Finished!
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I finally finished my furniture painting project for the CBC auction. And I forgot to take a picture before I dropped it off. :(
Oh well.

So anyway, among the other fabulous things to bid on, there's now a desk/table from the old school with the Lasallian crest on it. I think it's nice... But (in typical artist fashion) I think it could have been better.

Maybe I'll like it better after my period ends. ;)

Single Needles And The Craft Bonanza
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I got a call 2 weeks ago from Amy. A friend of her mother's had passed away, leaving behind a lot of craft items. So much so, that it took 3 separate days to sort it all. The result was 7 boxes of yarn, enough books to press a witch*, 1 box of embroidery floss and hoops, 2 boxes of plastic canvas, 2 boxes of sewing patterns, a box of notions, 6 boxes of fabric, and an assortment of other crafty things. Plus knitting needles and crochet hooks.

Which reminds me. My cats have been stealing my knitting needles again. I'll have to pull out the sofa and search underneath. :D

__________
*Death by pressing involved sandwiching a person between 2 boards and then progressively placing rocks on the top board until the person suffocated. It was a method of torturing and eventually killing "witches".

I was mean today.
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First I blocked a car from passing me on the right, and then I yelled at my son. It doesn't matter that I was right, it was mean spirited. I feel guilty.

The car was behind me and we were both going over the speed limit in the Mason Road exit lane. When the driver cut over into the lane that was ending in an 8th of a mile to pass me, I straddled both lanes. Because it's rude. Then I noticed his CBC parking tag. So I kept a student from getting to school 10 seconds before me.

Then, when we got to school, I saw that everyone was wearing a tie. L was wearing a short sleeved shirt. And I got mad. Because I had asked him several times this month when Mass day was. So that I could make sure he had a clean shirt and tie. And I was caught unprepared. And I yelled about it.

See?
I was mean today.

Curious Deaths
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A few days ago,(In the St. Louis Metro area) a 16 yr. old girl died on a schoolbus. The preliminary coroner report says she died from an undiagnosed congenitive heart defect. Less then two weeks ago, a 3rd grader dropped dead at her desk. She also lived in the Metro area. Her death was from an undiagnosed heart defect. Both girls were "fine" the day before. This bothers me a great deal, and I wonder if there isn't something more going on here. I have a minor heart defect, myself; and I live in an area where 2 people have died in 2 weeks. Just suddenly died. No warning. Within two weeks of each other.

(sigh)

eBay, Baby!
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They're (eventually) building new houses across the street, which means there's a mountain of dirt over there right now. The kind of mountain of dirt that you just have to climb... So one day, after a rainstorm, my son wanted to go "play on the hill". It was a bit chilly outside so I told him he needed to wear pants, not shorts.
He came out of his room wearing a pair of sweatpants that might as well have been shorts. (he grew 4 inches in 4 months) I told him there was no way he was walking out of the house in those...things. I went into my room and pulled out my precious 501 jeans. The ones I bought before he was born. The ones I can finally fit into again. And I handed them over saving, "These'll be a bit big, but they're perfect for playing on the hill."
He grudgingly put them on, and I was instantly jealous. Because those mens 501 buttonfly jeans looked good on me, but they looked great on him. (sigh) He went off to play and came back muddy and cheerful. My jeans had survived their first outing on a male body.

Now, of course my jeans went straight into the wash to get the mud off. The second the dryer stopped spinning, my dear son swiped them and put them back on. Um, no. Those would be my Levis. Not his. MINE.

Enter eBay. I just bid on a pair of mens straight legged 501's, for... $2.50.
Yeah, buddy!

Temporarily Down
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My online storefront is temporarily down while I do a major overhaul of the site. You can still order products via email. shea (at) bitparts (dot) org.

Shea Butter 4 oz $3.00
Shea Butter with Comfrey and Lavender 4 oz $3.75
Migraine Miracle 1 oz $2.50
Comfrey Oil 3 oz $3.00
Sampler Pack (1 of each) $10

Thank you.

Things You Might Not Know About CBC High School
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If you live in St. Louis, you're probably aware of CBC High School. You might think of it as "That school for West County boys", or something equally exclusionary. You also might think that (like the other Catholic schools in St. Louis) it's a singular, exclusive school. I know I did. I was wrong.

You might know that CBCHS is 155 years old, but did you know that the Brothers of the Christian Schools began making a difference in people's lives more than 320 years ago?

Did you know that their mission is, and always has been, to give a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor?

Did you know they teach over 900,000 students in 80 countries?

I knew the La Sallian Brothers had more than one school, but I didn't realize how many there were until L started putting his leftover lunch money in a collection box for some of their other schools. (I'm so proud)

I know L loves CBC, yet that simple act of giving some lunch money shows me just how much he values it. You see, our budget has been very, very tight since we started paying L's tuition. Even with the generous help from my In-Laws, it's been tight. We rarely rent movies or eat out anymore. We eat a lot of chicken and ramen noodles or homemade mashed potatoes. :D
We're not giving anything but stocking stuffers to each other for Christmas. My mom is bringing the Thanksgiving turkey, because it's just not in our budget. None of this makes me sad. In a weird way, it makes me happy. Oh, I don't like bouncing checks -don't get me wrong... But seeing my son accept these financial sacrifices and understand them with maturity, and be willing to give (literally) his last few coins to help educate someone else... (sniff) It moves me.

