Fanning the Fire

Oh, Colin Powell…always stealing my thunder. I’m sure you just decided to support Obama because I did last week. That’s okay, I’m very convincing.

Random Editorial Note: I got the link to the Colin Powell story from FoxNews.com so that I couldn’t be accused of using the evil liberal media to support my views. Where I live, Fox News is considered unbiased {gags}. So I just thought I’d post the homepage screen grab from 7:30 a.m. this morning.

Fox News dot com

The top stories are:

1. Palin: Obama Tax Plan Is ‘Socialism’
2. Polls Show McCain Narrowing the Gap
3. ‘Daily Show’s’ Jon Stewart to Palin: ‘%$#@ You’
4. Colin Powell Backs Obama | Obama Raises $150M
5. Palin Earns Highest ‘SNL’ Ratings in 14 Years
6. Killed for Spreading Christianity
7. And also one story about UFO’s…to lighten the mood???

Yup, totally unbiased. Thank God Fox News is here to tell me the truth.

{Then she throws up a little in her mouth}

Yet Another Editorial Note: This just in, the conservative Salt Lake City Tribune Endorses Obama…what is going on? Why are all these Republicans agreeing with me? It’s a bit unsettling. Is this all a giant trick?

Addicted to Etsy

A few days ago, after my beloved television had been shipped off to our new house, I tweeted (twittered?) about what one does when they are drinking wine and don’t have basic cable to keep them company. My response showed what a large divide there is between men and women when it comes to Internet-based entertainment.

I found myself drunk shopping on Etsy.

Oh, Etsy. My somewhat newly found love. I say “somewhat” because as early as February of this year I was ordering strange, unique items from Etsy (like this crocheted heart for Trent’s Valentine’s Day gift), but I hadn’t really discovered what is possible for a site that gives people the world over a chance to buy unique, handmade and vintage pieces, even if they live in Middle-of-nowhere, Kansas instead of Brooklyn or San Francisco.

What, do you ask, are these items that are forcing me to click the buy button? What could make me spend, spend, spend, when I just bought a house and my husband bought another business and the economy’s in the crapper? Well…

First up is the Design Fruit shop. Design Fruit is where I get all of my Photoshop brushes and Illustrator vectors that I use in my random invites and thank you cards. They just opened an Etsy shop where they are selling wall decals that make my heart go pitter-patter. They add so much to a boring wall, and with our house decorating budget in the negative digits, the price is much more managable than a painting or other piece of art.

Design Fruit Wall Decal

This one is going in Trent and I’s yellow bedroom.

Bird with Headphones

I ordered this one for Lucy’s room. I’m either going to put it over her doorway or on a windowsill.

This will squarely solidify my dork status, but I love this shop by Lanie Beth. She sells funky merchandise and focuses a large portion of her work on the Twilight series. Yes, that Twilight series. My friend Mara and I have been discussing getting t-shirts to wear to the film premiere of Twilight this November, and when I saw this, my finger moved to the buy button quicker than that pointer thing on a Ouiji Board. Mara is a little pissed, as she really wanted to make puffy paint shirts, but I couldn’t resist.

Edward Dazzles Shirt

Look, glitter!!!

It’s been known for a while that I love me some Mighty Goods, so I was thrilled when they opened an Etsy shop to sell vintage items found at thrift stores on the west coast. I’m particularly fond of this jar, which I would love to leave on my nightstand to hold all of my random crap that seems to collect there. So far, I’ve been able to resist that buy button, but I wouldn’t count on that lasting.

White Jar

Snoozer Loser is a shop based out of NYC (of course) and I love all of their beautiful clothes. My fashion sense has finally started to become a bit more than tops from the Gap outlet, and I’ve been finding myself more interested in special pieces with vintage flair (yes, I just said flair). I also love how she names each item. Meet my crush, The Olivia top.

The Olivia

You can’t have her, she’s mine!

We can’t leave the rest of the family out of the fun! I’ve found tons of great dresses for Lu on Esty (along with some lovely handmade toys), but these ones take the cake. Technically I found them via Dooce, who posted about them here, but I’ve fallen deep in love with the shop Tuff as Snails. From their t-shirts to their skull dresses, I can’t get enough. I’m planning putting off the purchases until Christmas or Lu’s birthday, but I’m having trouble staying away.

Octopus Dress

Lately, Trent’s been very in to wearing a tie to work. And I have to admit, that boy looks damn sexy in a good tie. The shop Me and Matilda is a great place to get handmade, unique ties that don’t have the feel of the last minute gift you found at Dillards. I’m a particular fan of this tangerine one, as Trent can wear orange like nobody’s business.

Tangerine Dots Tie

And let’s keep this orange theme running, shall we. I guess I’ve shown why I painted my kitchen orange, huh? I’m sort of a fan. Poor Molly Moo, who gets left out of most everything these days, deserves a fun treat as well. Her current collar has begun to smell a bit like a sewer on a hot day, so I’m thinking of getting her a new one. Maybe one to match Trent’s tie, like this one from 8 Paws Collars.

Orange Collar

For some reason this pattern reminds me of Thanksgiving….

So if you’re looking to buy me anything (I dunno, a housewarming gift, perhaps…not that I’m implying anything), check Etsy first. There you’ll find some real gems, and will probably max out your credit card. In fact, you may want to ask someone to hide your wallet before you log on. Lest you end up like me, with too many wall decals and no lunch money.

Who needs $700 billion?

Gotcha! You thought this was going to be some big political post, didn’t you? Oh, I love fooling you crazy kids.

