PPSS...

I forgot to mention...everything in my etsy store that is green is 25% off until the end of the St. Patricks day.

Hurray for Saint Patrick!!

Check out my store's announcements for all the juicy details.

Adventures in DC

These last few days have been splendid and warm in DC. On Sunday the boy and I ventured out to explore some the monuments we had yet to see. Before we went to that area of town, we had to be obedient in following our Sunday ritual....Ben's Chili Bowl!

Delicious, delicious, delicious. Also historical and pivotal in black history in DC. This place has seen it all and is rich in culture. As well as delicious. They have fabulous vegan chili and the boy stuffs himself on a half smoke covered in Chili plus an order of chili cheese fries. Needless to say, his butt makes funny and stinky noises the rest of the day.

We finally remembered to bring the camera and took some pictures while we waited in the thirty person long line...

We rolled along to the Washington monument where it was extremely windy. Fun fact: no buildings in DC can be built above the height of the monument to intact the awe-inspiring nature of it.

(The boy claims that I could have just been standing against a wall and could be lying to you. FYI...I'm not. That is a real, full-bloodied Washington Monument behind me.)

We wandered through the WWII Memorial and Vietnam War Memorial (which my mom would like to point out was not a war but rather a conflict), and finally made our way to the treasure.

Mr. Abraham Lincoln.

Fun Fact: Mr. Lincoln apparently had a fetish for midgets. Seriously, I learned it in school. It was apparently quite the scandal in 1864.

I am really happy we got to see this memorial because it had been our 'must-see' list for a while. The area around the memorial was gorgeous and I bet it is just lovely when all the cherry blossoms bloom.

That was our Lazy Sunday, hopefully we have many more!

PS...this is proof I was near the Washington Monument. Notice giant statue in background.

PPS...I added some delicious items to my etsy store. Check it out.

Etsy Treasury

Hello Hello...

Two posts in one day. Aren't you lucky?!?

Somehow tonight by the luck of Zeus, I got a coveted treasury spot on Etsy. Hip Hip Hurray!

Take a peek...

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=43877

Bandwagon

I like to consider myself a somewhat hip person.

I got a facebook profile when it was just starting up, I have a blog (obviously) and I listen to a morally degrading radio show in the morning with a full range of crazy sound effects and pop songs (much to the demise of my NPR loving boy). But there is one trend that is escaping me. Twitter. I know that everyone is talking about it right now and hence.... the jumping on the bandwagon.

I admit...I have a twitter account, but after signing up I promptly forgot my username and password and haven't been back since. Maybe it's because my life has taken a sharp turn to becoming fairly boring after moving to DC, but I honestly don't really have anything that is really so fascinating that I feel like telling people about all the time. I have a hard enough time writing something interesting for this blog.

This would be my life on Twitter....

Nomsa @7:45am - Boy took over the bathroom. Threw away some used coffee grounds while waiting.
Nomsa @8:25am - Took a later bus than normal. Pretty packed. I like looking at handknit items on bus. Currently stalking a boy with a fabulous hat.
Nomsa @10:05am - Eating a homemade blueberry vegan bagel. Delicious.
Nomsa @1:15pm - Went downstairs and treated myself to BBQ potato chips. On the way out, danced with the security guard.
Nomsa @4:30pm - Went to the bank for work. On the way chatted with my mom. She is going to start a bakery. I want her to call it Cake Whore.
Nomsa @7:00pm - Really digging musical artist SIA. Listen to Buttons or Breathe Me.
Nomsa @7:15pm - Man on metro just talked to me for ten minutes about chickens and the different breeds of them he has on his farm. Random.
Nomsa @7:30pm - Having an existential crisis on the subway after reading a particularly captivating portion of Siddhartha.
Nomsa @8:45pm - Made an extremely crappy Quinoa curry. Not sure what happened. I think I hate cumin. Wasted lots of ingredients.
Nomsa @10:45pm - Boy reading Watchmen. Tinkering around with items for my Etsy store. Just uploaded some new products. Buy them!

If this is something that is captivating enough to produce an audience, I would consider figuring out my twitter password, but I have the feeling that it is not. I don't feel comfortable talking about my work (thankful to even have a job), I don't have a super-hero alias, nor do I participate in any death-defying activities. I am just a hard worker at a full-time job that spends every spare minute planning her wedding, crafting and giggling with the boy. A simple life, but I love it.

Till fascinating things begin to happen to me...I resonate with the wise words of Jon Stewart.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=219519&title=twitter-frenzy


PS...My Save-the-Dates came in the mail yesterday! Hurray!! I don't like the color of the cardstock I got to go with them, so after I get new cardstock and figure out how to make envelopes, those will be out the door. In other words, probably not for another two weeks.

