight, and i had to ask my FUTURE sister-in-law (no longer SOMEDAY sister-in-law!!) to get a pinch hitter in the bottom of the ninth, cuz i don't wanna pass whatever this thing is on to him. i'm hoping i haven't infected mr. magpie with the horribles!

so my question to you today is totally out of left field- do you pay your bills online? i used to use aol billpay, which was great. then aol took a turn onto the freeway and they stopped that service. so i've been using this mess called yodlee which i am desperate to jump ship from., so i'm looking for suggestions! i'd set it up with my bank, except i like having the electronic immediate gratification, ya know? so what do you use? are you one of those very disciplined people who have a time every week where you sit with the bills and a checkbook and use - GASP- actual stamps? i gotta tell ya, it irritates me that i have to use one stamp every month to send off our rent check.

thank god for google calendar. if google ever crashes, i won't know how to dress myself in the morning. i have EVERYTHING on that calendar. it sends me emails when it's someone's birthday. it sends me emails when there's a bill due. it tells me when new movies come out on netflix. it keeps me in line, really.

tomorrow is one of, i think, three more gigantic payments and the credit cards will be at ZERO. i can't tell ya how happy i'll be to see that! that means the computer we replaced almost two years ago will finally be ours, outright! incredible. how do we do these things to ourselves? never again! i read this great book that poopshack recommended to me called "The Automatic Millionaire : A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich" and it wasn't anything all of us haven't heard before, but it made me feel really ridiculous for how we spend money. the silly things that add up when you multiply it for a week or a month. the day i finished the book, i changed everything about our finances and starting chipping away at our credit cards and we are more than halfway done, WHILE saving money at the same time. since the big question popped over our heads, i decided to skip the savings payments and just smother the debt, and i'm happy to say we will be free and clear before we are wed. how did i get off on this tangent? hmmm...i just get excited about ZERO. it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

so how are you all?? i have to go catch up on my blog list. things are starting to get somewhat back to normal. so i hope you'll welcome me back with open arms!

WE HAVE LIFT-OFF!

2009-01-20T08:35:00.021-05:00

WE HAVE A VENUE!!!! phew- that was a very exhaustive search and i was so afraid that after all the time we put in, we'd miss the window for off-peak rates, which we really needed to stay in on the budget we have.

**on a quick side note- i learned that, at least in pennsylvania and parts of new york, july and august are considered off-peak! so budget-minded brides-to-be- take heart! there are more options, all you need to do is ask. be bold. i was very nervous during my first phone call to a venue, but then i got a little ballsy and just threw out the hard questions! and as you'll see- it really paid off!

back to the fabulous update!

we had a very busy weekend. friday night, we had dinner when mr. magpie got home and then we gathered up the ridiculous amount of crap we haul everywhere with us. i swear, if you saw us pack or unpack the car, you'd think we had 2 or 3 little magpie-lets. so we drove down and talked and talked about the wedding party (we're really doing things a little backwards and we haven't asked our wedding party anything yet! i know, crazy, right?? but i have a little somethin' cookin', ladies who might be reading - heheheheh) and the colors i had shown him and just ideas in general. we'd been so relentlessly focused on researching the halls and the hotel ballrooms and the mansions we couldn't afford and the unique spaces, etc that we really needed the break to think about fun things. so the ride went pretty quickly and we got to my mommie's, stayed up way too late and then couldn't sleep!

well, too bad on the no sleep cuz we had to be up and at 'em at the crack of stinkin' 6:30 am. ON A SATURDAY, PEOPLE. ick. i usually don't see 6:30 AM unless i'm waving good night to it- which is very rare in my old age these days! we had 5- COUNT 'EM, FIVE- appointments for the day, spread out all over pennsylvania. so we got ourselves together and on the road and met my daddy at the first place. we visited the concordville inn.actually, let's go back for a moment. the only thing i didn't want to do was have our wedding in a hotel froofy ballroom with girl vomited everywhere. it's just not my thing. don't get me wrong, there are girl things that i adore. but for the most part, mr. magpie and i always pick out the same comforters, the same living room decorations, etc. i lean towards the more masculine side. so that being said, i was all about finding a very unique place. well, once i started looking, i realized that our budget was not always going to walk in stride with my tastes, and i'd have to be a little more open-minded. give and take, right? i'm down with that. so, back to the concordville inn.

they offered a really well-rounded package with a lot of amenities. there were chair covers included (those things are INSANELY expensive!) and the cakes were gorgeous and there was a suite for the bride and groom in the hotel that was right there on premises, with champagne and godiva. there was a continental breakfast in the morning that was complimentary and she told us it really feels like a special brunch for the wedding guests because we'd really be the majority there. it was very pretty. a little frilly for me, but it was nice that everything was right there and i really liked the sales girl. she was fantastic. except she spoke a little fast for my dad. hahahhah!

so then we went on to the springfield country club.

i was a little hesitant with this place, because i was afraid of the kind of holier than thou stereotype that goes along with the country club set. but the sales lady was very nice and took a good bit of time with us, the tour and the menus and all. it was beautiful, the grounds were amazing. but, i was misinformed over the phone as to the pricing, and it was a wasted trip for us. it was a little stuffy anyway, so it was okay.

