Long time no post!/312in366 Challenge

Oi, I haven't been on here in a while! Please accept my apologies for that. =)

During my absence, I have worked, gone through a corn maze, been to a play (friend's high school production of "Anything Goes." The. Best. Play. I have ever been to!), taken several more square dancing lessons, done some sketching of random objects, and skillfully avoided even thinking about the Christmas Card.
I've also acquired two new dresses (for a grand total of about $7, and 2 of those $ were for fabric to lengthen one), a new favourite sweater, and half a masquerade mask. (Half? um, yeah, I need to go finish it..)

What else am I up to these days?

Oh, let's see. Altering said dresses, for one thing, creating the masquerade mask for another. (I found a really cool tutorial on Youtube somewhere, where you take 5-10 pieces of tin foil, crumple, uncrumple, and stack them, then you mold it to your face, draw where you want the mask shape to be, and cut it out. Then tape the edges together with masking or painters' tape, Papier-mâché over it--I used Modpodge--and then glue on what you want. I just modpodged on some old newsprint we had, to give it structure. I've put a layer of plain white fabric on the back already, so it's a bit softer. Next I'll be putting white fabric on the front, and some gold mesh over that. It's taking me a while, but it's not hard at all. Just sticky!)
This weekend, my parents, sister, and I are going to the ICHE Young Adult Conference--a day-long...seminar, I guess you'd call it? I don't know much about this year's program, but last year was really good, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow! (Except for the 'get up by 5 and leave by 7' part of it ... )

Another thing I'm working on is the 312in366 Art Challenge!
The goal of this Challenge is to draw/paint for 10 minutes a day, 6 days a week, from January to December 2012. It's called "312in366" because you'll make 312 drawings in the 366 days of this coming leap year, and spend a total of two days and four hours drawing.
I figured 10 minutes was a safe thing to ask for, because it doesn't sound like as much as 15 does, but it's still enough time to get something done! You should go check out the blog, or the Facebook Page, or the Twitter account. My synopsis here is oodles shorter and simplified from the official description, but please go check it out, and join the Challenge!

So yes, that's what I've been up to lately. Just busy enough to not have much spare time at all! What are you doing?

~Busy Kiwifruit~

Life Updates.

So far, I haven't been able to take my second Unicycle Riding Class. Which is too bad. Because it's not really something you can learn without practicing, is it? No.
And I haven't quite gotten my green bike fixed. I talked to the dude at the bike repair place about a tire, but he won't have any new tires in until Friday. And they're $15 apiece. Ooog. There go more dineros. But maybe it'll be worth it--maybe this one will last more than a year and a half! It's cheaper than buying a new bike, anyway.

We have a scheme in the works, which involves biking and picnicking (<--oddly-spelled word) and swimming and camping. Possibly. Biking and eating, of course! Swimming--perhaps. Camping--er, we'll see. It would involve schedules cooperating (<--another oddly-spelled word), and permissions, and plans. But that would take care of several of my 12X2012's, such as the "Take a bike trip down the Hill of No Return on my green bike" one and the "Go swimming once or twice" one also.

I'm starting to half-toy with the idea of checking out another blog site, like Wordpress or something, but I dunno. Do I really neeed to start another blog, when this one isn't posted in enough, anyway? But as it is, I get bored on here in the evenings but don't want to go to bed. So I sit here, online, with abso-youtly nothing to do. Facebook isn't cooperating today, Twitter's boring, Facebook's normally a bit boring, too. The messageboards I'm part of aren't all that busy tonight. Game sites are full of stupid teenage boys who think that by saying 'hi' in the chatbox I'll fall desperately in love with them and agree to be their 'girlfriend.' (although I still haven't figured out how THAT works, since it'd be a 10,000% online 'relationship...' Talk about stupid.) Plus I'm bored with those games.

