Crafty Carnival

I'm an awesome dancer part II

Don't send a lame eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

The Sacramento River Whales are headed home!!

This momma and baby whale have been stuck in our local river for over a week.  They have cuts and their backs, and the scientists really wanted them to move out of the fresh water because the salt water is better for their healing process. 

I never took my kids down to the levies to see the whales because the people in charge were asking people NOT to come down to the levies.  It is extremely hot down there, there's no place to park, there are no bathrooms, and people were making a lot of trash where there are no trash cans.  So, like good citizens, we stayed home and watched the news. 

I really thought that these whales were in big trouble, and I was very worried that they wouldn't make it.  They spent some time slapping their tales on the water which some of the scientists believe is a sign of distress.  BUT, as of today, they are back in salt water!  They still have a long way to go, but at least they are in the bay now!

This happened 20 years ago when I was in third grade with Humphrey the Humback Whale, (these two were named Delta and Dawn) and it ended happily for him too.  He was in the river for 27 days, but he was not injured.  So, it looks like all's well that ends well!  YAY whales!

Here's a link to our local news channel's report.

UPDATE:  It is presumed that the whale mom and calf have joined a pod that was feeding outside the San Francisco Bay.  They were lost in the night, and haven't been seen since, but were headed in the direction of the other pod.  They were never tagged with satelite tracking, but I'm sure some whale watchers will see them again sometime.  They do have those big cuts on them, so they are identifiable that way.  So yay to the momma whale for figuring it all out!!!!!  (for a short time, they wouldn't cross into the shadows cast by the bridges they had to swim under... but that's not a problem at nighttime!  :)  I'm so happy because since I was raised on the central coast, I've always had a special place in my heart for marine mammals!

Tagged

I almost forgot that I was tagged!  In all the stress excitement of the birthday party... so here's the deal on that :)  I was tagged with this:

"Thinking Blogger Award" which is "5 favorite,fun and inspiring blogs to visit"

I really like this tag because I think it's a great way to promote other women's causes, businesses, etc.  It's a fun tag, and I love that it's all about sharing!!  I was actually kinda of tagged twice.  The first time by doe... of That Silly Little Doe.  Her blog is really really fun and it's NEW so give it a looksy and leave her a comment showing her some blog love!  The second was by my best friend, Nicole, of Raggedy Old Annies... and her blog is my favorite, of course, but it's already plastered all over my blog, so I'm going to list 5 OTHERS... and they are going to be people I don't know personally since you see the people I know on here all the time all ready :)  So here goes:

1.) One More Moore... check out her Feb 9th post... there is a to die for apron tutorial

2.) Betz White... really cute wool stuff and GREAT pics.  I found here because we both had bunny tutorials listed on wists.com.  Hers were cashmere and oooh la la... very yummy.  They were posted around March 9th I believe.

3.) A Family's Journey to Health...this is a really hard blog to read.  It's written by a mother whose daughter is fighting a really rare disease.  I don't know these people, but I did meet Iva at a show, and she's really super sweet, and her daughter was there as well.  This was back when she was still healthy.  I'm telling you this girl is so beautiful, and I'm not just saying that.  When I met her, I teased Iva because I just thought... oh boy, with a teenage daughter this pretty she's in for it!  And after reading just  a few posts, you'll see that she's not only beautiful on the outside but strong and willful and beautiful on the inside too.  So read this blog and send up some prayers, they will appreciate that.

4.)  Reprodepot Blog... ummm... how could you not love this... and if you ever need to buy me a present... stop here to get it!  LOL!  And feel free to be generous!  LOLOLOLOL!  Seriously tho... their prices are good, they ship fast, and they always send goodie bag type surprises that just make you love them even more.

5.)  Apron Thrift Girl... I have a thing for vintage aprons... so I like this blog... and these atc cards made me save her in my favs... just love them!  They are featured on a post from Dec 7.

So there ya go... there's 5 really good blogs!  Now of those 5... I don't think some of them will keep the tag going ... just because the content isn't appropriate for the type of blogs they are... but never the less... they are good blogs and you should add them as favs :).

BFF is having a give-away

My best friend for life, Nicole, is giving away these dolls on her blog.  It's her son's birthday and she wanted to do something fun, so she will be having a drawing. To enter you just have to stop by and leave her a comment.  How could you not!? They are just so cute!!!