then, we headed off to evviva restaurant, which is run by this funny little man, who had me salivating on the phone when we was suggesting a menu to me. really passionate, really a character, and i knew this place was going to be special.

it's a beautiful old victorian house, renovated into a restaurant. it's so charming and really very unique inside. i forgot to upload the pictures from my camera, and he doesn't really have anything online, because most of his 20 odd years of business has been word of mouth. it's decorated very much like i envision an old mansion in the french quarter of new orleans. kind of gothic, very european, very lush, gorgeous wood everywhere. it was great and he lived up to my expectations- my mother was absolutely in love, i could tell! it looked a little too small for our crowd though. and it just didn't sing to us, you know? but gorgeous, nonetheless!

next, we hauled over to the bay pony inn.

to be honest with you, as soon as i crossed the threshold, i knew this was not the place. very nice man who owned and ran the place, but it just was another wasted trip. so we jumped back in the car and headed over to the place i was currently rooting for, twisted gourmet catering.

the chef who owns and operates this business was so fantastic to talk to- he's just an average joe, really down to earth, talked to me like we were related. told me it was crap how much places charge for weddings and he prided himself on making enough to make a profit, but not fleecing a newlywed couple. his food was outstanding and his willingness to please us was unmatched- he really was all about customizing every little thing. the place was a new and very well done. the only downside, we had to bring our own bar set up. not a huge issue, but kind of hassle since we'd be coming in from new york. just one more thing to stick on the list.

when it was all said and done, at the end of the day, mr. magpie and i were both on the same page and thinking the first appointment, the concordville inn, was the front runner. the fact that the hotel was right there, really sold us.

so we hit the hay, after a little nephew time, and got up the next day for two more appointments before we headed back to new york. we met my mom and my dad at the columbia station.

as soon we got out of our cars and huddled up, i said, okay- i'm not sure why i'm torturing myself, because i'm gonna love this place and we just can't afford it. we all kinda laughed and walked in. well, i was right. i loved it. mr. magpie loved it. mom loved it. dad loved it.

noreen, the sales lady, greeted us and took us on a little tour. falling in love a little more with each step. the couples can get married on premises here. there's a gazebo where the couple gets married, and the guests all sit in a little area outside that's just gorgeous.

they have a little caboose outside (it used to be a train station) and that's where the bridal party hides out.

i know we don't each other all that well, but let me tell you that's it's pretty safe to assume that i'm going to want to touch, climb, poke, jump on, walk through, or swing on anything fun put in front of me. the caboose is a big selling point for me. so that's where i (oops- i ruined the story!), excuse me, that's where THE BRIDE, would make her entrance from!

okay- i already spilled the frijoles, so you know- we just skipped the next appointment! we're going to have our wedding at columbia station!

so after the ceremony, as everyone goes in at the front door, there will be waitstaff handing out signature martinis (how fun- they were extra at every other place, but it helps the staff with lines at the bar during the cocktail hour, so they decided to include it!) to anyone who wants one, and we'll match it to my colors. then we go in for five hours of reception!!!

i really have to say that our contact person, noreen, really bent over backwards to make this happen for us. she worked and worked with our budget until we came up with something that fit and we couldn't be happier! really, i got up and tackle hugged her twice during our meeting. i wanted to call and confirm from the parking lot! hahahah! but i somehow managed to wait until yesterday morning.

we have officially booked and set our date for saturday afternoon, august 22, 2009!

there's so much to do! we talked all the way home about everything and came up with a few more ideas. we have songs for our mother/son and father/daughter dance. we have ideas for the reception. we have colors. we have more and more and more to come!!!

will you mind if i gush alot about all this hoopla til august??

i miss you guys!!

2009-01-16T18:49:00.006-05:00

ugh- i miss youse guys!! we're off tonight to head to pennsylvania and look at SEVEN, yeah- you read that right- SEVEN venues in two days. i think we can do it. no one else does. hmmm...is that sign from god?? i think not! i am hellbent for leather that we are gonna find our place this weekend. i need to check this off the ridiculously long list of things i'm supposed to be checking off according to theknot.com so i can get back to the blogging world and the scrapping world and the etsy world AND start workin' on the fun wedding stuff! what do you think, can i do it??? come on, my pets- i need some high-fives!!

for now, i leave you with my january 16th get-up-it's-freezing-and-go-wait-for-the-bus-at-5:40am outfit.

i don't mess around. it's freakin' cold.

i'm rocking the i'll-get-you-my-pretties-and-your-little-dog-too socks up to my knees and the furry boots.

thank god mr. magpie's mom bought him this scarf that i swiped from him. i named it the python. it's longer than i am tall. and i'm pretty tall. i wrap that bad boy around my head as many times as i can! i don't go anywhere in the winter without the python.

mr. magpie says i look like a hobo with my black coat, orange and beige scarf, my khaki green engagement hat (yay!) and my brown mittens. whatever, yo. i'm sweating in there. that's all that matters.

the view from my new desk. that's the roof! full of snow.

okay, ladies. i promise i'm comin' back into the fold. xo.

i am a terrible blogger.