I should go. Either go to bed, or go read, or something. I should have been working with my Mum tonight, because I got a new dress (free!! I love it. Long story... =), but it's size 12 and I'm not. Thankfully she knows how to alter and take clothes in somewhat. And I'd like to have it done in time for my friend's wedding on Saturday (hahaha, like that'll happen. O well.).

Toodle-pip, I'll see y'all later! =)
~Kiwi~

hola, folks!

Hello. I just noticed that it had been a few days since I last posted, so I decided to post again. :D

Today, Sis and I are going to the mall with Short Stuff, J. Shrimp, and KK. Mom and Dad are in IA, sorting stuff out about our other house. The people living there now are moving out on Sunday, so we have to go down Sunday afternoon/Monday morning to clean the house before it's put back on the market. *sigh* I don't like cleaning house after us, much less people I don't even know! I hope they leave it neat.

Saturday's wedding was pretty. The bride & bridesmaids had pretty dresses....You know how some bridesmaid's dresses couldn't be worn anywhere else, no matter how much people say "oh, you could wear that many other places"? These you could wear to church. They were nice, but not terribly fancy.

They didn't decorate the church much, just some flowers around the candles and on the reserved front rows. Julie's colors were blue and yellow. My friend Short Stuff made the cake. I hope she puts up a picture of it! We didn't get to go to the reception, so I didn't get to see it. :(

Our neighbors invited us over to a cookout in their front yard. It's the thought that counts. It was very nice of them to invite us, but it was so.....boring....! Everyone there was 40 or so, and they all knew each other, but we didn't. Most of the half hour spent there was listening to other's conversations. I wish I could have gone to the reception instead. There was food and cake and dancing, and even a double rainbow! *doublesigh*

On Sunday we had Kris and her sister over for lunch and volleyball. It was impromptu, which made it all the more fun!

Volleyball was okay, but I'm never going 3 weeks without playing volleyball again! I wasn't at my best. And then we had extra players, so we rotated into the serving spot. That doesn't work for me. I can't just leave the game, then come back 5-10 minutes later and serve well.

By the way, does anyone know a polite way to say "Andy (or fill in any name) that was my ball! Go play in your own 'zone' and let me play in mine!"? Because saying it that way sounds mean, but sometimes it needs to be said!

Yesterday I hung around for a while, then Sis and I went to the church ballgame. 'We' won two out of three games! I wish I was good at baseball, but I hate batting. I'm not good enough to hit consistently, and I feel silly standing there, striking out! My catching isn't too bad, and I love running. Need to work on my aim some. I think I'll just stick to volleyball.

'Twas mildly annoying. I sat between a girl named Kelsey and a boy, Evan, during one of the games. There was one conversation 'loop' going on from Kelsey on down the bleachers away from me, and another 'loop' starting with Evan and headed away. So I was kind of stuck between two 'loops.' It wasn't all bad, I guess, but sometimes when I came in at the end of an interesting-sounding conversation, or I couldn't really break into a conversation....

Okay, I'll leave you with a few pictures:

That's the oil painting I did a month or two ago.

Here are the outside and inside of my latest card, the one I was talking about in my last post.

Front:

Inside:
(I know it's sloping downhill here, but in the actual card it is straightened and done in 'stairstep' style.)

Last, but not least, is the painting I did for the Downhere tee-shirt contest. I ended up not actually getting to put it on a tee shirt because of lack of time. Instead, I just did the postcard entry, with that on the postcard. Across the sun is supposed to be "Hope is Rising," but I didn't put it straight onto the painting. I just added it digitally.

Oh, I almost forgot.
I'm thinking of doing the "Feeling Feminine Challenge" next week, just for the fun of it. I don't think that skirts are always more modest than pants (it all depends on the skirt or pair of pants itself and where you're wearing it to), but I have noticed how I act differently (different?) when wearing a skirt. I will wear pants for volleyball, though, because in my opinion they're more practical. Would anyone care to join me? We can blog about it together, and post pictures!

Maybe some of the girls who live nearby? *coughShortStuffJShrimpKKLadyFlorimelcough* :D

So, that's what I'm up to. :) What about you-all? What are you doing? Does anyone have an answer to my volleyball-related question?

