My Big News

Unless you're friends with me on Facebook or you like my Honeybee Alley Facebook page you probably don't know that I'm engaged!  Jordan proposed on November 12 and of course I said yes :)  He is my number one supporter in everything I do and I can hardly wait to start growing old with him.  I didn't really believe in soulmates before I met Jordan, but now I'm convinced because he's like my perfect other half.  Being in a relationship with him is so easy and I never feel like I have to work to make the relationship good.  He makes me happy no matter what.  We're going to get married in spring or summer 2017 in front of a waterfall in my hometown.  We're doing a small ceremony with just our closest family.  Getting married in the woods will be so perfect for us.  We love going for walks in the woods and hiking to waterfalls.

My beautiful engagement ring couldn't be more perfect.  It's a custom ring from Etsy with a moonstone instead of a diamond, because I hate diamonds.

And here are a few photos of us :)

Me Lately

Lately I’ve only had enough energy each day to either get dressed or do one small productive thing (sweep the floor or clean a little bit) and feed myself (microwave potato or hamburger patty), and that’s it.  I am so frustrated with being sick and so tired of not being able to get anything done.  I have left the house exactly once since September 1st and that was for a doctor’s appointment.  Currently I don’t even have enough energy to schedule doctors appointments, let alone attend them.

The only bright side is that I have had plenty of time to watch Netflix.  I just finished American Horror Story Freak Show, Hemlock Grove, and iZombie, and I've finally started watching X Files.

I've taken an indefinite leave of absence from work until I find out if my health can improve.  The doctors think I might have something other than celiac disease.  So that's where I'm at now.  It's pretty frustrating.  Don't expect me to post on hear much for awhile.

Friday Fashion: I'm Covered in Bees!

I loved bees since way before I started Honeybee Alley.  That's why I chose the name.  Lately I've been especially drawn to clothing with bee designs on them.

I fell in love with this top at the University District Street Fair but I didn't have money for it then.  I bought it two months ago and I am so glad that I did!  I've been wearing it at least once a week since it arrived.  It's so soft and wonderful and from a fellow Etsy seller (and did I mention that it's super soft?!).  She makes all kinds of great clothing and pillows and bags.

Here's a better photo of it, from the listing.

And then I just had to get these socks from Amazon, because I loved them and there were only four pairs left, and the bee's knees puns basically write themselves.  They're too warm to wear yet but I will be getting a lot of wear out of them in the fall, and winter, and spring.

Because I love bees so much I've been donating 10% of my Etsy profits to Save the Honeybee Foundation this year.  I've also been including a bee-shaped piece of seed paper in every order.

Do you want to know a secret?  I love honeybees so much but I just think bumblebees are way cuter.  They're all fuzzy and clumsy and adorable.  When I was growing up and playing outside I would name all of the bumblebees Mr. Bumbles and watch them bumbling around in the yard.  But don't tell the honeybees!

The Burke Museum of Natural History

A couple of months ago my friend invited me to go to the Burke Museum of Natural History with her.  It's free on the first Thursday of each month and neither of us had ever gone so I said that of course I would.  Plus it's about two blocks from my house so I had to go at some point.

And it was amazing.  We were probably there for two hours looking at everything.  The upstairs is natural history and the downstairs is world history and Pacific Northwest history.  Of course I liked the upstairs best, because of crystals, skulls, and dinosaurs.  No contest.  I took about a bajillion pictures and here are my favorites.

This is apparently how my face looks when I'm just surrounded by amazing stuff.

Have you guys ever stood under a woolly mammoth?!  I never realized how huge they were before!  It's mind-boggling.

If you guys have a natural history museum near you, you should absolutely visit!  Really any museum is fascinating and amazing to me, but natural history museums have my heart.

Rubber Band Manicure DIY

I got this idea from a Buzzfeed article about beauty hacks.  (I also learned how to do winged eyeliner from the same article!)  I received this nail polish free for review in a VoxBox from Influenster.  I usually buy this kind of nail polish anyway (because it's inexpensive but good) and I had seen he article and wanted to try it out, so I did.  Thankfully I tried it with a purple that was just a couple of shades darker so you couldn't tell how bad I messed it up unless you looked really closely, haha.

So the article says to use a rubber band to touch up a French manicure, but I've never had a French manicure so I used it to make one.  It probably works way better to touch one up but also I have a very low Nail Polish skill level and very little Patience.

Like I said, it doesn't look so bad from a distance.

