Midweek Scribbles | Bead Happily Ever After

Doll Fever

Posted on April 8, 2010 by crystal

Several of you reminded me that I didn’t answer this week’s question!

“What was your favorite toy when you were a kid?”

Well . . . I would have to say it was a doll. 🙂

The “favorite” one would change every so often, but truly I loved them all – even the one that wasn’t a REAL Barbie (story here).

After my kids left the nest, I suddenly found myself buying dolls for myself. I guess I was trying to fill the nest again!

Soon, people began to give me dolls as gifts. I’d like to show you two of them. The first is from my dear sister-in-law. I love her (the sister!) and I love this doll that she chose for me.

The next one is a gift from my oldest daughter. She knows I’m a doll lover and she sent this cutie (in a regional costume) from Switzerland! The doll’s eyes close and she has such lovely little details on her outfit.

I think all dolls are wonderful, but the ones that touch my heart the most are those I’ve received as gifts.

Have you acquired a doll since you became an adult? 🙂

The Staff of Life

Posted on April 7, 2010 by crystal

Sir Beads and I just LOVE bread!

If you’ve seen the movie, Forrest Gump, you may remember how Forrest’s friend Bubba recited a huge list of shrimp dishes:

“… shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad…”

I could do the same with bread. 😉

There’s Irish bread, Italian bread, French Bread, oatmeal bread, 12-grain bread, rye bread, brown bread, pumpernickel bread, sourdough bread . . . and so many more!

Recently, we bought some of our favorite bread.

There’s a church in our area that has a fundraiser twice a year. During that time, they take orders for an incredibly delicious home baked treat called “Portuguese Sweet Bread”. The church is swamped with requests, and then a few weeks later; it’s delivery day!

Sir Beads is able to order several loaves from church members who happen to work with him at his company. It seems most people buy in quantity. We all know it will be months before it’s available again and it freezes well. I usually cut the loaves in half before placing them in ziplock freezer bags.

But oh my goodness, we are in heaven when we cut that first slice . . .

Do you like bread, too? What kind? 🙂

Paper Tiger

Posted on February 25, 2010 by crystal

I have a love/hate relationship with my printer…..

I love it because I can print so many wonderful articles, craft ideas, crochet patterns, recipes, and well, you get the idea.

I hate it because I can print so many wonderful articles, craft ideas, crochet patterns, recipes . . . 😉

Hey, I’m nothing if not a bundle of contradictions! Lol

I do try to be judicious in what I select to print, but c’mon! There’s just SO much great info out there in cyberspace!

The bottom line is that I have been fighting the paper tiger lately. My file cabinet has been begging for mercy! So last week, I decided to take a different approach . . .

I bought some 3-ring binders and a box of plastic sheet protectors and arranged things by subject.

I have more to do but I’m really pleased with the results, so far.

And somehow it seems a lot easier to just grab a binder and take it to my soft chair to peruse, instead of bending over, or kneeling near, the file cabinet to find something I want.

Note to self: Try not to fill up those binders too fast! Don’t want to be back where I started – in a sea of very “important” (ahem!) papers. 😉

It’s in the Genes

Posted on February 3, 2010 by crystal

I say: Do you know what this is?

You say: Yes Crystal, it’s a cup of tea.
(You also think to yourself: Oh man, Crystal is losing it!)

Not to worry; I still have a few of my marbles left. 😉

This is a cold cup of tea because . . .

I am an incurable multi-tasker!!!

It’s true. I can’t tell you how many teabags I have failed to rescue before they’ve turned my cup of tea to lukewarm mud.

How does this happen? Well, right after I pour the hot water, I think – “Hmmm… while this is steeping, I’ll just check the mail, or maybe start a shopping list, or make the bed, or pay a bill”. My intention is just to do something quick, but one thing leads to another and before I know it, half an hour has passed.

When I finally return to my tea… it’s too strong and too cold. Lest you worry that it’s wasted; I do nuke it and add extra milk to try and rehabilitate it, but I really don’t enjoy it that way.

I fear I’ve passed this flawed genetic material on to my daughter. She, too, appears to be a multi-tasker. The other day, the subject came up as we were chatting and she said:

“Oh that happens to me too! I’ll be sorting laundry and then will realize I should go grab some dirty towels…but then I get sidetracked in the bathroom by stopping to clean the sink. As I scrub, my tummy rumbles and I remember (oooh yum!) I have cheese and crackers in the fridge! I’m off to get them…then decide to treat myself a bit and watch some TV while I enjoy my snack. One episode of CHiPs later and it hits me…I never started the washer! Ok, I’ll just put my snack plates in the dishwasher first…. Oh, but the dishwasher is full of clean stuff! Must put THAT away, of course…

And in the midst of all of this, I might be suddenly tweezing my eyebrows or checking Facebook. Or napping. It happens!”

Poor kid, along with a wonderful sense of humor from her Dad, I guess she inherited the multi-task bug from me.

I must be a “carrier”! How about you? 😉

The Good Wife

Posted on February 2, 2010 by crystal

As often as possible . . . I do try to be a “good wife”. 😉

But you’ll laugh when I tell you the predicament into which I unknowingly put Sir Beads yesterday!

As he was leaving for work in the morning, I asked him if he would mind grabbing a few items from the grocery store on his way home. He said “No problem.” So, I dashed off a little list of the things we needed and he quickly stuffed it into his shirt pocket as he headed out the door.

When he came home last night, he told me that he had made a funny discovery during the workday. At one point, he glanced down at his shirt and it seems that part of the “list” had worked its way out of his pocket! This is what was showing to any and all he may have encountered in the course of business:

I was blushing and laughing at the same time as we wondered what people must have thought when they saw that! LOL

Here’s the list – unfolded.

Next time, maybe I should just email him . . . but I suppose that would mean less excitement for the co-workers!