See ya!

~Kiwi~

Random Friday

Hello, welcome to Random Friday. This marks one week of sticking to my schedule! Yeehaw! *parties*


Today we played hooky and, while Mom and Da Boys were out shopping for stuff, Rapunzel, Short Stuff and I went to the mall. I almost bought a dress ($60 down to $7.50). I had it set aside for me to pick up on our way out, and then Rapunzel got a call from her co-worker asking her to cover the co-worker's shift.....in twenty minutes! So we had to rush out and home so Rapunzel could work and Drat it ALL, I had to leave the dress!!! RRRGH! Why didn't I just pay for it and run it out to the car??? *stupidstupidstupid* Hmph.

We tried on prom dresses at Penny's. I tried THIS one, which, with straps, I would wear. Over it I had a lacy-silvery shawl, which helped with the strapless-ness. How can anyone bear wearing a strapless dress for any length of time? I was getting annoyed with it after just a few minutes. It definitely needed straps.
Just about every little thing in the mall caught our attention. Even the ugly, huge belt-buckle kiosk that was being set up. We're planning on doing that about once a month or so, on rainy or just plain boring days when there's nothing else to do. We hadn't made it to the Boston Store or Kohls yet, so that'll keep us busy.
I have never just gone to the mall for fun before! We rarely go there, but now that there's one just a few minutes away with most of the major department stores.

For the benefit of Short Stuff, Jumbo Shrimp, and Kirsten, here is a link to a realy cool site I found: http://www.recollections.biz/ Check it out! There're plenty of really nice dresses in there...but few under $150!

Owan guessed correctly in the Song of The Day game, getting both the title and the artist, and Friends of Narnia guessed the title. The song was "Nothing Left to Lose" by Jimmy Needham, and was found here in the second paragraph:
"Sorry folks, I got nothing. And since I've got nothing left to lose, I'm asking you to tell me what one topic I should explain to you or discuss or whatever! I'll make up for this dismal little post on the weekend."
Owan gets the full five points and Narnia will receive 2 1/2. Congratulations, folks!

Let's see, what else?

Oh, I got to chat with Duncan Phillips a wee little bit! I got on to chat with Skittles on her blog, and she was talking with Duncan, and she let me say Hi. :D That was cool! Skittles said she'd try to give me a comment with my portion of the conversation, so then I'll be able to tell y'all what-all went on. I asked where 'Oinch' and 'Squiz' came from, but they must have taken a vow of secrecy because he gave the common answer of 'Oh, you know nicknames. They just pop up and get used and no one knows where they come from' (only not in those words). I wonder if that's true? There's gotta be some story behind them, some explanation for their use! I think that there's some super-secret, 'Boyz-only story that they're hiding. We'll probably never know for sure.
I found a new NB site with a quick history of them. http://www.geocities.com/finnov333/nb-history.html Even if (horror of horrors) you didn't like the NBs, this is a funny read! Wow, did Peter look different with hair, especially long hair! I'm sooo glad he cut it eventually. Look at him in the second picture (that's him on the right....I think.). *shiver* "Pete, never, ever, ever wear your hair long again!
And I didn't know that Sean Taylor was part of the band at one time, I just thought he came in to write songs for them. Huh. Learn something new every day!

I was looking through my calendar the other day. March is chalk-full of birthdays! Duncan's on the 3rd, 11, 12, and 21 are friends' birthdays, Jordan on the 13th and me on the 23. A cousin's on the 25th. Anybody else have a March birthday?

Well, that's about all for now, folks. I got nothing else to say, except "I like breaded shrimp."
G'day, mates!
~Kiwi da Fruit

P.S. My Short Stuff just called! She had a dress laid aside for her, too. She and her mom are out grocery shopping and just happened to stop by the mall for her dress, and so she's picking up mine, too! THANKEE, SHORT STUFF!!!
I'll have to post a picture of it and my quilt block on here.