Oh, Get Real!

Reality TV is everywhere, love it or hate it. From Survivor to My Big Fat Obnoxious American Idol - Oh, sorry, there are too many to keep track of!!! So do tell- what's your take on the topic???

1. Do you consider yourself a "fan" of reality TV?

Much to the distress of my husband, YES! I don't really actively pursue them but I usually stop flipping the channel if I come upon one.

2. What's your "can't miss" reality TV show (or shows)?

The only one that I actually made time for was America's Next Top Model. I'm a sucker for The Real World/ Road Rules and any possible combination of the two. Luckily, I can usually catch these whenever since the folks over at MTV play them almost every hour on the hour. I really like The apprentice but it seems like they replay that one just as often as The Real World, no?

3. What reality TV show do you suppose the devil plays on the TV in Hell as punishment?

The devil doesn't have a TV in Hell, silly. It's too hot and the electronics would melt.

~Bonus~ If you were given a free ticket to be on any reality show, which one would you choose?

Definitely one of the Real World/Road Rules Challenges. Beautiful location, cute boys and I really think I'd be good at some of those challenges...at least I'd be better than stupid Veronica!

Just In Case You Wanted to Know:
(Thanks, Yvett!)

1. What color pants are you wearing?
Cropped jeans

What are you listening to right now?
Some song on WOXY...Some girls singing "It's Just A Ride?"

What are the last 4 digits of your phone number?
8111

What was the last thing you ate?
Strawberries and Vanilla Yogurt with a sprinkle of Flax Seed

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Bright Blue

Weather right now?
Currently 61

Last person you talked to on the phone?
Some guy asking for Maria Escobedo

Do you like the person who sent you this?
Got this from Yvett, I always enjoy reading a fellow El Pasoan's blog!

How are you today?
Energized!!!!!

Favorite drink?
Lemonade

Favorite alcoholic drink?
Michelada (mmm, Mexican Lemonade)

Favorite sport?
Volleyball

Eye color?
Brown

Do you wear contact lenses?
When I'm not wearing my glasses

Siblings and their ages?
Angelica, 31 and Adriana, 24

Favorite food?
Pizza

Last movie you watched?
The Wizard of Oz (I had forgotten how great this movie was, can you believe it was made in 1939?!)

Favorite day of the year?
Friday (I love the "antici---pation" of the weekend)

Are you too shy to ask someone out?
Nope, good thing I did b/c now we're married!

Summer or winter?
Am I allowed to say a mild winter? Because summers here are hell!

Relationships or one night stands?
One night stands have their purpose but definitely relationships

Chocolate or vanilla?
Mmm, chocolate

Living Arrangements?
Little Casita with my husband and my cat, Kitty

What books are you reading?
Naked (David Sedaris), Lies Your Teacher Told You, Guerilla Marketing

What's on your mouse pad?
No mouse pad

Favorite board game?
Does Yatzee count? I think so.

What did you do last night?
Went out to eat at Dominic's with Jim's bosses, bought chocolate from Chocolat', got chased and subsequently cuddled by Jim, watched Wizard Of Oz while playing Zok, fell asleep while finishing Wizard of Oz.

Pets?
An adorable if spoiled cat named Kitty.

Favorite TV show?
The Shield

What are yours?

A Perfect Sunday

One of my favorite places in El Paso is the Flea Market off of Dyer. There's something energetic and eclectic about the whole atmosphere. I took my camera with me this morning hoping to cature it's beauty. I only wish there was some way to save the sounds of the place. Just imagine loud music, laughing women, barking dogs, crying babies, and bartering vendors while you look at the pictures!

El Mercado - March 27, 2004 (mouse over for picture titles, click for larger pics)

So, who's planning on going to the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago this year? I highly suggest joining in on the fun! It was a blast meeting all kinds of crafty ladies...in fact, my booth was right next door to Giao's! This time, however, I think we should all get together for food, drinks and laughs after the fair. Note to self: wear sunscreen, silly!

Belly Dancing Update:
Had my second Belly Dancing class yesterday. A little bit better...just a little. Still trying to grasp the concept of my hips going one way while my torso is going another.

The whole time I'm getting all wrapped up in the moves and the music, I'm thinking to myself..."Damn, you look sexy." Then I look in the mirror and "bam," sexy is gone. Maybe it's sexy in the sort of uncoordinated Hippo sort of way...ok, it's not *that* bad!