2009-01-09T08:17:00.015-05:00

so, i'm terrible. i've abandoned my precious 12. i promise, i'll put my hand on a steak

(it's just way more delicious that a bible) and swear that i will be back soon. i will be my normal, loveable, sarcastic self soon enough. i am so deeply buried under research for a venue for our blessed event- trust me, you wouldn't want to hear the whining at the moment!

it's been tough sifting through the absolute shameless proposed thievery of our hard earned money,

the emotional blackmail into thinking that if you're not signing a $20,000 check at some point, then you won't truly be legally married.

it's appalling. we have a pretty good amount of money socked away (thank you, nannie) in the wedding fund but it is laughable in the face of the numbers i'm seeing. mr. magpie actually said to me the other night, "listen, i'm not FOR making this a long engagement but maybe we should wait for a year, year and a half, and put some more money towards it." and my response was no, no, no

- we should be able to have a wedding with what we have. period. it's absolutely doable. what we have- it's a phenomenal amount of money to US.

why should we be pouring more into it?? am i having trouble finding the right spot because we're in new york and we're looking to get married in pennsylvania? maybe. does that mean there's gotta be a shakedown?

i say- NO!

so the challenge is, work within the number. of course, i'm realistic, we'll probably wind up over the next 9 months or so, adding to that number with incidentals and stuff. but we're gonna make this thing happen just like frank says,

we're gonna do it our way.

i will not give in to the tulle and satin ceilings.

i will not be choked by the dust on all their silk flowers.

i will not get caught up in the wave of insanity associated with planning this one night.

i will be calm and collected.

i will remember that all that matters is that at the end of the night, we will call one another husband and wife.

i will enjoy the family and friends who are just as happy and excited as we are.

i will do things my way and mr. magpie's way-

(i'm still working on shaking up mr. conventional- he just needs the visual aids of all the fabulous couples out there who shirk the traditions that do not speak to them and sparkle up the ones that do. he's WAY too creative to not be given that gift!).

we will have a kickin' party.

so, i promise i will visit soon. once we seal the deal on a place, i won't feel chained to my computer and the fun stuff can begin! i'm excited to share my ideas with you all! 'til then- you can find me here...

S.W.A.K.

a new year's gift for bee

2009-01-02T08:07:00.006-05:00

thought i'd round off the year with a gift to bee in response to her post on "year of the hot dog" post yesterday. well, two gifts, really.

this is just thoughtful bouquet. it's been nice gettin' to know ya.

and this is to get you and the hubby through the rough spots.

i also wanted to play along with angela's post at my dogumentary "what was the favorite thing you gave this year?" my hands down favorite thing i found this year was for my good friend tracy at diary of sweet nothings. i called her baby a little marshmallow one of the times she sent me an ultrasound picture and it stuck! so i had a great etsy artist make this for her and her hubby!

so is anyone else at work today or am i the only chump here?

let the games begin...well, sorta.

2009-01-01T19:26:00.003-05:00

happy new year!!! did youse get my twittery little poem last night? i tried to include a little something hidden in there for a few of you- you know who you are!! i would have done a longer one, but my uncle-to-be was pouring champagne and wine down my throat! it was a sweet night, but a rough morning- i'm pretty sure i was the only chump trekking into work this morning.

so, i now have TWELVE FOLLOWERS!!! how freaking cool is that?? i hope you are all brides, cuz this little magpie is about to spontaneously combust (this is a word, right? why is it not showing up on the spellcheck??). i swear my organs start to shake (hehehe, poopshack) everytime i start looking at venues. this is the most money we've ever spent on anything. it's frightening. does it get easier? less overwhelming? i'm so excited but i'm ALL OVER THE DAMN PLACE. i have been able to communicate to mr. (sweetly conventional) magpie that we need to be very creative with our planning in order to make this thing happen on our teeny weeny (but not to us) budget. dude. i'm freaking out at the thought of not being able to include people. the snarky brides who have daddy's credit cards in their fists can seriously kiss my arse. i'm already met them all and it ain't purty. but i've also met some sweethearts just waiting to shower newbies with information. so the quest for a venue is on.

mr. magpie is a very mushy, loving, thoughtful bunny and has decreed of his own volition that saturday will be search, learn, look, talk, form, dream and tackle the venue options. i'm so relieved that he is just as overwhelmed but just as ready to dive in the very deep end with me. i don't know how the girls who have to do it all actually keep sane enough to arrive at their wedding sans straight jacket, and this is only day seven of the engagement! (and i must say- i'm still walking around feeling like i have a spotlight on me, cuz i'm just bursting with happiness!!) i'm fairly certain that once the venue is booked, it'll be less stressful.

stop laughing, married ladies. let me live in my bubble.

he said, she said

2008-12-30T19:46:00.017-05:00

ahhhhh. real life is desperately trying to settle back in, but it's not having any effect on me. i'm back at work, but there's not alot of work happening! don't these people know i have a WEDDING TO PLAN!! hahahha! okay, so i'll try my best to not be nauseating with the talk, but you do realize, my pets, that you will be subjected to any and all plans, questions, decisions, anxiety and sappy wonderfulness from now now until the big day, right? are ya down with that?

