My poor page has been so neglected! As I've been told, don't sit and stare at a blank page; start writing, even if it's garbage. That probably happens more often than not.
I've been doing a lot of reading, fiction, sci-fi, romance novels. I keep thinking that I would like to be a writer. Not necessarily to strike it rich or to "be famous," just because the more I read, the more exciting it is. These entire worlds exist inside someone's head. People, plots, relationships, sometimes things that aren't even real. That's so cool. I haven't really tried yet, but I've heard the first step to writing is reading a lot. Now THAT I can do.
I've also been thinking about my goals and purpose in life. I feel like I've been stuck in an in-between phase. For those that work outside the house; does your job give you purpose? Do you feel like it is a part of your identity? As myself and many people around me have gone through being unemployed, I've noticed that losing your job almost steals a part of you. It takes away that identity that you had, "Hi, I'm an administrative assistant," or "My husband is a mechanic." For some people, they can work in the home watching their kids or in other home-based endeavors. That's awesome, and I've always thought that was what I could do best. I love being home with my kids, and I love the relaxed (PJ's!) atmosphere that working at home provides. But most of all, I miss interaction. I go to the grocery store, library, craft store, and I will often times see the same check-out clerks at their places of work. I am always a little bit jealous of these people. I couldn't tell you their names, but I've talked to them more than I do my own "real life" friends. I love the community and quick access that social media has provided, but it's also isolated us so much.
I've found that I don't sit still very well unless I am multi-tasking. It's hard for me to sit and talk to my daughter or play a game with my son without getting up and starting some laundry, picking up toys, or checking out Facebook. If it's time to sit and watch a movie, I try to have something to knit or crochet so I feel like I'm getting something done. My newfound habit is listening to audiobooks while I knit or crochet. This is fun for me, although they take SO much longer than actually reading, but I'm getting so much more absolutely necessary knitting done! In my head I tell myself that it's just therapeutic... but I'm starting to wonder if I'm slowly going crazy.
Hiya! I've been keeping busy, making hats and scarves mostly. I've had the usual requests for animal hats, but this year I'm having fun trying new things and experimenting. :) I thought I'd share some of what I've been up to. (Since I can't leave the Eggies review on the top of my blog FOREVER.)
(Images courtesy of Hagmann Photography; Greenwood, IN)
(Twins! Doesn't get better than this, folks)
(Minions from Despicable Me)
(Awwwwwww!)
My next project? Getting a central location for pictures of everything I've made. Facebook is CLOSE, but not totally complete. :)
If you're in the market for crochet goodies, you know where to get me. ;)
Have you ever purchased anything that was "As Seen on TV?" I have, of course, I'm a sucker, and a lot of the time I go after it just because of it's ridiculousness. I own a Snuggie. I got a hose attachment wand thingy to wash my car. My husband teases me about it. Never once have I been "wow-ed" or even slightly happy with my purchase.
The other day, probably two months ago, my dad came over and asked me if I had seen the commercial for Eggies. Now as a family with Netflix, we rarely see commercials. So I look it up on the internet, and this is what I'm greeted with:
Did you die laughing while watching this? My favorite part is the look on the face of the woman peeling the eggs. "This is the worst task I have ever performed in my life!" Honey, somehow I doubt that. I think the part that sold me was the idea of flat hard boiled eggs. How fun! My girls love eating hard boiled eggs, and this could make it fun for them. Think about the possibilities! I can sprinkle cheese into my hard boiled egg. Crazy. $10? I'm in.
Now, not only do you get 6 Eggies for $10 (plus $7.99 shipping and handling) this company is going to GIVE you another 6 Eggies FOR FREE!!! (Actually, they are going to force you to accept another 6 Eggies and pay another $7.99 for them to come shipped to you in the same box. There is no way on the website to refuse the second set of Eggies.) So you're paying approx. $26 for a dozen Eggies. When you place your order on the website, you enter your credit card information, address etc., and expect to be taken to a confirmation page so you can soak in the guilt of spending almost $30 on crap. Not today! You are taken to no less than six "Are you sure???" pages, offering you another set of Eggies for an additional charge, if you decline, you're taken to another page. If you're really wanting a second set-- HOLD OUT! One of the pages actually offers a (third? fourth?) set of Eggies for half price! (Plus the S&H charge) No thank you, click. THEN-- a surprise! If you act now, you can upgrade your Eggies to DELUXE sets! This includes your 2 sets of 6 Eggies, 2 egg slicers, 2 yolk separators, 2 larger sized Eggies, and 2 huge sized Eggies. (For two eggs? Scrambled eggs? I forget.) Well they got me there. I could use an egg slicer. So I click "yes." No confirmation page there! They still bring you to another page to be sure you don't want to add anything else. Finally, you're confirmed and informed that you will have your Eggies in 6-12 weeks. Go take a nap, that was exhausting.
