I'm back...

It's been awhile since my last post. Busy busy!! Plus - the computer seems soooooo sloooooowwww when I'm trying to update this blog. Anyway, here's all the latest:

I've uploaded some pictures of the swaps I've sent out recently. The little dolls are made of wood craft balls, beige pipe cleaners and embellishments from my stash. Really easy, and really cute.

I hosted another altered compact swap. My partner had a kind of sparse profile, but stated she was a girly girl, so I'm hoping she likes butterflys. I'm not sure where this came from. It wasn't the direction I intended to go. Once I got started, it just took on a life of it's own. I really love how it turned out.

The cookbook was quite an event for me. When I signed up for the swap I had visions of documenting my DH's wonderful dishes with photos and recipes. My partner ended up being a vegan,(no dairy, poultry, fish, meat, etc.) Being from a rural area, I certainly had vegetable dishes to include - but it just wasn't what I had been envisioning. So, I went a totally different direction. The girl was early 20's and studying to be an event planner in Germany, so I altered a tri-fold, magnetic closure book, making it a kind of recipe book, dinner planner. On the left was a dry erase board and marker for the menu, in the center a notepad for grocery lists, on the right were plastic pockets for recipe cards and under them was an envelope for spare cards or whatever. Her sensibility seemed a bit goth or dark, so I made the whole thing with glossy black and mat grey and olive tones. I loved the little chef character I drew for the front. I was trying to be Tim Burton inspired. Not sure I succeded, but the cartoon is sweet.

Currently I'm signed up for a handful of swaps, including 2 zine swaps that I'm hosting. Should be interesting.

I'm also currently following a weight watcher diet. It's worked before. I can't believe that I've gained back so much weight. DH is on this time, too. I'm losing steadily about a pound a week. He's a little more erratic. At this rate I should reach size 2 in about a year!! Honestly, I don't want to be a size 2. When I was that skinny I always had a cold or flu or something. My immune system just couldn't keep up. I want to be a nice healthy 8. Able to wear shorts and visit my NYC friends without embarrasment.

The Zeta cancer fundraiser is well underway. We're doing the handbag silent auction again, but not a luncheon this time. On  June 22, 2008 we'll have the auction with a "tea". Sounds easier that a luncheon, but, of course, it's not. Anyway, my KKS Zeta sisters are truely awesome. I love them all. They are working very hard and things are coming together in a very timely manner. The food and drinks should be wonderful, we have all but 8 tables sold and about 60 purses have been donated, with more promised. The raffle is a diamond and ruby necklace and earrings set or a set of 4 tickets to an Indianapolis Indians 2008 game. Both were donated - so the raffle will be money free and clear to the cancer society. At 1$ each or 6 for 5$ we will hopefully do well. The cancer society is such a worthy recipient of our fundraiser. They do such good work, that for privacy reasons, is not spoken of most of the time.

I started a real estate blog at: realre.wordpress.com. My first 3 articles have dealt with the mortgage crisis. I heard a great hour long show on "This American Life" about the subject last weekend. I downloaded the podcast on Monday and have listened to it a couple more times. Just amazing - people deceiving themselves, committing fraud against other. And, my goodness, the money that changed hands!! Where is it now? Such a waste. But, when you consider how fast the bubble expanded in the 90's it is no wonder the fall has been so hard. I can remember saying during the presidential election between Bush and Gore that I felt sorry for whoever won because they would have to deal with recession and the rest of the aftermath of the falsly inflated financial and mortgage industries that were brought on during the Clinton administration.I think that we were lucky that the Fed worked so hard to bring us in for a soft landing.

Okay. I think you are all caught up now. I'll try not to stay away for so long the next time.

Later- Indygirl