so here's what happened! i told you guys our big plan on christmas eve was to go look at lights. well, mr. magpie came home and i was still in a frenzy getting the two digi frames loaded up (that took a very long time!) and wrapping and packing up different pages going to different houses, etc. mr. magpie sit me down and says in his best cary grant, "howsabout i take ya out for a nice steak dinner?"- it's been like 5 months or something since we had red meat!

my reply-"hell, yeah! and can we go somewhere not dressy cuz i had showered and then just let my hair air dry and it was a wreck, so i had my favorite little hat on. and barely any makeup. and my nails were all broken and jagged from the craziness! so he said, of course, and went to look online for a place. well, after about 15 minutes, i felt bad- it's christmas eve and i'm with my honey and i wanted to look nice! so, i went to plug my curlers in

and i blew the fuses! and he asks- what happened?? so i told him and he says, "don't be crazy, wear your adorable little hat and be comfortable. you've been running around taking care of christmas and the stuff for your shop and tons of things! it's time to relax!" so i did just that!

we found a place in the neighborhood and we went to dinner and it was peaceful and lovely and i just felt myself decompressing from the mayhem of the last month over the course of the dinner. so, after we finished, i'm so relaxed that i'm actually wondering how long i'm gonna last going to see christmas lights!

we get in the car and head out. earlier, mr. magpie had said that someone he works with told him about this amazing house that we had to go see, but i had misunderstood the neighborhood. so i look up after checking for tweets and twitters and texts, and i have no idea where we are! all of a sudden, i recognized that we were on the street of the bar we first met at, which is no longer there and this is not the real sign, but you know i love the details!

my old band was playing a benefit for the firefighters after 9/11 and my mic stand broke, so my bass player called him and asked him to run one over. that's how we first met officially. we had spoken on the phone once before, also through my bass player-lovingly known as jerkface. so i yell it out- "this is where bud's used to be!", and he says "where??" and i point out where i think it was. so he pulls into a bus stop and parks (which is SO unlike him) and says "we gotta get out and check this out!" and hops out.

now, i'm thinking, it's late, i'm tired, it's cold and a little rainy... and then i say to myself- what are you doing?? he wants to be sweet and take a walk down memory lane and reminisce- it's all sweet and romantical. so, i get out and go around to the back of the truck to meet him and he's pulling

a freakin' garbage bag out of the back. and i say "okay- what the hell is that??" and he says," it's something funny, don't worry about it." so, i think- this is the first year we weren't exchanging gifts (we decided to do go on vacation in february instead) and maybe he's doing something adorable and homemade. so we get over to the window of the place- it's a furniture store now- and we're looking in and remember the first night we met and he starts telling the story. he lifts up his sweater and

he's wearing the firefighter shirt i was wearing that night. then he whips out

the mic stand from the garbage bag! hahahah! i was just dying laughing, it was so sweet. then he takes out the foamy screen thing you put overtop of the microphone to stop people from hearing you exhale and pop your consonants (you know what that is?) and i'm thinking- DAMN, he brought a mic, too- he's goin' all out! hahahah! then he hands me

the mic screen, and inside is the ring box. then he got down on his knee and asked me! it was amazing!! he really did a fantastic job of hiding it from me- i was CLUELESS! it was so special and fantastic! the middle stone is from his grandmother's ring and it just blows my mind everytime i look at it and think of the history behind it and the new history we're making with it!

i, of course, say yes and give a big WOOHOO in the middle of queens and then i say "i can't believe i just got engaged in this hat!" hahahhaha!

and the strangest part of the whole story is that the week before, when i was working on my last book for the shop, i had accidentally smashed my pinky in the hole punching tool i have-

and bruised up really badly. so i sad, "of course i would have a ridiculous injury to the fingernail right before we get engaged and people will be looking at my hands." then i noticed that the damn bruise is in the shape of a heart- go ahead, click on the picture and check it out!!

so here we are on christmas day after an all nighter full of veuve clicqout and bailey's!

hungover, puffy, tired, but unequivocally full of joy.

let the games begin.

YAY!!!!!

2008-12-26T00:27:00.005-05:00

the picture is so blurry and you can't see the ring but i just wanted to share my big news! mr. magpie popped the question on christmas eve!!! we're engaged!!!!

i have big news, my friends.

2008-12-25T04:17:00.001-05:00

BIG news.

my sweet bridgette

2008-12-24T08:34:00.013-05:00

am i the only one at work today?

i officially finished christmas shopping at 9:30 pm last night. had to find that last little gift. i don't know what it is, but mr. magpie's pop loves these little doggies-

so tonight, mr. magpie is taking me for some hot cocoa and a drive around to look at christmas lights. we're such adults. then we'll probably go home and get loopy cuz we're on vacation! when i get home from work, i just have to do some loading of digital frames and load up the ipod with the christmas stuff i downloaded last night- woohoo! oh, and fyi for everyone who commented about zooey deschanel singing in elf- i found out last night that she's done an album already! i got it last night but i haven't listened yet. but here it is! i'm excited to hear it tomorrow!

my sweet bridgette escaped the grip of college last night at 10:30 pm. she's had a rough finish to this year- tough exams, getting engaged!, christmas in the mix, lots and lots of things going on- and today she's doing 10 layouts to finish up a christmas gift! holy. crap. she does beautiful work, though, and i have faith that she'll finish.

so this is for bridgette. she's asked me a couple times since like spring for a copy of this. okey-dokey. it's also from the holler days and it's a little raunchy, so watch your hearholes!

angelface

merry christmas!!

last minute gifts for my friends!!

