Luck

I think I've mentioned this before but I tend to have really good luck on Friday the 13th.  Which is great because I don't always have the best luck.  But today was not a lucky day for me.  I had a doctor appointment and my doctor prescribed an antidepressant but it turned out that there was no way of knowing if it contained gluten or not, so I couldn't get it.  I did get a counseling appointment scheduled, but not until February, which seems so far away from now.

But that's not what I want to write about.  I want to write about luck.  I've had some good luck and some bad luck in my life.  The worst luck I've ever had was when my grandma and step-grandpa died three days apart.  I had to go to Idaho for a double funeral over Spring Break that year in high school.  We had to stay in a really awful trucker motel because that was before my parents got a credit card and that was the only place we could stay at without one.  There was mold on the shower curtain in our motel room.  I ended up with chronic bronchitis, strep throat, an upper respiratory infection, and asthma.  Needless to say, that was not a fun time.  But let's talk about good luck.  I have always had really good luck with contests and giveaways.  I don't know how many coloring contests I won growing up, at least 5, and they're not based on coloring skills.  They rely on randomly choosing a winner.  And I've won three blog giveaways, which is a lot, especially when you consider the fact that I only enter giveaways that I really want to win.  I've won $50 to Doubledutch Boutique which I spent on two necklaces and a belt, a sweet giveaway from Ella where she sent me some really cool stuff including shells, pretty paper goods, feathers, and a ring, and most recently some really cute purses from The Tragic Whale.  Not only is the owner of the shop one of my blog friends but I already owned a purse she made and I love it.  My honest opinion of these bags is that they are very well-made, sturdy, and long-lasting.  I have had my purse for over a year and it is still in great shape.  Plus they are made out of super cute fabrics and actually inspired me to get back to facing my sewing fear.  I ordered some Space Invaders fabric yesterday!  Stay tuned because at some point (probably next month) I'll be giving away two of these lovely bags.

What's the best or worst luck you've had?

A Nature Walk and Gift Ideas for Nature Lovers

I went on a walk in the park last weekend.  There are some nice trails and I took a bunch of photos.  These six are my favorites.  I love living in Seattle but sometimes I just miss being in the woods.  I'm glad that this park is so close that I can go for a nice walk there whenever I'm missing nature.

If you've got a nature lover in your life, check out these gift ideas.  (Some of these are affiliate links and I will earn a small commission if you click them and make a purchase.)  Click the picture to go to the product page.

These earrings are from Vanishing Tribe, one of the indie artists I discovered at Urban Craft Uprising this summer.

This backpack from Moorea Seal is perfect for holding everything you need for a day hike.

Beetle dress, beetle dress, beetle dress.  Well, that didn't make it appear in my closet but I'll keep trying.

This sweatshirt is from Make It Good, another great indie business.

This handmade double finger claw ring is so cool and unique!  Snash Jewelry makes some great pieces.

Slide Sideways makes all sorts of cute screen printed items, and these nature patches are no exception.

I think this dreamcatcher print from my Etsy shop would make a pretty cool gift, but I may be a little biased.

I certainly wouldn't mind if these boots from ASOS showed up in my wardrobe.

And if none of those gifts are quite right I'm pretty sure you can't go wrong with a cozy hoodieor a comfortable sweater.

Comic Book Haul

I bought some comic books yesterday.  I wanted to get something small for my 7 and 8 year cousin for Christmas but don't have much money, so I thought comic books would be good.  I bought all of these for them, except for Hoax Hunters, but then I read through them after I got home to make sure they would be appropriate and I'll actually be keeping two of them.  Princeless was hilarious but did talk about killing, which isn't exactly child appropriate and Wonderland #2 was great except at one point Mary Ann says "Bloody Hell!" and that's not a phrase the girls need in their vocabulary at this age.  I really enjoyed all of these comics and want to read more of all of them.  Road to Oz surprised me.  It's a completely different story from The Wizard of Oz, which I like.  Also Dorothy is an awful child.  I really adore the art style in both Oz and Wonderland.  Princeless made me laugh out loud multiple times.

I'm really excited about all of these comics and I hope that the girls like the ones I give them.  I think they will because one is a voracious reader and the other has a short attention span but will read books with pictures.  I'm a little disappointed that Princeless wasn't appropriate though because they love princess stories and their mom and I both love stories with strong female characters.

3 Things you Might be Surprised I Enjoy

Unless you've been here for awhile, the following things I enjoy might surprise you.

1. cars and car shows:  I don't drive but I like cars and car shows.  My dad is a mechanic and it's something I grew up with.  I also like learning how to work on cars, like when I learned how to do an oil change last time I went home to visit my parents.  My dad is really fun at car shows because he wants to see what's under the hood on everything...even if it's at an antique auto museum and the cars are behind velvet ropes.

my first oil change

2. football: I grew up watching football with my dad and my brother.  I asked a million questions and must have been so annoying, but they put up with it because then they got to watch the game.  It was a 3-1 vote to have the game on instead of 2-2 if I hadn't liked football.  My mom doesn't like football and will usually only watch part of the Super Bowl.  I haven't missed a Seahawks game all season.  I get really into it and yell at the TV and everything.  I know they can't hear me but it makes me feel better to yell at the refs.

3. woodworking: This is the one that I don't think any of you know about.  In high school, wood shop was one of my favorite classes.  I love the smell of fresh-cut boards and getting to make something really cool that would have cost a lot of money to buy.  Over the course of three wood shop classes I made three shelves, one large pine storage box, two big planter boxes for my mom, and a recipe box for my mom.  I really miss woodworking, and I was lucky to attend the high school with the best wood shop in Washington state.

What interests do you have that might surprise people?