Self-Portrait #67

Sketch book. Tired. Work. Need to pack for NYC. I'm going to slow
down soon and be a better blogger.

Self-Portrait #66

I'm listening to The National thinking, "I swear I planted seeds in
that pot." This record has really grown on me. There is a slight
lull after the first song but it gets really good after that.

Self-Portrait #65

Workin' hard for the money.

Self-Portrait #64

Eye am bowling. I swear I will make a portrait soon.

Self-Portrait #63

They let us out of the conference for a few minutes if sun light. My
brain hurts.

Self-Portrait #62

Apparently when you forget to hit the button in the elevator it takes
you to the basement where the hotel staff looks startled to see you
and you them.. That's what happens when you are excited to be in the
elevator alone and you're trying to take a picture if yourself.

Self-Portrait #61

Hilton in Lisle, Illinois. Long drive. Work conference.

Self-Portrait #60

I'm tired of my face.

Self-Portrait #59

A few weeks ago I found out that a long time volunteer for Happen Inc. was diagnosed with cancer. She was like a mom to all of the staff when I worked there. I've thought about her from time to time these last few weeks thinking that I would make something for her and drop it off at her daughters house a few blocks away. There was always something keeping me from doing it and today I was filled with regret when I received the phone call she had passed away. Tonight I'm thinking about her kids and all of the people that will miss her.

Self-Portrait #58

Tired after softball. We lost of course but we played all of the
innings without getting run ruled which is really rare.

Self-Portrait #57

It's been a very quiet day.

I'm On Vacation!

Self-Portrait #56 trying to wake up from my cat nap. I love waking up from a nap and finding myself flanked by two sleepy cats. Ben is in LA this weekend so I've been pretending that I'm on vacation too. That lucky bastard is being wined and dined with Sebastien by a management company so I decided I need a vacation too. I think I may have pretended too hard last night with my margarita binge. I recall shouting many times "I'm on VACATION!" As a result I've had a lazy slow day today. I usually have a hard time when Ben is gone. I used to be so good at being alone but it's easy to get used to having him, my best friend there all of the time. This weekend so far as been good though. I think work has been sucking the life out of me a bit lately and the quiet house has given me a chance to let my mind slow down. Sometimes you need to be able to just sit and stare at nothing with no interruption. Sometimes you need to watch a really girly movie and cry your eyes out even though the plot is predictable and unrealistic.

Self-Portrait #55

Bff. I'm suspicious of her.

Self-Portrait #54

Facial features are really funny looking when they are so close.

Why does the lady in this Don Pablos mural look like George W? I don't mean to mention him twice in one week he keeps appearing.

Self-Portrait #53

Our shoes match.

Self-Portrait #52

Yeah...I think I drew better then this when I was in high school. I sort of have the George W. Bush going on with my eyes being too close together and my nose being too small. At least I didn't screw up the economy...I've got that going for me.

Self-Portrait #51

I have nothing to say today.

Self-Portrait #50

Today a photographer came over to take some pictures of Bad Veins. They took over our living room and flooded it with lights. I stole a moment to use some dramatic lighting for my 50th self-portrait.

On another note I've been tagged bySean to tell 7 random things about myself. I feel silly but here goes...

1. I grew up living in the country in South Carolina where my brother and I once turned the old chicken coup into a playhouse because something ate all of the chickens except the one that only had one eye. We kept that chicken as a pet in our playhouse.
2. I got my first motorcycle when I was about four.
3. I get my middle name from both of my grandmothers who were both named Pauline and I hope to pass that name along someday.
4. I'm the youngest and the accident in the family. My brother is 8 years older and my sister is 10 years older. Apparently when they talk about birth control pills being 99.9% effective, I'm the .1%. I'm a fighter! Hi mom!!!
5. My dream is to be self employed some day. It may be a LONG time before that happens.
6. I have never left the country and I don't even have a passport which makes me feel really lame sometimes.
7. During my first year out of college I had 7 different jobs one of which I only had for one day. One of those jobs was at Toy Lab which was the brain child of Sean Mullaney who tagged me.

Now I am to tag 3 other bloggers so I choose...
Kim because she is my original blog inspiration and I love hearing tales about her childhood and pet issues.
Brooke because she is so funny!
Becky because she reads my blog and leaves me comments which I am always excited to receive!

The Craft Pad Is Here!!!!

But first...self-portrait #49. Ben knocked on the bathroom door this morning to tell me that my package had arrived. I love that he knew it was important enough to interrupt my morning bathroom time.

Receiving the Sublime Stitching Craft Pad made my day but then I realized that I couldn't start another project until I finished my long neglected sewing machine cover. It actually needs a few finishing touches but that will require a trip to the store on another day. I got far enough to rid myself of the guilt of a neglected project. It's far from perfect but will serve its purpose.

