Castle in the Clouds

This post is late.  I should have written it up sometime during the week of April 13th.  That didn't happen, though, so here we are. I don't know why I struggle with this task, but I do.  I'm not even sure my "date" was really a date.  I needed some costume pieces for the 80s Fest in Frankenmuth that I plan on attending on April 24th. Each year I attempt to do something just a little bit different from the year before.  This year I really wanted to go as Toni Basil from her Mickey video.  I looked online for a cheerleading costume in the right colors.  The problem is the sweater.  I could find a skirt, but the top was impossible.  This has led me to the conclusion that if I plan on wearing this next year I will need to learn how to sew.  Or beg my mom to make it for me.  Frankly, though, I think learning to sew costumes would be a good thing because I also enjoy dressing up for RenFest and Comic Con .  Yes,...

I sent a friend of mine a list of supplies today that I thought would help her get started on one of my favorite hobbies: scrapbooking! She made the mistake of expressing an interest and saying she'd like to join our little group on our annual scrapping trips.  I almost feel sorry for her husband because he has no idea what's in store for him as she starts building her supplies.... The list I sent was text only because I was using FB messenger and didn't want to bombard her with a flurry of links to Amazon or JoAnn Fabrics.   Yet, the pictures are so very helpful when you're shopping for supplies you're unfamiliar with, so here we are.  On the blog. I tried to keep the list as minimalist as possible.  These are the things I consider necessities when you're preparing to scrapbook your favorite family photos.  A scrapbook to put the completed pages in.  I started with this because knowing your album size helps you determine the size of paper yo...

One of my favorite ways to spend a break at work is to look through the Amazon Kindle freebies.  I tend to gravitate toward the science fiction and fantasy categories, but occasionally I find myself looking through the literature, suspense, and romance lists.  This daily addiction has led to quite a collection of self-published and indie books in my Amazon Cloud Reader. Now, I know that some of those books will be terrible (not necessarily the ones pictured above!).  They may not have been edited. Typos could abound.  Plot holes.  Bad characterizations.  Cringe-worthy writing.  I know this because I've seen it.  I've opened more than one of those freebies and, after a few pages, I've realized I can't continue reading because, while the premise may have been promising, the author rushed to publication.   Yet, I also know that there will be gems waiting to be unearthed.  I've found them.  I've enjoyed them.  I've been...