I bought a belly dancing DVD, something about Veena and Neena Shake Their Groove Thing (not actual title). I think Veena and Neena need to eat more food if they're going to keep up with me.

Thought I'd post a few pics from this weekend:

1. My Dad and Ivette
2. The Kiss
3. Bride and Groom with my Grandmother
4. Jimbo and I
5. Angelica, Jim, and I trying to enjoy oysters...blech.
6. You can't tell we're sisters, can you?


Tee hee, The cheese Quiz is so cute! (thanks to gnome)



Click here to see what Mozzarellas are like!

Whew, what a weekend! My sisters came into town for my father's wedding on Friday so things were pretty hectic around here. I think we were at our house for a combined total of maybe 10 hours over the entire weekend (mostly sleep). And for all those who know me, being away from the computer for that long is a big deal! But the wedding went well and I got to spend time with the most amazing women I know, my sisters. The exhaustion is always worth it. Now I have to catch up with Gerbera stuff! Argh, I'm already late with my Thrifty Gerbera updates, ugh.

TV Tuesday

Calling Dr. Bombay... Calling Dr. Bombay... Emergency, come right away!

TV doctors from Kildare to Kovac have been healing our ills since way back when. (Remember Steve Martin on the original Saturday Night Live, as Theodoric, Barber of York?! A good blood-letting always cured what ailed ya!) Yep, from leeches to CAT scans, we love our TV Docs!

1. Which TV doctor would you choose to remove your appendix?
Mmmm, Kovac. But I"m going to have to go with the cute guy from Scrubs. Is he a doctor yet?

2. Which TV doctor would you not let touch you with a 10- foot pole?
I must admit, I've never really been into hospital shows. Can't really think of any docs right now.

3. Which TV doctor/hospital would you choose for the best medical care?
Definitely Dr. Cliff Huxtable (thanks Yvette!)

~Bonus~ Everyone knows nurses run the hospital. Who was/is your favorite TV nurse?
That nurse, Carla, from Scrubs. Love it when she puts the boys in their place!

Viva Las Latinas

I think Crafty Chica kicks some major boo-tay! She's quite the inspirational figure in the crafty world for myself as well as many others. I'm not the first to say this nor will I be the last but I predict big things in store for her and her husband's line, Los Mestizos.

Here are a few things that I'm gaga over:
- Kitschy Keychain
- Small Pin
- La Fina Latina bracelet
- Che Prayer Candle

Yay for crafty ladies!

Decided to make this blog a bit more upbeat! Whadda think?

PS: I'd really appreciate if you'd let me know a problems you come across. Thanks so much!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Need something to do tonight? Find an Irish Pub in your area!

Yay, the Lekkner fundraiser for Sasha Farm is open! Go buy from some great indie designers and support a worthy cause!

I've never done one of these before but I do love TV so here goes:

In honor of the TV Land Awards going on Wednesday evening, this week's questions will be about "Classic" TV shows! (Any show counts, as long as they are not still making new episodes.)

1. What is your favorite "Classic" TV show?

Ok, so this is kinda a tough one for me. I had an extreme predjudice toward the "dirty" shows of our past. I'm not talking about shows with questionable content, I mean shows that just *looked* dirty to me. Standford and Son, Three's Company, All in the Family (I know, I'm killing some of you here!)...they were just too dirty. CHiPS was close but they had a strong Latino man representing so I let the dirt slide. Now, my favorite has to be Star Trek:The Original Series. So silly, huh?

2. What character from a "Classic" TV show would you like to be?

I'd want to be the Amazon princess herself, Wonder Woman. Couldn't even come close to beating Linda Carter, though. I Grew up thinking she was the prettiest woman ever. Did you know she was part Mexican?

3. On which "Classic" TV Show would you have loved to have a walk-on role?

Oooh, I had the bigest crush on Dr. Sam Beckett from Quantum Leap. Ooh, and how could I forget MacGyver! I'd love to walk onto one of those sets!

~Bonus~ Can you remember a line you liked from a "Classic" TV show?

"Oh Boy" Quantum Leap

New Tattoos!



Finally bucked up and just got the tattoos I was talking about all last week: two nautical stars on my feet. In case you didn't read the previous post ;0), sailors used to get stars on their feet to help lead them in the right direction in their life. I can use all the help I can get!

What's on my mind...