Now the package!!!!!















It's so cool! There are so many great patterns that compliment the Sublime Stitch-it Kit that I already have.














The packaging is so fun. I highly suggest visiting the Sublime Stitching site and getting one for yourself!

Self-Portrait #48

I love this tree.

Self-Portrait # 47

Thursday is not Friday.

Truck Nuts and Self-Portrait #46

So we've all seen the steel nuts that some truck drivers like to hang from their trailer hitches but this is on a whole other level. These are flesh colored, large, and look to be perhaps hand crafted though you can't tell from the picture. I could be behind the times but I'm pretty sure these are one of a kind.
Self-portrait #46. Taking pictures of things inside my house at night is quite difficult. I swear it's a little more vibrant in real life.

Self-Portrait #45

Home.

Self-Portrait #44

Last night I couldn't sleep very well. I woke up around 3:00 am and kept tossing and turning. Around 7:15 I finally fell back to sleep only to wake up to my alarm at 7:30. I was lying there being angry when I realized that I had just had a dream about my grandmother. I don't remember much except being in her house, the house I grew up in, and she was wearing her favorite house coat that she crafted herself on her sewing machine that I can still hear humming in the back of my mind sometimes. We hugged and she felt so small to me yet I somehow still felt like a little kid. It's hard to explain but that little dream made my day and made up for the sleep that I didn't get. This is a tattoo that I got years ago when I was worried that I might be forgetting her.

Whoa. That was a little heavy. On a lighter note, it seems that I won my own sad attempt at a my first contest. Here were the results:
The Boiled Peanut (me!): 23"

Ben: 22"

Becky: 20 1/5

Matt: Couldn't figure out how to measure his head in time.

Floresita: Thinks she has a big head but I'm pretty sure we will tie. In pictures my head looks like it could eat Ben's head but his is only one inch smaller. In order to wear hats I'd have to special order them...or get ones with elastic. Bicycle helmets are ALL too small. Little children safely riding their bikes taunt me every summer day.

Self-Portrait #43

Holy shit, Sebastiens girlfriend, Lauren, and I accidentally got the same haircut. We haven't seen one another since Austin but this sunny day brought me out of my cave and we invited them over to soak in some rays and beer. When she got out of the car I saw her head and thought, "you've got to be kidding me!" It's cute and embarrassing that this happened. We went to buy beer together and the clerk asked if we were sisters. We can't be seen in public together until this is fixed. She is my mini me.

On another note, I think the sun also stole my blog readers. No head measurement contest unless they come out of the woodwork before midnight. Looks like I win my own contest. So sad. So pitiful.

Self-Portrait #42

Another great thing to do with old magazines. Don't forget to post your head measurements in the comments section.

I've been noticing this gaggle of geese for a while. They live on a porch that I pass often on walks. Recently I noticed that they got new outfits! I'm not sure if this happens often so this morning on the way to breakfast I snapped this picture. I'll keep you up to date on their new fashion developments. Do they make special clothes for these geese or did the owner hand craft these? Hum.......

Self-Portrait #41

Passing out on the couch next to Ben after eating a really unhealthy dinner. My stomach is making very unnatural noises. My giant head in this pic makes his leg look extra tiny.

Oh! Let's have a contest. Measure your head and post the size in the comments section of this post. The biggest head will win a mystery prize. I will measure mine and post the size tomorrow. Contest ends Sunday at midnight.

Self-Portrait #40

Yeah...it's 9:30 and we're already in bed. I was all cozy and then my eyes shot open when I realized that I had forgotten to do a portrait today. In this picture I'm doing what my mom would call "playing possum".

Self-Portrait #39

Me and Milo. He's trying to dress like me. Milo is the adorable son
of our friends Ben and Kris. Yes, there is a frustrating name game
going on when we hang out. They came over to our side of town to eat at my favorite restaurant Melt tonight.

The other exciting news is that I actually won something today!!! I entered a giveaway on one of my favorite blogs Feeling Stitchy and I won a Craft Pad by Jenny Hart from Sublime Stitching! I never win anything so imagine my delight to receive an email from Floresita saying that I won! I'm sure you will see a lot of new embroidery projects here as a result.

Self-Portrait #38

Daffodil. This has been my favorite flower since I was a little girl growing up in South Carolina. I remember being so excited to see them growing beneath the pecan trees as the temperature began to rise. They are the first flower you see in the spring and that's when you know that there is hope. The cold will soon be gone and we will soon be hot, sweaty, and happy. I remember picking them for my grandmother who was always touch but secretly wished that I had just left them in the ground where she had planted them. My little hands just couldn't resist the first hint of spring color, it's all I can do to resist picking them to this day.