Tick tock, maybe 6 weeks or so later I receive my box of Eggies. I separate the second kit for my sister, because I really don't want all these pieces all to myself. Upon opening the plastic bag each Eggie is in, I see that each is made up of four pieces. A base, a top, a ring to seal the two together, and a lid. These pieces awkwardly fit together; the top and bottom snapping together, and the lid and ring screwing into place. Okay, ready to make eggs? No, not yet. You must wash your 24 pieces of Eggies. Wash wash wash. Now let's make eggs! Nope! These "non-stick" suckers must be coated with oil or shortening. No prob, let's just squirt each one with Pam, right? Wrong. You must spray a paper towel or napkin and then wipe the inside of the Eggie. A little messy, but I deal with it. Water's boiling, I'm ready to go. Assemble your Eggies, top on bottom, ring over top, screw on. Now you crack the egg and hope to God that it fits/lands inside the small hole on top. A few of mine went right in, but at least 3 out of my 6 had larger yolks that didn't want to fit through, so they plugged the hole and left me with egg whites all over my counter. Poke poke poke, now screw the lids on. Whew! At this point I'm a tad grumpy and do not take a picture of my messy counter.
Plunk, the screw-on lid has a little hole on top, allowing me to easily put them into the pot of boiling water. Lucky me, since half of my Eggies are covered in egg whites, my water and Eggies have a fun coating of egg-white. It's weird stuff after it's cooked. So I watch them cook, check the cooking time chart that is included with the Eggies, when I realize that one of my Eggies has flipped upside down! Man overboard! I dash for a spoon to help return the capsized Eggie to it's upright and locked position when BOOM. The little guy pops open. I assume from some kind of weird pressure not being released, but now I've got an exploded Eggie to fish out of the pot. I take it out of the water and tried washing it out in the sink, but there are tiny crevices in the top part of the Eggie which I can't really get to with my fingers or washrag. I'm hoping the dishwasher will get it. Return to eggs, almost done!
Yay, take the Eggies out of the pan. Instructions say to let cool for a few minutes, but honestly I probably only waited a minute. Don't do that. Don't open them until they're cool to the touch! I opened them once I could tolerate the heat, and after I popped the top off I was greeted by hot water sitting on top of my hard boiled egg, now all over my hand. Ouch! Yeah, I was asking for that one, but I wasn't expecting water inside the Eggie! So my 5 eggs are popped out of their homes and cooling on a plate. Now I've got 24 pieces of awkward plastic to get EGG off of. I am NOT looking forward to this! I can't even imagine how to keep these things still in my dishwasher.
Summary: Not impressed. Save your money. Eggshells are disposable, easy to crack, and are biodegradable. Not to mention you're not buying anything extra! I've never really minded peeling hard boiled eggs; in fact, my kids LOVE to do it for me. Yeah, having a flat hard boiled egg is kinda funny. But somehow I think these Eggie people are laughing too, and not with me.
As I've mentioned, I miss being your friend. I really miss having that unconditional trust in someone. This weekend I went to my 10 year class reunion and although there were very few people there, I was able to see my two best friends from high school. They were very important people to me during a very difficult time in my life. I struggled with depression throughout high school and despite the typical girl-drama that is expected of that period, these two girls meant the world to me. They were bridesmaids in my soon-after-high school wedding. Silly of me, but I thought I'd be good friends with them for a long time. I could see the three of us starting a band and singing together. As you can see, that didn't happen. For some reason I went to this reunion hoping that these people would feel like I did-- sad that we had lost touch and thrilled at the opportunity to pick up where things left off. I guess they kind of did. There were a few hugs and smiles and compliments, (mostly from me) and I think I had one thing right. Nothing really has changed. I still don't have much in common with them, I still idolize them, and I am still standing on the sidelines wishing I could be a part of their colorful, fun lives.
As I left that reunion, hand in hand with my husband, next to my sister-in-law and her husband, I was so grateful for the life that God HAS given me. The person that He has made me, and the person He intends me to be. I am a wife, a mom, a sister, and a best friend. So many times over the past few months I have wanted to text you and laugh about something with you. I long for that trusting rapport we used to have. But sadly, I know I have got to let go of it all, I have to be thankful for what we used to have and for all the years that God wanted you in my life. I have to say that I am sorry for hurting you. My hurt and insecurity over who and what I have become gave me the claws to hit you where it hurt without a second thought. Jesus never said "kick em while they're down," he said, "Turn the other cheek," and "Love your enemies." If I can't turn the other cheek and love my best friend, even when she hurts me, how can I expect to be treasured as a true best friend?
After my 10 Year Reunion... And this is still my favorite place to be. :)
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