2008-12-23T08:38:00.009-05:00

it's snowing on my blog!!!!!!! shut up- i like it.

in the spirit of bee's secret santa can suck it, i found a few last minute gifts to stick in a grab bag for my sweet readers. i worked long and hard on these, my pets, so please-

no running, no spitting, no lying down. proceed in an orderly fashion to the gift table and choose your present.

"This daft-looking fish money box is the antidote to indebtedness blues. Supplied ready caught in a net! "

"The creator of Chicken Poop Lip Balm got the name from her grandfather, who used to tell her that he would help her chapped lips by putting chicken poop on them so she wouldn't lick them."

niiiiiiiice.

i'm gonna have to call dibs on this one for my darling poopshack. i really think he'd get the most use out of the condiment gun. sorry, guys- please, no tears.

i chose this special gift for all of you britney spears ticket holders. see how thoughtful i am? "Great for use with low waist or tight fitting pants, Anti-Panti Disposable Underwear just stick inside your clothing. Better than going commando and much more comfortable, too!"i haven't forgotten about you moms out there. "They are perfect for quick, effective clean up and relief of stuck on boogies (mucus)."

pajama party, anyone???

"Don't leave home without it ~ you'll be eternally grateful for your Urban Hangover Kit after a hen night, party night or any old night on the tiles." uh...what's a hen party?

"Accessorize your wardrobe with the allure of armadillo. Whether you take it to the opera or the zoo, you're sure to be the envy of anyone who really likes armadillos." (in hey koolaid voice) oh, yeeeeeeeeah.

"This pack of 5 saving graces effectively filters the odor caused by flatulence; Simply stick it in the right place and you're ready for a chili cook-off. "

"For you medical geeks, that’s Salmonella!! Well in a non-hazardous inert plushable format. "

INCREDIBLY GROSS!! The Hose Nose candy is snot your regular mask.

my little pony glue factory. what can i say? i am the ultimate gift giver. a little somethin' for everyone. i have ten followers now. i have to be resposible, ya know??

thank you for your favorite songs yesterday- i'm on a downloading frenzy this afternoon to make up a christmas playlist on the ol' ipod. so jess, my wham-my friend, was not happy at the music- less post yesterday, so i'm digging back into the archives. this is from my old band, holler, going back about 8 years or so. something a little out of left field:

love

stay tuned for tomorrow's song- i'm gonna raunch it up for beautiful bridgette. she's been asking for tomorrow's song and i keep forgetting to make the copy for her!

mayday monday

2008-12-22T08:46:00.004-05:00

back at my desk...those four days off went so quickly! btu i got a bunch of stuff done- sleep and rest was absolutely not on that list. i'm now on day 10, i think, of this tension headache. today the massage is an absolute necessity- cannot skip out on it. going to the nail salon and gettin' my cheap massage. i almost ripped mr. magpie's head off in target yesterday- i think it's time to give in!

i have a question for you- i'm making a cd for christmas day of GOOD songs, good christmas music. what's your favorite not-really-played-on-the-radio christmas song?

i got nothin' else today, folks. nada. how YOU doin'?

sweet saturday livin'

2008-12-19T18:44:00.004-05:00

it snowed enough here last night to put a good ol' smattering of snow all around. today it's looking pretty raggity and icy out there. i'm a little nervous to trek out for our last minute shopping and buster's big birthday celebration! so i'm gonna keep this short and head on outta here.

okay- yesterday, sweet lump and jess demanded more music. this, my friends, is unfortunately the the last of actual cohesive recordings from deepseed, hence the identity crisis. this one has bass and drums on it, too! but i do have songs from my old band, holler- before mr. magpie came along. what do ya think? wanna move on to holler after this? it's your call! i feel like i've already overstayed my welcome with the music but you guys are feeding the side of me that needs to shaken awake and for that i am most appreciative, you really have no idea. here ya go:

the question

isn't this supposed to be a day off?

2008-12-19T09:57:00.005-05:00

**make sure you head over to for the giveaway at the tipjunkie blog. laurie is hosting a christmas tree contest and one of my books is one of the four prizes!**

well, it's 9:57 as i start typing this and i've already dropped off the laundry (yeah- i'm gonna let the experts handle that bag this time), gone to two banks, the drugstore to pick up one last gift card, to the post office to get that last book off, back to the drugstore to drop off a prescription (stupid uncooperative asthma infested lungs) and to dunkin donuts on the way home (hail to the gods of dunkin donuts). i am so excited to be sitting on my couch right now. i also am nephew free this evening because my buster is sick and mom and dad canceled their plans to chill out with him tonight. his birthday is tomorrow, so we're hoping he makes a quick recovery!

last night, mr magpie and i decorated our teeny tree and it made such a big difference in mr. magpie's scroogy mood- i wish i would have done it sooner! he was humming christmas songs, wearing a santa hat and smiling like a five year old. man, did i need that pick me up cuz it's been dragging me down that no one else has been happy about christmas coming! why is it that the older we get, the more of a hassle it seems to be? it becomes drudgery instead of cheerful and fun. i mean, we all get stuck on the right thing to get for the special people on our lists, and we all get caught up in the go- go- go. but it really seems to put some people in such a bad mood. i wish i could sprinkle happy dust over them and make them SING LOUDER!

