Tonight is New Years Eve and we are welcoming in 2010. I am heading to my friend's house for a fancy dress party dressed as Jane Austen. I have to stop at the supermarket on the way to pick up some meat to BBQ, although I could have gone earlier today, but why waste a great costume? Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to post a photo or two of my great Regency Period dress that I finished making yesterday. All up I would say it probably only took 30 hours or so. And I owe my mum a big thanks for helping pin the hem.
So what do I have planned for 2010?
- I'm going to learn Arabic.
- I'm going to try and keep on top of my house work, probably by implementing a reward system (I'll make a little chart, and get a tick for every piece of housework I do, and when I get 10 ticks I will get $10 to spend on crafty stuff or anything that I want).
- I'm going to start tap dancing again. It's a great skill and will be my fitness effort.
- I'm planning to make items to sell on Etsy, hopefully this will go well.
- I'm going to promote my event management business....hmmm....how, I don't yet know. But I have an advertisement going into the local Wedding Guide, so hopefully that generates some business.
- I will not be so generous towards people who just don't appreciate it. I limited my generosity last year, but I think I need to limit it even more.
I would like to strive towards having someone to kiss next New Years Eve, but I think that is a waste of time. This will be my tenth kissable New Years Eve (not counting any before I was 18) and I'm still waiting for a kiss. Although I did get an offer of sex from a guy I dated when I was 22. Hmmm....I don't think so. Although after spending time with my spinster aunt maybe I should think about it. Here are some boyfriend options that I have rejected:
- Gay Guy (apparently this guy really liked me, I thought he was gay, now I can't actually remember him);
- Dirty/Stupid Guy(the guy I dated who has offered me sex. I was his housemate for a while and I learnt that he doesn't wash his sheets and he thinks that history is boring);
- Fat/Philosophy major Guy (someone I don't find physically attractive, and he studied philosophy and so is one of those guys who just likes to argue about everything for the sake of it - very annoying!);
- A*hole Guy (the Fireman I lost my virginity to, who stopped returning my calls, but then texted about a month later saying that he really is a "good guy" and that we should go out);
- White South African Guy (tells racist jokes, although he is friends with a black Kenyan guy, strange).
So really, when I complain about not having any options for a relationship that isn't really true. There are plenty of options. None that I really like...and I think that all of these guys deserve to be with a woman who chooses to be with them, not one that settles for them.
There is nothing I hate more than people claiming ownership when they shouldn't.
Phrases such as "There's my girl" and "Look after your girl" just irritate me and make me want to scream out "I'm not your girl!!".
I'm sure, however, that when a big spunky guy (along the lines of Jason Statham) calls me his girl I will swoon with delight. 
I know I'm just in a foul mood because I'm the only person I know spending Christmas alone again! Well, that's not entirely true. I have a friend who is enjoying her first Christmas since her husband left her, and I'm not exactly alone since I spent the day with my parents, but you know what I mean. Yesterday when everyone was leaving work to spend time with their partners, I was going home to an empty (although it's actually over-full) apartment. My cat wasn't even home.I'm really getting quite fed up with this being alone thing. But am I willing to settle for one of the guys that I know like me, even though I don't find them the least bit attractive? Do they deserve to be "settled" for? Shouldn't someone choose to be with them? I just wish the right guy would choose to be with me.
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and my last day of work until 4 January 2010. Christmas is here and is causing controversy as usual.
With all of the bad things we hear about throughout the year, I have to admit that I cast a weary eye when I see a child sitting on a man's lap, even if that man is Santa. The problem is that we often hear about bad things being done by people we trust, and I think it makes us all a bit cynical and skeptical.
There are also issues with the words "Merry Christmas" and even Santa's involvement in Christmas. I saw a thing on the news last night where a Catholic school have set up a mini Bethlehem so that people can come along and see what life would have been like in Bible times. When asked why they were doing this, a small boy said "to remove Santa from Christmas". The problem is that while Christmas has become commercialised, with Santa being the main purveyor of toys, the traditional Kris Kringle/St Nicholas character is just as big a part of some peoples traditions as the Birth of Jesus is in others.
Then there is a town council who have removed their "Seasons Greetings" signs and replaced them with "Merry Christmas" signs because they wanted to bring "Christmas" back to the holiday season. But what about the many people who are not Christian? I for one do not consider myself to be Christian, and I wish people "Happy Holidays" rather than force a particular religion on them. However when talking with friends we always refer to Christmas, and I still expect to receive gifts! It is a very interesting and complex situation.
So Happy Holidays!! Enjoy the festive season and stay safe.
I have many many plans for things to make at the moment, but here is a list of things I plan to make after Christmas.
- Blue/Black/Grey check work dress
- Black Bridesmaid dress
- 3 different Studio Cherie purses (1 large vintage, 1 small coin, 1 clutch)
- Patchwork quilt for a friend's wedding
- Patchwork lap quilt for the Canberra Show
- Patchwork quilt for a friends birthday/anniversary
- Purple gloves to go with my purple dresses
- Purple/Grey check winter coat & hat, possibly with matching hand bag (or is that too much)
- Infinity dress (x2 - 1 as a trial for me, 1 for my friend when she goes to Europe)
- Possible wrap dress for my friend who is going to Europe (maybe I'll have to send it to her)
- Christmas stuff with the Christmas fabrics I will get during the sales (hopefully!), including:
- Christmas Tree skirt (for mum's Christmas tree)
- Christmas gift bags
- Christmas stockings
- Christmas table runners, place mats etc.