PPS...I think that it is so funny that the acronym for Save-the-Dates is STD. tee hee.

Etsy shop update

Hello All,

I added some new items to my shop today and I wanted to share them.

* First up, a felt bead headband. There is a freshwater pearl in the middle and it is attached to a black elastic headband.
* Next, I used some more felt beads to create bobby pins. Jazzing up my work outfits!


* I made some earrings with more felt balls.

* I also crocheted some small flowers that one can use them as make-up remover pads, exfoliating pads or mini washclothes. Lovely, reusable, eco-friendly.

I made quite a few other things, but I didn't have enough time to take proper pictures.

I hope you enjoy!

A word about public transportation...

I don't know if I will ever be able to accurately describe my love of public transportation. There is just something about getting from point A to point B with other random people that I love. The noise, the people watching, the excitement....it stimulates all my senses. With that said, public transportation in DC is far different than any other public transportation system. This city is really blessed to have such a wonderful system that enables one to get almost any where in this city and surrounding areas.

I enjoy people watching and everyday my commute is the best eye candy one could ask for. Last week I had the pleasure of watching a little Asian man intently read his well-worn romance novel with Fabio barring his chest on the cover. Despite the commotion around him, this man did not break his focus from the gripping erotica. On the bus this morning, the older women sitting next to me decided that my down jacket + shoulder was a desirable resting spot for her weary head. Honestly, I didn't mind but it made for an awkward exchange when I had to wake her so I could get off at my stop.

When I used to take the bus in Colorado from Boulder to Denver for my internship twice a week, I had a 45-60 minute ride. Depending on the time of the day, the bus wasn't packed but there usually weren't too many extra seats. I am not sure what it is about me, but I have a very nonthreatening physical appearance. I was always the first one to have someone sit next to them on the bus which lead to many interesting encounters, which included trying to convince an old man that I was in fact NOT his granddaughter, despite his certainty. During this same internship I shaved my head for a fundraiser for cancer and instantaneously I became a threat in people's mind. I was always one of the last one's to have the seat next to me fill up and strangers stopped talking to me as much. Honestly....I don't blame them. I might have done the same thing.

But I digress....I love public transportation. I get a serious sense of accomplishment each time I navigate myself around this city and it is a host of inspiration to wonderful crafting/knitting projects.

Dollar Store Disappointments

Honestly....I am one of the first ones to sing the praises of the dollar store. There will forever be a special place in my heart for the Dollar Tree (or whatever variation you have near you) and their bounty of glorious goodies. I think that the wonderful thing about dollar stores is that it is really hard to be disappointed. If something doesn't quite work out like you wanted or breaks easily, it's easy to be like...eh....it was only a dollar. Plus....they can be a crafters paradise. So many different supplies and trinkets.....I can get inspired while in there.

The most that I have ever spent at a dollar store was around 60-70 dollars, which is almost embarrassing/shameful. That is a hell of a lot of stuff. I spent that much when the boy and I went to the dollar store in Richmond, VA when we first moved there and didn't have ANYTHING. We had packed up a rental car and moved across the country in three days. We bought groceries, cooking gear and basic necessities like soap/toothbrushes there. It was pretty pitiful but that is all we could spend for a few weeks until our first paychecks from our new jobs.

Thankfully, we aren't that impoverished anymore, but still the dollar store continues to be a beacon of light for our modest paychecks. But sadly....I have been disappointed by the dollar store. I decided to be frugal and purchase quite a bit of our needed cleaning supplies from the dollar store a while ago, and each week when I clean I try to convince myself that everything is clean, looks good and is hopefully sanitary (fingers crossed).

Tonight though, I think I need to step out of the denial. The blue colored water that the dollar tree markets as 'toilet bowl cleaner' has actually stained my toilet bowl blue from whatever dye they put in it, and I highly doubt it sanitizes. The imitation Clorox wipes don't have any sort of absorbancy or gripping power, so I just wipe dirt and germs all around, but actually can't pick any of it up. And don't even get me started on my Windex imitation and paper towls. My mirrors were fuzzier than a teenage boys' upper lip.

There comes a point in everyone's life when their hero falls, and tonight.....I heard the crash. Sob.

P.S. Something cheap that actually does work....I use Dryel to dry clean my own clothes since dry cleaning is so darn expensive. The Target near me doesn't ever seem to carry the refill kits, but if you wet a dryer sheet and throw it in the Dryel bag, it works like a charm. Steams and freshens. Yippee!