ARGH.

anyway- i'm off to take a nap and then i'm wrapping, wrapping, wrapping. so what are you doing tonight? i'm thinking tree lights...bailey's...sweetness and bliss...we'll see how long that lasts!

thanks to everyone who commented on cassandra yesterday. it was so sweet! spacy tracy voted for another one today, so here it is!

heavy on my mind

ahhh...the sweet stink of thursday.

2008-12-18T10:03:00.011-05:00

**make sure you head over to for the giveaway at the tipjunkie blog. laurie is hosting a christmas tree contest and one of my books is one of the four prizes!**

ooooh- the elf-quote-a-thon continues!! i'm gonna keep going til you guys are sick of it!
(to the raccoon) does somebody need a hug?

i'm in my pajamas. watching charlotte's web. drinkin' my coffee. i have the tinseltown theme on my firefox bowser. this, my pets, is the good life. my little sweet hound is asleep at my feet. ooh- these are for you, angela!!

so undignified. she hates playing dress up.

who turned out the lights??

i can fall asleep anywhere.

i'm so deep. thinkin' my deep, deep thoughts.

awww, sweet puppy love.

i'm off to finish up my girl half & half's board book and then i'm gonna start wrapping! i love to wrap presents. we have our christmas treasures sitting piled up in our tiki bar room (yeah-we have a tiki bar. so cool. we're gonna have a giant party in february, too. so excited- but i get ahead of myself...) and i love pulling smaller piles into the living room, in front of the tv that will hopefully be playing some form of jack frost cartoon, and going over the each little thing we've bought and knowing we hit the mark with them. and when mr. magpie gets home tonight, we're gonna decorate our wee little tree.

okay, so i chickened out yesterday, but i'm diving in today. here's a really rough (some bad notes in there- eek!) recording of me and mr. magpie. we wrote this a couple years ago, our style changed and changed and changed again but we keep coming back to maybe we should go in this direction. maybe you guys can be my captive audience and help me figure out which direction we should go in... sort of a blind test, just tell me what ya like better. hmm..we'll see. but for now, click this:

hold my hand (cassandra).

wednesday evening is coming fast!!

2008-12-17T08:37:00.005-05:00

**make sure you head over to for the giveaway at the tipjunkie blog. laurie is hosting a christmas tree contest and one of my books is one of the four prizes!**

ahh...i'm tired...on the fifth day of my new friend- timmy tension headache- and so happy it's wednesday. four days off, my pets. i can't tell you how much i need it. i went for a super speed shopping spree with my someday sister-in-law yesterday and got to check off a few more things on my list. today i'm gonna motor through the last book i have to finish so i can get that in that mail tomorrow for my sweet (newly fiancee'ed) friend, half & half (she used to be called cream, but she said it sounded too dirty. long story.).

i'm LOVING that youse all (eastern for y'all) jumped on board with the "elf" quotes-

"It's just like Santa's workshop! Except it smells like mushrooms... and everyone looks like they wanna hurt me..."

keep 'em coming. i seriously need to buy this movie. i want to watch it NOW! if you go back in my comments from yesterday, poopshack (signing his second official comment as PS) is throwing himself into the mix. (i'm hoping for a guest blog soon...the kid cracks me up like no other.) for rebecca- that was zooey deschanel and it was really her! such a cool, classic voice, right??

so what last minute stuff is still on your list? i plan on wrapping all day tomorrow. i'm pretty excited!!

tuesday morning...i got wednesday eveningon my mind. again.

2008-12-16T08:12:00.005-05:00

**make sure you head over to for the giveaway at the tipjunkie blog. laurie is hosting a christmas tree contest and one of my books is one of the four prizes!**

well, it's tuesday. i...uh...i got nothin. all i can think about is that tomorrow is friday for me and i have four days off in a row. it's like the motherload. i cannot wait to just relax, wrap presents, maybe bake some cookies? well, maybe not the cookie part. it's all i can think about. so...uh...yeah. that's it. whatta you got?

WAIT! i have something!!! can we have an "elf" quote off???

i just discovered this movie last year. now it's in my must-watch-at-christmas-time rotation. i have to watch the rudolph/santa/frosty cartoons while i'm wrapping. it rocks. anyway, i think i'm gonna do the quote-off until christmas. who wants to play?

"you sit on a throne of LIES."

i wish i could find the recording of this cuz the harmonies are absolutely awesome. maybe tomorrow i'll put up something of me and mr. magpie...what do you think? is that obnoxious? i'm on the fence...

monday morning...i've got wednesday eveing on my mind...