- Many more dresses that I want to make - now that I have my duct tape dummy the world is my oyster!
I think that should keep me busy until July, actually probably even a bit longer than that!
Today I have been "featured" in someones Treasury on Etsy. A Treasury is a collection of items that one person will put together. EndlessSummer has put together a Nutcracker Ballet Treasury (http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=79300) and has featured one of my Nutcracker PDF Cross Stitch patterns on it.
Unfortunately the pattern she has featured, while it is lovely, takes 12 emails to send! Well I have broken it down into 12 separate PDFs because it is almost 80 pages worth of pattern! But it would be a really great large Cross Stitch.
Last night I had a very vivid dream about a baby. The dream started out quite strange (as usual) and I had to kind of hunt for the baby, or hunt for certain items to exchange for the baby (who had obviously been kidnapped). My parents were in it at one stage helping me look through a car park for something.
Anyways, when I finally completed the challenges (or whatever it is I had to do) I got my baby back. And it was Troy's baby (Troy is a married guy who once lied to me about being single...I believe him for a while before I started adding a few things together). I could tell it was Troy's baby because of the beautiful green eyes it had. And it was a boy.
The baby didn't have a name, but once I got it back I had to get nappies and food and outfits and all of that kind of stuff. It was very strange, and has left me with a melancholy feeling...
I'll never have Troy's baby and I think I would have liked to.
In my office at the moment it is only 16 degrees, while outside it is actually 28 degrees. I'm all for a nicely air conditioned building, especially when it's warm outside, but I do feel that 16 degrees is a bit too much!
There are arguments raging in my workplace about whether it is too cold, too hot, just right. Should we complain about it and make something happen or should we just shut up and take it. Personally, I refuse to sacrifice myself on the alter of faulty air conditioning. I have been sick for weeks and I can't get over it because it is bloody freezing inside and bloody hot outside. A nice 22 to 24 degrees would be appreciated.
I don't mind too much if it is cold in winter because then you can rug up in cute winter clothes. At the moment I am wearing a winter beanie, a dress with stockings and a cardigan, as well as a winter wrap! I also have my heater on under my desk. I feel like a bit of a freak, and I feel feverish quite often.
I'm not allowed to whinge about it to my workmates any more, so I have decided to whinge on my blog. This is what it is for I suppose. And if you get sick of my whinging you can just take a break and not read it!!
The other day I was in a complete funk for no reason in particular. Actually that is a lie. There was a reason. My doona was at the bottom of my doona cover leaving about 20cm at the top of just empty doona cover - it upset me greatly!Anyway, I was there in my funk and my friend said to me "you can't be miserable when there are still good things in the world", to which I replied "really, like what!?" (I may have been a little aggressive). Then she gave me the answer of the ages "like Pink Lunchboxes!"
It's so true - life can't be too bad when there are still Pink Lunchboxes.
Then a couple of days later we left work to go and get some lunch from "the van" when I saw my next happy-go-lucky thing. At the top of the driveway going in to work there was a pile of paperclips, and not a small pile either! It was huge! Like someone had just dumped a box of paperclips there. I exclaimed "Oh look, paperclips!" and I thought it was the most amazing thing in the world. Simple things!
This week I have been quite productive craft wise: I've made a table runner, outdoor seat cushion, coasters, place mats, hand bag and a hand towel. Very productive all up!
I was going to wait to post this or show anyone what I have been working on, because all of these are potential Christmas presents (although I may not have allocated the present to the recipient yet)...can you see your present here? I'm hoping that if someone doesn't like their present they can maybe sell it on Etsy or let me know and I can give it to someone else who will like it.
I've had so much fun making all of this stuff and I would love to be able to spend all of my time just making things. I have a number of other projects to do before Christmas: a pin cushion (probably just for Etsy, but maybe for a friend), a quilted note book, a sleeping mask, an apron, maybe an oven mitt or two. Hmmm...there's only 3 weeks to Christmas, I wonder if I will get it all done in time.
I'm also waiting on my fancy ribbons to arrive from overseas so that I can wrap my presents. I have my brown paper all ready to go, and I'm going to print out some "TheDuchessE" stickers, but as usual I'm not using cards or anything. My goal for next year will be to cross stitch some small Christmas scenes and make cards out of them. But I'll have all of 2010 to work on that!
I currently have the biggest craving for Lamb Korma! I am most definitely not a fan of spicy food (I have a sensitive palate) but whenever I go to an Indian restaurant with friends I always order Lamb Korma, and lately I am craving it like nothing else!
I am hoping to find a "Chicken Tonight" style recipe base so that I can just add the lamb, and some rice, and I'll be good to go. I may swing past the supermarket on my way home tonight and see what I can find.
If you have a fabulous Lamb Korma recipe then please post it in my comments and I will love you forever!