So I just painted my nails purple and then used the lighter purple for the tips.  You're supposed to stretch the rubber band so it's tight against your nail and then paint above it.  It's pretty awkward to do (especially on your pinky nails!) and I would not attempt it again.  However the Sinful Colors nail polish is great.  It goes on smooth and dries pretty quick.  They have a ton of colors to choose from and I think it costs about $2 a bottle so you can go crazy and buy a bunch of colors without spending too much money.  I can't say anything about how durable it is because any nail polish I put on my fingernails chips once I make some jewelry.  But I would definitely recommend Sinful Colors nail polish.  I know they sell it at Walgreen's for sure because that's where I buy it.

Have you ever tried a rubber band manicure?  Did it work better than mine?  I would love to see pictures if you try it.

I Dyed my Hair

I helped Jordan dye his hair black the other day so I went ahead and dyed my hair too.  I haven't dyed it in awhile and I really like it.  I've been practicing my makeup skills too, after wearing none since last Halloween.  I think I finally figured out eyeliner!  And my hair is super amazingly soft thanks to Infusium23 moisture replenisher smoothing creme, which I received for free from Influenster.  I usually don't put products in my hair, but this stuff is pretty much the equivalent of lotion for hair so it's super easy to use and I love it!

Aside from dying my hair I've been pretty busy.  I met Jordan's parents for the first time and they were awesome and they liked me :)  And then the last day they were in Seattle I woke up sick and stayed sick through yesterday, which was awful.  So I missed a lot of work and I found out that I won't be able to get a gastroenterologist appointment until October at the earliest.  Jordan got a new job and he's super happy with it, and we're taking a teeny trip to see my parents for four days next month.  Aside from that I've been making lots of jewelry and getting pretty behind on listing it in my shop, whoops.  And I'm only going to be working two days a week next month so I've got to step up my jewelry game with farmers markets and pop-up shops, plus doing some more consignments.  Luckily for me Jordan got his new job right before my hours are getting reduced so there's no worry of starving or being homeless, which is always nice.  How have all of you been doing?  I haven't really blogged in so long, but I have so many things to share with you guys.

Etsy Love: MayhemHere

I was fortunate enough to see one of my favorite artists, Mallory Milke, at the University District Street Fair in May.  Not only is her art amazing (and super affordable) but I loved her booth.  Here are the pictures I took of it.

My favorite part was the sticker machine.  I bought two random stickers, and I would have bought so many more if I had more money!  It's probably good that I was broke, haha.

Mallory Milke Art is on Etsy at MayhemHere.  She also sells at some local stores in Seattle, including Monster Art and Clothing, where I bought the peacock zentangle print.  She paints mostly zentangle animals and Day of the Dead.  She sells prints, stickers, notebooks, bags, and more!

Blue Galaxy Wallpaper

the original wallpaper:

my downloadable version:

It occurs to me that ages ago I promised I would make downloadable galaxy wallpapers.  Here is one finally.  If you have any color combo requests for future ones, let me know in the comments.

Love with Food Gluten Free Box Review #1

I have been comparison shopping for gluten-free subscription boxes for awhile now.  I just happened upon the Love with Food Gluten-Free Box when I saw an ad for it on Facebook.  It looked like a good value and a lot of food, including snacks, which was important to me.  They also donate a meal to a food bank with every box sold.  I really appreciate that since I grew up poor and most of our food came from my mom's garden or the food bank.

I got my first box last month and the theme was Fiesta Fiesta.  It contained so much food, all from brands I had never heard of.  The food is all natural and healthy.  I loved most of it enough that I would definitely seek out the brands in stores (or just buy more for a discounted price from the Love with Food website).  Let's see what I got!

Here's the whole haul, aside from the product booklet and coupons.

I am bad at selfies but this popsicle was soooooo good.

tamale pie with sour cream and sliced avocado

My favorites were the tamale pie, the Smooze frozen treat, and the Beanfield's chips.  The tamale pie was easy to make and Jordan and I both loved it so much that we polished off the whole pan between the two of us in one night.  The Smooze frozen treat was like a grown-up version of those popsicles we would sometimes get with school lunches as a child.  It was guava coconut flavored and so refreshing and tasty.  I want a whole pack!  I also want an entire case of Beanfield's chips.  The pico de gallo flavor was so good and went perfectly with the bean flavor of the chips.  I gobbled them up way too fast and wished I had more!

My least favorites were the honey and the sweet salt.  The honey would have probably been better if I had used it in something instead of eating it straight up.  It was good enough but I wouldn't buy it.  I'm pretty sure I just haven't used the sweet salt on the right thing yet, maybe porkchops or chicken?  It's spicy, sweet, and salty.