Best Photographer I know :)

I had made this graphic awhile back:

for Nicole's photography blog.  She's so awesome at taking pics, and she especially loves taking pics of her son and his baseball team.  She did it all last year and did an awesome job!  This year, she's kickin it up a notch and blogin about it, so I made her this graphic too!

I got the image of that little boy from a boys bathroom door at a local ice cream parlor!  Cool huH!   And just for kicks... here's the girls room one too... that's right... there's no shame in my game.  If there's a pic that needs to be took for a bf of mine... then I will withstand the embarrasement of publicly photographing bathroom doors!  LOL!

Sharing....

I just wanted to share this picture sent to me by Pamela!  She said that she has really enjoyed reading all of the blogs in blogland, and she painted this adorable cermaic tile based on my bears.  She had some help from her daughter thinking up the adorable cute little saying!

Thanks for sharing!  I'm so flattered!

This is NOT my kid

I just have to make that clear... this is NOT my kid... so don't judge me!  LOL!  Judge someone else...

I think this is sooo funny!  Some of you will not, and that's fine because if a monster is coming to kick your ass, that really isn't funny... but I was rollin when I watched this!  Plus my kids are this age, which makes it even funnier... their logic is sooo serious!!

http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j18/missyballance/?action=view&current=kassie3.flv

Fundraising for Sewing Stars

It's me editing my post.... I just want to make sure you all knew this wasn't my bear I made... It was made by Teresa, and she's selling it on ebay... not me.... I just wanted to give it a little advertisment to help up those bids.... I hope nobody thinks I was taking credit for making this adorable little guy... cause I sure didn't make him... and he is definately adorable!!!!!  now back to the original post... lol!

There's a really great bear maker out there (sewing stars) that has a really cute little panda on ebay right now!  Go check out her blog to read about him, and for gosh sakes... go bid!  LOL! 

p.s.  I have alterior motives, the trip she's talking about is to a bear show near me!  LOL!

 

I've been TAGGED! :)

So Omg! I can hardly believe it! I've been tagged! I got tagged by the VERY talented and oh so artsy Green Bean Baby!  Some of you might think it's silly that I'm so excited, but I am. It means someone is reading my blog, and I'm especially flatterd that someone so talented would "tag" me :)  LOL!   So here is what being tagged is all about!

The Rules:Each player of this game starts with "6 weird things about you". Each person who gets tagged needs to write a blog post of their own 6 weird things as well as clearly state this rule. After you state your 6 weird things, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you're tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog for information as to what it means.

So here goes... here's my 6 wierd things:

1.  I'm a huge Country Music fan... If you're riding in the car with me, we will be listening to country, and I can pretty much name every song and artist on the radio... I love them all, but my favorites are Sarah Evans, Kenny Chesney, and George Straight!

2.  My real name is ugly and it's a boy's name and Missy is NOT short for Melissa... it's my much happier alternative to my real name :)  Plus my mom has been calling me Missy since the day she brought me home, so I'm used to it... lol!  I even sign my checks and cc's with Missy.

3. I cuss a lot... and I always have... I know it's terrible... but if you know me, I promise it's not that shocking.

4.  When I was skinnier... in my early 20's and late teens... strangers would tell me I look like Sheryl Crow on a daily basis.  I don't have that problem anymore... LOL! 

5.  I regularly cry while watching my soaps (As the World Turns... which I've been watching since kindergarten.. thanks mom :) and Grey's Anatomy.  But Friday Night Lights is my favorite show on TV, it just doesn't make me cry that much... well a little when Matt got in a fight with his dad... uhh... that poor boy!

6.  I got married in Reno, at Chapple of the Bells.... and I have never regretted it even once!  No big wedding drama for me, thanks!!  :)

So that's it... now I have to go a taggin.... hmmmm.... I hope it's okay to tag strangers cause I don't know but 2 bloggers!  LOL!

Missy

Everyone should have a BEST FRIEND like mine!

I got the biggest bestest box in the mail ever yesterday!  My best friend, Nicole, sent me the cutest Santa Raggedy Ann doll, and some adorable little ornaments made from vintage images.  (You can see how some of these and how she made them in her blog!)   I also got a really cute winter garland, but I couldn't get a good picture of that... but I'll still post the bad one!  Click the pics for a bigger view. LOL!  THANK YOU, BFF!  I just can't say it enough... she's the best!