These are some of the million things on my mind right now:

1. Mmm, chocolate. Ok, so that's on my mind all the time but today it's *really* on my mind. Maybe it's the rain. It definitely is a No Pudge kind of day. I should keep an emergency stash of Bath Sweets body products for days just like this (link from Mise En Place)! Oooh, imagine this: a warm bath surrounded by chocolate candles from The Soap and Candle Stand. Add in a few of Bath Sweets' Tub Cupcakes and my husband feeding me No Pudge brownies...does it get any better?!

2. I went to my first Bellydancing lesson. I was horrible at it. It's quite possible that no one, in the history of the world...no, the universe, looked more like two pigs dancing in a sheet than I did. I've played sports all my life and was always a bit envious of the really graceful dancers. I finally threw caution to the wind and signed up for lessons. I've got the hips...figured I'd better put them to good use. It actually felt really good to be doing something so completely out of my comfort zone. I could almost feel my soul growing from the experience...I'll keep you updated on the pig situation!

3. A friend and I made the trial run necklaces for our Crafty Ladies Night (we still haven't come up with a name). If anyone is in the neighborhood at 7:00 on Monday night, you should totally drop by, have a few drinks with us and make a fun microscope slide necklace. Actually it's more like 1/2 a microscope slide necklace. I didn't realize how large slides were so we took them to a glass place and worked our feminine wiles. The guy ended up cutting them in half for us and didn't charge us a penny! I told him I liked his "tool" (wink, wink)...what?!...c'mon, I meant his glass cutting tool...not my fault if he took it the wrong way! ;0)

4. That's it...I want another tattoo. Becky (the friend who made the necklace with me) just got a beautiful lotus flower on her arm on Tues. She put some wording underneath it in Polish. Umm...it said something about wanting love...can't remember exactly but it looked great. It gave me the itch for another one. I'm thinking 1 in. stars on the top of my feet. Sailors used to get them there so that the stars would lead them in the right direction and well, I could us all the directional help I can get! They would be pretty visible all the time since I wear flip flops probably 336 days out of the year.

5. Woo hoo, I'm finally going to organize the crazy amount of fabric I have. I printed out a fabric organizer (has places for you to document the store you bought it at, the amount you have and a fabric swatch) and hope to categorize the fabric this weekend...I hope.

March Project



Thought I would post one of the secret projects for March. Hope you like it!

Fabric Flower Necklace

Materials: floral fabric, Stitch Witch, felt, hole punch, leather band

Instructions:
1. Use Stitch Witch (or any other fusible web) to bond a small piece of the flower fabric to felt. Make sure all edges are bonded nicely.
2. Cut out the flower image. You will be cutting through the fabric, Stitch Witch, and felt.
3. Carefully punch a hole in the top part of the flower.
4. Cut a large piece of your leather band (enough fit around your head plus another 16 inches). Make a loop at the center of the band and push through front of hole. Pull the rest of the band through to create a flat loop.
5. Follow these instruction to make the adjustable knots.
6. Wear around your neck and hope for an early Spring!

That Time of Month

No, Ol' Aunt Flo isn't making her monthly visit...I'm talking about the fact that it's time to update my DIY section for the month of March, argh. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my crafty section but it can be quite exhausting. Between thinking of the projects, doing them, setting up and taking pictures, designing the theme, altering pics in computer, pluging pics and directions onto webpages and finally, uploading...sometimes it feels like it'll never end. Right now I'm about 50% through, I just have to write out the directions and fix web stuff.

Combine the crafts with trying to release my spring collection and well, that's the reason I haven't updated this blog for almost a week. I'm not complaining, I promise...well, ok, a little...but don't worry, I'm counting my blessings while I curse (enough to make a sailor blush) at the stupid sewing machine!

The crazy thing is that I'm already thinking of next month's projects. It's a toss up between Wedding Crafts and stuff you can make from a visit to your local Asian grocery store. What do you guys think?

Every once and a while, I stumble upon cute baby sites (like Textile Fetish) and a little part of me goes "awh...if only..." and then I remember that I forgot to feed the cat and poof, little thought gone.

My Retro Baby did that for me this morning. I fell in love with the Retro Dot, Vintage Paisley, and Mod Flower quilts.

I wonder if they make quilts for big people.

ABC's of Me!