2008-12-15T11:05:00.003-05:00

**make sure you head over to for the gieaway at the tipjunkie blog. laurie is hosting a christmas tree contest and one of my books is one of the four prizes!**

so it's another monday morning. i'm chilling out in my new desk area- facing a wall, pretty much cut off from most interaction i would normally have with the kids at my job. kinda sucks, but at the same time i'm cool with it today cuz i need to the downtime. i worked my little tail off this weekend. i finished two books yesterday! one was a gift for a friend and the other was a custom order for my friend, lea. i'm so happy with the way both of them turned out. i can only show ya pictures of lea's book though. it's very similar to the we2 book i did a couple weeks ago- she liked it so much, she ordered one on the spot!

i also somehow fit in doing about three elephant sized loads of laundry (remember, i'm in nyc. my happy arse has to hoof it around the corner to take care of that bidness!) and pick up packages at the post office (gotta roll with the big dogs on the bus for that little adventure) and pack up three packages that i hauled into the city this morning and mailed off at ridiculously post-office-is-a-ghost-town-lucky-for-me-on-the-last-day-of-regular-shipping-guaranteed-for-christmas hour of 6:30 am! i also mailed our christmas cards. well, mailed may not be the right word, since i managed to get them wedged in the little drop off thing. i just peter griffened myself away from that mess- glad to pass the ol' buck.

i'm also skating through this monday morning knowing that for the next two weeks, i am only working monday through wednesday. i. am. a. genius. from this year forth, i will always take the last thursday and friday before christmas off. i was stressing on saturday about being ready for christmas, and then i realized- i've got a four day flipping weekend coming to me. sweeeeeeeet.

how was your weekend?

a giveaway! a giveaway!!

2008-12-12T18:08:00.009-05:00

okay, my pets! the day has finally come! laurie over at tipjunkie is hosting a christmas tree contest and one of my books is one of the four prizes! you have to visit laurie to enter and here are the rules as listed on the tipjunkie blog:

I am so excited to announce Tip Junkie's 1st Annual Christmas Tree Decorating Contest! For this contest, I'm looking for great tips and how-to's on decorating a fabulous Christmas Tree. You will vote for the 4 winners who will receive the amazing prizes at the bottom of this post from sponsors taken from the Mom-prenuers in our Shop-a-thon. The idea is not only to give away great prizes and feature Mom-prenuers; but also for us to learn something new and be inspired by a variety of different tree designs. I really want this to be informative so try and add decorating tips, homemade ornament pictures, and theme ideas in your post.

Contest Sponsors & Prizes:

1. Ho Ho Ho Banner from SugarBritches&Co, a $30 value.
2. 8 pages, fist page die cut, made of thick chipboard from Mine by Magpie, a $45 value.
3. A gift certificate from Scribble It, a $35 value.
4. Any Fifi Flowers signed print and a set of matching notecards, a $40 value.

Contest Rules:

To make sure everyone gets to see all the nominees and find great Christmas Tree decorating ideas; I'll be using Mister Linky instead of the comments for you to enter.

1. Compose a post announcing the Christmas Tree Decorating contest with a picture and description of your tree AND a link back to Tip Junkie.com. If your blog is private, go ahead and leave your profile link and then submit a picture of your tree under "other". If you haven't used Mister Linky before, here's the low down (a.k.a rules).

Deadline: I'll pick my favorites from the ones featured and from Mister Linky and YOU will vote for the 4 winners starting Saturday, December 20th.

(Please ONLY Tree's in the post. We'll have a Virtual Tour of Homes - Holiday Addition post which will start Monday.)

i'm so excited to be a part of laurie's christmas season giveaways,and i'm rooting for one of you guys! so get your cameras out, goose that christmas tree into smilin' pretty, and get your butts over there and enter! quick! go!

this is for you, jess.

a (not so) secret exchange

2008-12-12T11:15:00.007-05:00

so this is why i love my dear friend tracy over at diary of sweet nothings. a few of us signed up for elfster yesterday to do a secret exchange for christmas. things start off innocently enough until i notice a little button labeled "ask questions anonynmously" (you wouldn't even believe how much trouble i just had spelling that word.) . so of course, my five-year-old need to push buttons dove on that one.

Magpie asked Tracy:

if you were a tree, what would you want hang from your branches?

And Tracy Replied:

Something shiney and blingie!

Magpie asked Tracy:

if you were a creature who could only survive in pitch black, how would you style your hair?

And Tracy Replied:

pig tails!!!

Tracy Asked Magpie:

if a wood chuck could chuck wood would a wood chuck chuck wood?

And Magpie Replied:

none. it would be enough just knowing he could.

Tracy Asked Magpie:

if you could ask the stupidest questions ever (not counting the ones that have already been asked) what would you ask?

And Magpie Replied:

okay, why does mr. magpie feel the need to tell me what it is he would like when we are ordering food at home, and then feels it necessary to sit right next to me while i'm calling (cuz he won't) and then tell me item by item while i'm trying to speak slowly and clearly and listen carefully to the dear, sweet chinese man on the other side of the phone line who can barely speakie dee english? yeah. riddle me that one, batman.

Magpie Asked Tracy:

if a fish farts, does the rest of the school banish him?

And Tracy Replied:

no they gobble up the fart bubbles and then fart themselves from the air they ingested!

Magpie Asked Tracy :

nicely done, daniel-son. do you think the pope wears underpants? i'm not so sure...