Nope, this isn’t a political tirade, because honestly, I think we’re all sick of that crap. Instead of just whining about how the world is going to hell in a handbasket, let’s do something about it! Are you motivated yet? Good, let’s get started.

I am participating in a program called the Blogger’s Challenge 2008. Now, I know this may surprise you, but I only have a few readers. Hey, stop laughing! OK, maybe a few is pushing it, but I know that the few of you that do read this site are very social, wonderful, outgoing people who would do anything to help a friend in need. The Blogger’s Challenge is being put on by Donors Choose, an organization that pairs schools in need with willing donors. If you go to my Donors Choose page, you will find six Kansas City schools in need of a little mojo. The sad state of our urban KC schools is a big reason the fam and I are moving to the suburbs, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try and fix the problem. Also, if the schools get better maybe I can move back to Brookside!

Please, please, please, pretty please visit my Donors Choose page and lets show the world that Crazybananas readers are some of the greatest in the blogosphere. Geez, I just said blogosphere, didn’t I? Crap. Anywho, I’ll look like quite the idiot if no one donates on my page, so even $5 would make a HUGE difference, especially to the wonderful KC kids you’ll be helping. Maybe I’ll even do some sort of special giveaway on the site if we make our goal.

What are you waiting for? Go!

And also, feel free to foward this post on to your friends and families and crazy Aunt Amy up in Oregon who never leaves her house and has 20 cats. I’m sure they’d all love to help out.

Don’t forget, all donations are tax deductable!

Why hello there!

Hi! How are you? Good? Great. Well, I’ve been a tad busy lately, if you haven’t been able to tell. Definitely too busy to write a post on this here website, it seems. It also may have something to do with the fact that I golfed yesterday and now I can’t lift my arms. Or turn my neck. I have problems, people!

So since this post has no rhyme or reason anyway, I have a few announcements. First, see that little You Tube video in the upper left hand corner of the page? Well, that’s my new Song of the Moment feature. I noticed I’d been putting together quite a few playlists around here, so I decided to share one song a week that you may not have heard of, but that I’m in love with (don’t tell my husband). The current song is due to be changed today or tomorrow, so enjoy it while you can! It’s a group called First Aid Kit (they’re flipping teenagers and they can sing like that!) doing a cover of the Fleet Foxes’ Tiger Mountain Peasant Song. I found them via a new blog I’ve been reading, A Cup of Tea and a Wheat Penny. You should read it too, it’s lovely. And it’s not really new, it’s been around longer then this blog, but it’s new to me and I likey.

Sidenote: Do you guys ever click the links? Because you should. I don’t put them on here for nothing, and if they made the cut, it’s for a good reason. Like they’re awesome. That is all.

Oh, and check out this sweet photo of my friend Hayley and her husband Jeff, who is much more sarcastic than this image conveys. I took some maternity photos for them and have not edited one…except for this one…so here you go.

Hayley + Jeff

Hmmm….here is a funny video from the Daily Show. Democratic tailgating? You know where I’ll be on November 4th….

Sidenote: Even my republican friends will find this funny. I swear, it’s safe and hilarious for all. Amen.

OK, my ADD self is done now. We’ll be back to your regularly scheduled programming tomorrow. Hopefully.

Zen

“The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less” – Anna Quindlen (via Nie Nie Dialogues)

Stephanie Nielson (who I posted about here) is having a very important surgery today. By the incredible power of modern medicine, they are fitting her with new skin to replace part of what was lost in the plane crash. When you have a moment today, say a little prayer for her family.

Reading Stephanie’s story and following her family’s journey through this ordeal has made me think twice about the importance of family in my life. I would hope that in similar circumstances I would be able to be as strong and full of faith as her family has been, although I question that often. What is the role of faith in my life? What have I sacrificed lately?

I know most of you don’t click though when I post links, so I thought I’d post an excerpt from Stephanie’s sister, Courtney (C Jane) who has taken over parenting duties for three of Stephanie’s children along with her own newborn. This woman inspires me so.

Claire was at my side now begging for a whisper in my ear.

“Tell them about my parents.”

This has happened before. Though Claire has long-since loved the game of “Abandoned Orphan” she certainly doesn’t want anyone believing that she is one right now. It makes her feel better having people know. So she asks me to explain the situation using my rusty adult-translating communication skills. We’ve rehearsed this conversation many times.

“Claire’s mom and dad were in an airplane crash.” I started, watching the faces of the young man and woman turn from smile to shock, like bread to toast in a toaster. So I continued,

“She wanted me to tell you that they are in the hospital getting better.”

“Are . . . they . . . going to be ok?” Stuttered out the young woman.

“We hope so!” I sounded resolute.

“I am her aunt and she is staying me and my husband for awhile.”

The young man looked like he was going to faint.

At this point Ollie himself was passed out, his chin perched on the round of my shoulder, feeling very heavy for a three-year-old. The Chief was wailing from the enclosed stroller. Matthew was doing his best to soothe him, although it was to the point where my anatomy was needed. And Jane was skipping down the street singing to herself. Like always.

“Do . . . do . . .you need help?” Asked the young woman with a desperation in her tone.

“It looks like I do, but I am just fine. We’ll take your prayers.” I offered.

They both nodded at me slowly like shell-shocked soldiers.

Claire waved them good bye, having felt like all was honest. I was sorry for having dropped an emotional bomb and walked away so suddenly. But my herd was needing a shepherd.

We carried on.

Please visit Courtney’s blog to find out more about this incredible story and what you can do to help.

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