Overall I was over the moon about my first Love with Food box.  My second one just shipped and I can hardly wait for it to arrive!

You can try the Love with Food Gluten-Free Box for $5.99 (50% off) or the glutenous Tasting Box for $12.49 (40% off).

This post contains affiliate links but I am truly 100% in love with the Love with Food box and want you to try it too!

Watching, Playing, Reading #9

It's back!  The semi-monthly-ish post series which I haven't written since December.  Yes that's right, December.

Needless to say I've been watching, playing, and reading a lot since December.  And I'm definitely not going to remember all of it.  So let's get started!

Watching:

Netflix:

TV series:

Goosebumps:  I never actually watched this show as a kid, but I love it now.  It's the perfect amount of cheesy and predictable, but I'm often very wrong about what I think is going to happen.

The Wonder Years:  I had seen a handful of episodes of this show growing up and I liked it, so Jordan and I worked our way through the whole series.  It was good and worth the watch.  I like how the ending didn't ruin the whole show by being too happily ever after.

Third Rock from the Sun:  This show is goofy and ridiculous.  It is a great show to have on in the background for white noise and there isn't really a lot of plot to follow.  For those of you who don't know, it's about four aliens posing as a human family in order to learn about Earthlings.

Twin Peaks:  I've been hearing about this show for ages, so I finally started watching.  It is way to slow for Jordan so I haven't quite finished it yet.  I like the colorful characters but I have trouble telling some of the main characters apart, so sometimes I get confused.

Red vs. Blue:  This is a silly Youtube series that is now on Netflix.  It's Halo gameplay with hilarious dubbing.

Bob's Burgers:  This series is amazing and I cannot wait for more episodes.  We are constantly quoting lines from it, especially "But do you season?!" and when we get a dog in the future we are going to name it KuchiKopi.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt:  This show was amazing!  We powered through all of it in two days.  There are so many funny lines and it's just great.  If you haven't watched it you definitely should.

Taboo:  This show is super interesting.  Each episode focuses on different things that Americans might consider taboo and how they are handled by other cultures.

Movies:

House of Last Things: This movie was weird and confusing, but I kind of loved it.  I don't even know how to describe it without spoilers.

Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart:  This movie reminded me of Hugo if it had made less sense.  It was visually breathtaking and the story was incredibly sweet with great characters.  Definitely worth a watch.

Stand By Me:  This movie is a classic for a reason.  It's a coming-of-age story about four childhood friends going to find a dead body, and so much more.

The Babadook:  This movie scared me a lot at first but then I found out that the villain is really silly looking.  I think the Babadook is supposed to be a metaphor for her grief over the loss of her husband and how she has to come to terms with the fact that she'll always miss him but life goes on.

The Imposter:  This movie is based on the true story of an adult who pretended to be a teenager and was placed into various homes under so many identities as their missing child.  It's really insane that this actually happened and he got away with it so many times.

Hercules:  We hadn't seen this movie in years and we watched it during a Saturday of lazy cartoon movie watching.  It did not disappoint.

Pontypool: A zombie movie I hadn't seen yet!  Well now I have.  It's a very interesting treatment of a zombie situation where nothing really happens, but the creepy part is the anticipation.

The Big Lebowski:  I hadn't seen this movie so I finally watched it so I would get the references.  I didn't love it but I didn't hate it.

Fight Club:  I was surprised how good this movie was!  I always thought it was just an action beat-em-up type of movie but I was so wrong.

Besides that we watched a bunch of Tim Burton movies that we got on Amazon, as well as a Studio Ghibli box set, also from Amazon.

Image via

Playing:

So many video games!

I went to see my parents for a weekend while my brother was home on leave and I played the Wii while I was there.  I played this game called Death Jr. which was super fun.  I had never heard of it before.  It's nice and dark and creepy but still pretty lighthearted and fun.

I had purchased a Humble Bundle last year because it had Fez and then I found out that my computer can't handle the 3D environments so I couldn't play it.  Well Jordan bought Fez for me on Xbox and it's everything I wanted and more.  There are so many worlds to explore that I sometimes get lost, but it's still really fun.

Besides that I got a Game Boy Advance SP off of eBay just so I could get Gex Enter the Gecko from a store on The Ave called Pink Gorilla and experience the nostalgia.  Since it was the store's anniversary they had a buy 3 get 1 free sale on video games, so I also got Tak and the Power of Juju, Spyro Orange, and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, because I love the show (but it turns out that I kind of hate the game; oh well it was free).

And once again I have become somewhat addicted to Candy Crush Saga.