And Tracy Replied:

this is a possibility. do you think he has a pot of gold in his manties?

Magpie Asked Tracy:

the pope is not a leprachaun, ya dolt. although he does have that staff thingy... what superhero power would you choose, granted you were able to choose and not just hit with a giant radioactive meteor and poisonous ladybug?

And Tracy Replied:

i would choose a bunch of things... like eve on that show from back in the day - i would want to freeze time. and like bewitched, i would want to twitch my nose and make things happen. i also would want to fly and turn invisible. i'd also liek to control peoples minds and mess with them. like make them think it was night when it is reall day outside.

Tracy Asked Magpie:

would you be offended if i gagged and threw up a little?

And Magpie Replied:

not as long as you kept that little gift in your mouth.

Tracy Asked Magpie:

that's not what the rumor on the street is...

And Magpie Replied:

alec- i'd like to disqualify this contestant on the grounds that the answer is not phrased in the form of a question.

Tracy Asked Magpie:

Alec says screw you...correction; what is screw you?

Magpie Replied:
ahhhh- the student becomes the teacher...

ahhhh...one of the best vocals ever.

Bee's Secret Santa Exchange

2008-12-11T08:33:00.006-05:00

Bee is hosting a wonderful event. In the tradition of the holidays, and all of our pockets being sucked dry by Walmart and Target and Old Navy and Amazon and-insert store of your choice here-Bee is starting her own tradition,

aptly named Secret Santa Can Suck It. I drew Sanity on Edge. and i thought, just to perk up the day so to speak, i would pass on some sweet, dripping smiley happiness.

i thought i'd start the day off with a beautiful song from a lovely bird. look, he's sharing his seed with you.

then i would have a couple of magical unicorns (they are real) part the rainclouds and rustle ya up an

army of rainbows. :)

then, for the main course, i would play you fourteen hours of shirley temple tap dancing, just for you.

and end your special day with a big hug from elmo.

i have a feeling you're smiling over there. i know you like your gifts. i planned and planned. you're feeling all warm and melty, aren't ya? yeah. you're welcome.

my first sale!

2008-12-09T08:03:00.006-05:00

wow!!! it finally happened! looks like all that whining you guys have listened to paid off- literally! i made my first sale with the baby girl book last night. i did a crazy, happy dance from one end of my apartment to the other. i feel all official-like now. i'm so excited but now i'm seriously nervous- what if she doesn't like it when she gets it? ugh. eh- shake it off. she will! she purchased the sweet little girl book and i'm sending that puppy off to her tomorrow.

so target was a big old bust. my and the someday sister in law walked around aimlesslly and overwhelmed- it was one of those trips. bad scene! i got a couple things but i wound up resorting to the clearance racks and getting myself a $9 sweater. i really shouldn't complain cuz i do get to cross a few people off the list...and there's also that new sweater! but we had fun, we always do, and buster (nephew o' mine)was in rare form last night, too.

make sure to check back tomorrow. i'm going to be featured in a giveaway and you have to enter! details in the mornin'!

in the spirit of my first sale, this is as close as i could come. who knew i'd be using def leppard twice in a matter of days? that was unexpected.

mine, by magpie

welcome to the world, harper adelyn

my friends are better than your friends.

i WILL master this song

i may be a city rat

Happy Birthday, Guppy!!

i seem to be having a day...

my friends are better than yours

a new look and a disaster

so what do ya think?

hootful alertness.

monday, monday randomness

Back away from the costume, ma.

my friends are better than yours

uh, mr. magpie...

let the construction begin!

there's nothing like a clean cave

wow.

words with friends for the iphone

i am the lamest.

REAL housewives of NJ *sigh*

anyone know about this band?

spiderman, the musical?

spotted around the city...

cartoon reality

love at first hold.

by poopshack: more musings of a 3 1/2 yr old

abraham lincoln is pretty badass.

guest post by poopshack: musings of a 3 1/2 yr old

happy pre-order day!!!

will end in the pm or the am?

Mustache Cat

ba.na.nas.

insanity. yeah, it totally is.

tootsies

best tee moment so far

a love letter

my new favorite band

don't read this, mommie.

small talk six- very late edition :)

a pancake. it's a PANcake

pause for puppy love

wedding DIY day!

a date on a calendar

random thoughts

playing house

not quite clear-headed, but close enough for now. oh- and married!

a giveaway at april's house!

i got an award!

save the dates!!!

some blogger i am!

was it the moon or something??

a few simple questions.

in a pickle.

why, poopshack!

the big photo shoot.

oooh! new boots!

the beginning of the everything

off to the races!

it's official! my ladies have all said yes!

china? not our thing.

gotta say...i'm curious.

bee's bizarre/weird wtf-was-i-thinking pictures

why does monday suck so much?

a mexican standoff

good morning, my pets.

hump day is kickin' my arse

WE HAVE LIFT-OFF!

i miss you guys!!

i am a terrible blogger.

a new year's gift for bee

let the games begin...well, sorta.

he said, she said

YAY!!!!!

i have big news, my friends.

my sweet bridgette

last minute gifts for my friends!!

mayday monday

sweet saturday livin'

isn't this supposed to be a day off?

REAL housewives of NJ sigh