A - Age: 26
B - Boyfriend/girlfriend: Jim
C - Chore you hate: putting away utensils
D - Dad's name & occupation: Robert, Computer stuff for the govt.
E - Essential everyday item(s): computer, lip gloss, toilet
F - Favorite actor/actress: Gregory Peck
G - Gold or silver: silver
H - Hometown: El Paso, TX
I - Instruments you play: Spoons (nah, just kidding)
J - Job: Indie Business Owner
K - Kids: None, unless my husband counts!
L - Living arrangements: messy house
M- Mother's name and occupation: Patricia, Community Relations for retirement home
N - Name and who are you named after: Vanessa, after Vanessa Redgrave
O - Overnight hospital stays: hmmm, not that I can remember
P - Phobia: tight spaces, ocean
Q - Quote you like: "Write in your heart that each day is the best day of the year." R.W. Emerson
R - Ride you have: Black Hyundai Accent
S - Shows you like: Smallville, Nip/Tuck, The Shield, Enterprise (only because I'm a loyal Trekkie), America's Next Top Model, Gilmore Girls
T - Time you wake up: 7:30
U - Unique habit: I can't fall asleep without a book in my hand
V - Vegetable(s)/Fruit(s) you refuse to eat: Refuse to eat? Unheard of!
W - Worst habit: Short temper
X - X-rays you've had: dental, splintered hip bone, fractured heel,
Y - Yummy food you make: Chicken soup, turkey meat loaf
Z - Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

With three weddings in the next six months, I figured perhaps I should watch what I eat...just a bit. I see food kinda like an adventure. Each meal a new opportunity to try new flavors and dishes. Unfortunately, such enthusiasm for yummy foods has not been beneficial toward my waist line. So, along with running five times a week, I'm trying to be a bit more cautious with portions, eating after 9:00 pm, and those dreaded (yet lovely) comfort foods.

Some of the great things I've found to keep me sane:
- Thai Kitchen Instant Rice Noodle Soups: Since I'm working from home, I have a hard time not raiding Jim's junk food during lunch. You know what I mean, you're right in the middle of a project and you don't want to break to make something for lunch. These noodles are great. In three minutes you can be enjoying Thai Ginger Noodle Soup and since they're not fried (like their evil neighbor, Top Ramen Noodles) you won't beat yourself over it later.

- No Pudge Brownie Mix: My husband and I tried these last night and he enjoyed them just as much as I did! The best part is that you can make single servings just by mixing 2 tbs. of the mix with 1 tbs. of non-fat vanilla yogurt. A perfect PMS chocolate craving fix!

- Natural Cheetos: Ok, I know that just because the word "Natural" is in the title, it doesn't mean these are good for you but there is no trans fat and they don't leave your fingers orange. That's got to count for something! If you absolutely need junk food (and we've all had those days), these aren't a bad choice.

Hmm, those are the only ones I can remember right now. What are your healthy snacks and meals?

I absolutely love trades!

One of the great benefits of owning your own indie business is being able to trade your stuff with other indie shops. This week I got my Kraft Tee that I traded for a Cat Love bag. I absolutely love it! Sad thing, though, is that I accidentally ripped the arm hole as I was trying to fit my obviously gargantuan limb through it. Doh! Maybe if I strategically rip it some more I can wear it to the 311 concert this weekend.

Also received an Ant Change Purse and a Dino Book Cover from Down By Vinyl. They are fantastically well-crafted.

It's nice to be reminded of the amazing community many of us are a part of. The amount of talented designers on the web is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

By the way, totally let me know if anyone wants to do a trade!

And the Oscar goes to...

We had our Oscar Party last night and after cleaning and cooking all Sat. and Sun, my feet are recovering nicely. I ended up making The Last Samurai Chicken Teriyaki Skewers, Pirates of the Carib-Bean Dip with Pirate Chips, and In America Apple Crisps with Ice Cream. We had Cold Mountain Dew, Sierra Myst-ic River, and Capt. Jack Sparrow Rum and Coke. We also made Finding Nemo Jello Shots (blue jello, coconut rum, topped with a goldfish cracker) but forgot to take them out. There were only six of us left by the time we remembered...oh darn.

We had a nice time watching Lord of the Rings kick everyone's ass and now my house is clean!

On another note:


You are Woodstock!

Which Peanuts Character are You?

And

You're Mexico!

While some people think you're poor and maybe a little corrupt, you
know where it's at, enjoying good food and nice beaches.  You like to take things a
little slower than those around you, and you really wish the air were cleaner, but sometimes
compromises must be made.  For some reason, Chevrolet keeps trying to sell you Novas
as well, even though they don't really go.

Which Country Are You?

Hah, so basically I am Woodstock drinking a Cerveza on the beach in Mexico...not a bad place to be!

# posted by Vanessa : 9:45 AM