Reading:

Icebound by Dean Koontz, The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn, Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby, Jr., Necronomicon: The Wanderings of Alhazred by Donald Tyson, Winter Moon by Dean Koontz, Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen by Arin Andrews

I have branched out a lot in my reading selections this year.  These books were all really good except for The Harbinger, which I picked up at a thrift store for next to nothing.

Do you have any Netflix recommendations for me?  I'm always looking for new things to watch.

Friday Fashion: A Quick DIY Fix for Broken Zipper Handles

This morning I was running late for work and when I put on my boots the zipper handle broke on one of them!  I didn't have any time to do anything about it, so I just zipped it up as far as I could and went to work.  When I was at work I got an idea.  I have some earrings that I bought a few years ago and can't wear because my ears are allergic to them.  I thought they would be big enough to make great zipper handles and they match my boots.  Then when I got home I tried it out and they work great.  It's pretty easy to do this.  It is very important that you have sharp wire cutters to cut off the zipper handles (or whatever is left of them).  You also need pliers, charms or earrings to use as zipper handles, and two jump rings.

First you need to cut off the remaining zipper handles and throw them away.  Then take your earrings or charms and attach them to the zipper, where the handle was, with the jump rings.  Make sure you open and close the jump rings correctly, using this method.  If you are using earrings you need to remove the earring hooks before you can attach them to your boots.  You can either cut off the hooks at the loop at the bottom or twist open the same loop and remove the hooks that way.

This will work for any item with a zipper, not just boots.  I have used this technique to replace a zipper handle on a purse too.  It's helpful if you don't know how to sew on a new zipper, or just don't want to.  And this way you can keep using those items instead of having to throw them away and buy new ones.  You can also use this technique to customize items with zippers, even if the zippers didn't break.  Just cut off the zipper and then attach your own earring or charm in its place.

Dream Art: Crystals at the Lake

I had a dream recently that I went to a lake near my hometown and discovered all of these amazing crystal formations growing along the edge of it against some sort of concrete wall.  I was in this tiny raft, so small I could barely fit in it while kneeling, and going along the edge of the wall picking up jars full of the crystals to use in my jewelry.  There was this huge piece of titanium quartz that I thought would be an amazing photo prop.  And then as I went back the raft started sinking and I barely made it to shore before it sank.  Then I woke up and I was pretty disappointed that I didn’t just find this amazing supply of free crystals, but the dream was so nice that I tried to capture the feel of it with Photoshop.

I'm pretty sure I had this dream as a result of browsing Etsy for supplies and then Pinterest for jewelry ideas for about two hours right before going to bed.  I usually have really bizarre dreams or bad dreams so I could definitely use a nice pretty dream like this every once in a while.  And once I was fully awake I found it kind of great that this is like Camp Crystal Lake but in a literal sense and without any murdering.

I've always been able to remember the majority of my dreams really vividly.  Lately this has reached a whole new level where I'll be dreaming and then remember something that had "happened" related to what was happening in the dream at that point.  And then when I wake up the things I remember are always things that happened in previous dreams and my brain is trying to connect them somehow.

T Rex at Work

Yesterday work was super dead.  Not a single person entered the store during the first 3 hours of my shift, so I took silly pictures with a T Rex and put them on Instagram.  Because what else would I do?!

T Rex trying to ride a bike

T Rex trying to be a lap dog

T Rex trying to swim

T Rex trying to take a selfie

I was inspired by the book T Rex Trying, which I don't actually own...yet.

This awesome T Rex is a Fair Trade Federation certified product from Acacia Creations.  They only sell wholesale but they make really cool stuff!

Friday Fashion: Vintage Vibes

Vintage Vibes by jaythejedi featuring flat shoes

I'm currently wearing pajamas and wishing for this outfit I made on Polyvore.  The top and the cardigan are my favorite pieces, besides the hat.  I am seriously in love with cloche hats.  They just add that perfect vintage touch to any outfit.  I only own one right now but that will probably change before too long.  I just made a Pinterest board of hats and it's mostly cloches.  I'm smitten.

Do you like vintage fashion?  What's your favorite kind of vintage item?

How to Get People to Take Your Celiac Disease Seriously

AKA a ranty-rant of a post at 2 in the morning because I've been sick since Thursday

When you have celiac disease and you go to a restaurant that is not completely gluten-free, you'll probably have a conversation that's something like this (at least this is how the conversation sounds in my head):

you: Is the (whatever food) gluten-free?
Waiter: I think so.
you: I need to know if it is though because I have celiac disease so I can't eat gluten.
Waiter:  Would you die if you ate gluten?
you: Yes I would literally die if I ate gluten. (Because literally means figuratively now and don't even get me started on that!)
Waiter (if they are the sort of person who doesn't want to be responsible for a dead body being in the restaurant): Maybe you should eat at a different restaurant instead.