Religious Quote of the Year (IMHO)
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I was reading The Zero Boss, one of those fabulous bloggers whom I haven't had time to read as often as I'd like... I was reading and found this:

(for those who are actually serious about a Pagan religious path): Don't pay any attention to spells or magick until you've developed a deep spiritual connection with the Deity Who calls to you. Religion is first and foremost about the bliss that flows from understanding the world and your place in it. It is not about wishing yourself an extra hundred bucks when money's tight. Stop treating the Goddess like a McDonald's drive-thru window.

You can read the entry that includes this brilliant suggestion here.

From my experiences, most people who discover Pagan religions start with discovering "magic". Maybe they're looking for a sense of control over their lives? Maybe they're looking for an easy way through life?

Life is easy. We are the ones who make it hard.

Uh-oh. Mom's in a Cookin' Mood
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I stopped off at the store to buy some coffee. So I could have coffee after I blog. Like a post-blog treat, only every day. Anyway, I went in to buy coffee... and maybe something for dinner... and nothing else.
I walked out with pie crust mix, sugar, flour, butter, sweetened condensed milk, and ricotta cheese. (and the things I'd planned to buy) I just couldn't pass up the ricotta cheese. It's been ages since I've had cannoli. The hubby-man and son think it's disgusting. I think there are few confections that rival sweetened cheese stuffed into a crispy shell.

Cannoli was a special treat when I was growing up, because none of the local bakeries made it. We would have to take city busses to get to a neighborhood that sold cannoli. The trip took over an hour each way. But it was worth it. Oh, was it worth it!

Roadkill
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Did you know there are deer in West St. Louis County? Yep. I've seen 6 since I've been driving the 22 miles to L's school every day. The first two were on a flatbed trailer (and headless, ew.) But the last four were roadkill. And it pisses me off. To see those beautiful pelts all mangled and made useless, not to mention the waste of meat. Just one deer would provide protein for my family for months!

I suppose I should feel bad for the people who hit the deer. I'm sure their cars were messed up pretty badly and all. But... seeing 120 lbs of meat discarded on the side of the road... Arrrgh! It's an affront, I tell you.

On a side note: I've never gone hunting, but I've eaten wild game. All of it was a gift. I thank the spirits of the animals that fed me. Heh, I remember getting in trouble once when I was a kid for thanking the spirit of the deer that was in the stew I was eating. Apparently you aren't supposed to acknowledge death at the dinner table. :D
I still think it was the right thing to do. I also thanked my uncle for killing the deer so we could eat it. Then I asked him what he did with the bones. That kind of dried up the conversation.

Commenter Triggers Rant
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'Thought & Humor' left me a comment. Wasn't that nice of him. I decided to copy it right up front here, because words this flowery shouldn't be delegated to a mere comment. I added brief definitions for some of his words, from the Merriam webster online dictionary, in parentheses.

"You have a riveting web log
and undoubtedly must have
atypical(not typical : irregular, unusual)& quiescent(marked by inactivity or repose : tranquilly at rest)
potential for your intended readership.
May I suggest that you do
everything in your power to
honor your encyclopedic (comprehensive)/omniscient (all-knowing)
Designer/Architect as well
as your revering (to show devoted deferential honor to)
audience. As soon as we acknowledge
this Supreme Designer/Architect,
Who has erected the beauteous (beautiful)
fabric of the universe, our minds
must necessarily be ravished (a : to seize and take away by violence b : to overcome with emotion c:rape )
with wonder at this infinite goodness,
wisdom and power.

Please remember to never
restrict anyone's opportunities
for ascertaining (1 archaic : to make certain, exact, or precise
2 : to find out or learn with certainty)
uninterrupted existence for their quintessence (1 : the fifth and highest element in ancient and medieval philosophy that permeates all nature and is the substance composing the celestial bodies
2 : the essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form).

Best wishes for continued ascendancy (governing or controlling influence : domination) ,
Dr. Howdy
'Thought & Humor' "

So, what he said was... The Flying Spaghetti Monster at the top of your page grabbed my attention. I think your readers see you as weird and inactive. (Um, what?) I think you should give whatever created life, the Universe, and everything at least as much respect as you give to the people who bow and scrape show devoted deferential honor to your writing. As soon as you acknowledge God, He'll rape your mind with the beauty of what He has created... It's a cause and effect thing. Please don't delete my attempt to convert you and all your (12) readers. If you delete this, it might prevent someone from continuing to know that they are perfection. (Would you like a side of fries to go with the guilt I've just handed you?) I hope you continue to govern, influence and dominate your readers.
Dr. Howdy.

Dr. Howdy... You need a dictionary. Thanks for enlightening my day and ravishing my blog with your beauteous words of wonder.

And On A Political Note...
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I'm tickled pink that the Democrats "forced" a closed Senate session. It's well past time for our Senators to stand up for the people they represent.

Life Altering Cookie Alert
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Seriously. Don't ever buy Hershey's Cookies. Well, you can buy them... just don't ever eat one.

Yeah, I like that idea. Buy the cookies, look at the pretty box, wonder if they're as good as I say they are... Muahaha.

Think of Girl Scout Cookies. Make them even better. Put them in stores year round.
That's Hershey's cookies.

We bought a box of Reese's Milk Chocolate Dipped Cookies (with peanut butter!)
*note* As I was typing, the Hubby-Man said "My only problem with those (cookies) is the same problem I have with Tagalongs. (the GS cookies which are similar but inferior to the Reese's cookies)... There are too few in the box."

Anyway, we bought the cookies last night. They're all gone now. I'm afraid to buy more. Assuming we each ate 9 cookies, we took in 675 bonus calories in 24 hours.

Boy they were good!