This is literally (almost) a conversation I had at a restaurant about six months after being diagnosed with celiac disease.  My friends took me there because they had gluten-free sandwiches!  After a lot of interrogation I learned that the gluten-free bread for the sandwiches is put on the same grill as the gluten bread, causing cross-contamination.  It's not all bad though because I discovered an amazing gluten-free bakery a block away and may or may not have filled up on pastry samples and then bought a dozen more pastries to take with me.

My point (if I even have one) is that gluten is a tricky little thing.  My doctor had me do an allergy test earlier this month to make sure I was getting the proper nutrients on my gluten-free diet.  I was low on vitamin D and iron, so she gave me vitamins to take to bring my energy levels back to normal.  Everything was going along normally, except I was burping a lot more than normal during the first week, but whatever!  And then on Thursday none of my food stayed down, and I thought, "Here we go again".  Because one of the super fun things about celiac disease is that without a pill that doesn't exist yet to take in addition to a gluten-free diet, you're just going to get sick every so often.  Just because.  Cut to Tuesday and I have a realization.  The symptoms started when I started taking those vitamins.  And wouldn't you know it that since stopping the vitamins and not taking the ones I was supposed to take that night, my symptoms have improved.  I even managed to keep down a half a bowl of cereal today, and then later a bowl of soup!  So I'm pretty sure that the vitamins my doctor gave me to make me better have gluten in them, despite the fact that she knows I have celiac disease because she diagnosed me and we were discussing it right before that.

So I got a week off of work unexpectedly.  But it was not fun.  I spent it in various ways of being sick, Pinning delicious looking gluten free recipes because I couldn't keep food down but I was so HUNGRY, alternating with crying a lot, and sleeping for up to 18 hours a day.  So I was frustrated.  So I ranted.  And that is all.

Friday Fashion: Ice Cream Date Outfit

"I want it to look like I'm afraid the airplane is going to crash into me."

 bag, shoes, belt, and plaid shirt: thrifted | jeans: Forever 21 |

shirt: Qwertee | necklace: Zombie Valley | hat: Wish

Last week I had a doctor appointment and afterward Jordan and I went on a date to a thrift store and then got ice cream at Molly Moon's.  I am so in love with their vegan coconut chunk ice cream!  We got a KitchenAid blender at the thrift store for just $7.50!  Hello smoothies :)  And I got a cardigan and another hoodie because the clothing was all 50% off.  It was a nice way to spend such a sunny day.

This post contains an affiliate link to an item that I love.

Friday Fashion: What to Wear to Target

We went to Target and Ross earlier this week because we needed some things and actually have money to spend on things now that we share a room.  The bus took forever to get to the stop so we entertained ourselves by taking selfies and outfit photos while we waited.

This is what happens when I suggest that we take a picture with only half of our faces in the photo.

so fashion-y

Balancing weirdly is one of my go-to poses.

bag and top: thrifted | boots and flannel: Valley of Roses Boutique |

jeans and hair bow: Forever 21 | necklace: Honeybee Alley

Jordan and I bought a total of 5 vintage flannel shirts from Valley of Roses Boutique for under $100 total.  This is one of those shirts.  The one Jordan is wearing in the first picture is another one.  We share them because they fit both of us, which is really cool.  My old jeans have been wearing out lately and two pairs have zippers that will not stay up so I bought some new jeans.  Forever 21 is the only company I can buy jeans from online and know that they'll fit so I went there first.  I found these ones and two other pairs for under $8 each!  And I bought this cute hair bow too because it was just 99 cents and I couldn't resist.

This post contains affiliate links to items that I love.

Book Wish List

If you're anything like me you shouldn't go in a book store unless it's a used book store, and even then only sometimes.  Well I went in a bookstore and then I drooled all over the books (not literally though because gross).  Here are three that it took all of my willpower not to buy.  Okay, so to be honest I probably would have bought at least one if I had money besides my rent money.

I never really read non-fiction before because I thought it was boring, kind of like how I used to not watch documentaries.  I found out that non-fiction can be super interesting when it's about topics I find interesting.  Seems like a no-brainer but it's a pretty recent revelation for me.  I especially enjoy reading biographies about mental illness, medical history/quackery, and curiosities.

If you want to catch up on what I've been reading lately and see my never-ending always-expanding wishlist, follow me on Goodreads!

Do you have any good non-fiction recommendations for me?  I'll add them to my list!