...and the trash talk continues

This is a continuation of my post on being attacked when posting comments. I happen to be a fan of a certain sports team, whose name and sport shall remain nameless, as to avoid further confrontations and attacks. Upon trying to visit boards of said team, I instead find it filled with "trolls"....that is, posters who come to a team's board for the sole purpose of trashing the team, players, and fans. They use sex and potty language in their posts, referring to certain body parts, calling people names like "retard", "skank", "idiot," "moron," "piece of ****," "dumb***," "weird," and countless others. One female poster whose nickname is (partly) "cutie" enjoys visiting and engaging in endless trolling. She (if she is indeed female) boasts of being the pride of her area, claiming to be smarter than others, and stating that her "4 to 5 year old nieces" are more intelligent than the defenders of the team whose board she is trashing. She of course defends her team, which is fine. But she takes great fun in trolling other teams' boards and likes to act like she's intelligent, tough (and "one of the boys" maybe?) by using filthy, obscene, pornographic references.

Sadly, the site owners and moderators of these boards do practically nothing to stop the problem of trolls. They will claim nothing can be done. So, the trolls, knowing this, continue to engage in their trash talk and succeed in driving away fans who want to simply come and discuss things without having to read the endless pages of bashing by the visiting trolls.

I used to post on a certain message board, but after the constant bashing, name calling, and disgusting treatment by the trolls, now refuse to do so any longer. Enough is enough. If the moderators refuse to take steps to at least curtail the trolls, then I cannot continue to sit and wade thru post after post of how my team "sucks" (pardon my usage of the word), how I am (insert names here), I know nothing, the trolls' team(s) is/are so much better, and the trolls calling my team's players names such as "fag", "skank," etc. Enough is enough. Let the trolls have their way, I refuse to feed them any more.

I am so behind!

I am SOOOOO behind on my posting. Things have been slightly crazy.

OK first I took a week off in August, yay! I went with an old coworker friend to Thacher Park. If you've never been there and love being in the hills, I suggest visiting. They have some gorgeous overlooks. Also some nice trails. We did the Indian Ladder Trail and believe me, my muscles were aching the next day! But they were aching in a good way, cuz that is a good workout.

Then I discovered 4 songs unaccounted for that were supposed to be on one of my data CDs and were not. It could've been worse...there were probably 10 or 20 songs on the CD I'd transferred. But after some thorough searching, 4 tracks are still missing. So I will attempt to have the tracks remade.

Now here's where it gets kinda complicated.

I've mentioned mycustomtracks.com in the past. I've dealt with them before and they have a great product. For some reason however, they have not replied to ONE SINGLE EMAIL I have sent in the past 2 months. I sent them a quote for a song over 2 weeks ago, no reply. I sent a message via their "chat" system asking for the status of some songs still in need of female background vocals, no reply. I now have opened a support ticket and will see if they respond to that. They're not US based, and I don't have a phone # for them otherwise I would call, even if it meant an international call. I just find it odd that a company that I have given a good share of business to is now seemingly ignoring my emails and messages. I don't owe them any money, all the tracks I've ordered have to be prepaid and that's been done....so why this stance?

Because of this, I've been trying to find some other companies that will produce karaoke tracks of songs. I have found a few, but need to wait until I have more money before I contact them.

I've been doing some doll stuff as well. I just did a rebody of a MH doll, Cleo from the "Dead Tired" playline. I removed her gold tinsel-like streaks. She has an exotic look about her, and since she was Cleo, to keep with her Egyptian heritage I renamed her "Chione". Here's her on her new body:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43193008@N00/6050984065/in/photostream/

OK that's it for now. more later :)

more talk about CDs and music

Well here I am again still thinking about those darn scratch-prone CDs. I'm finding an awful lot of them in my collection, and I'm mad at myself for buying such stuff thinking they would suit my purposes. Then, I'm equally mad that these stupid discs aren't even 5 years old and already giving CRC errors. GRRRRR!

Then I go and see if I made backups of the files on the bad CDs, so I can possibly obtain them that way. In most cases, yes there are backups. In a few others, nopers. Again I get mad at myself...DOH! You stupido, why didn't you put them on backup CDs??? Then I realize: Probably I was pressed for time or something similar. Not that I'm trying to avoid taking the blame, but I don't want to beat myself up. I messed up, yes I admit it... but I didn't think the CDs would get scratched or develop CRC errors so quickly.

So now I'm transferring my massive MP3 & digitally transferred music file library to external hard drives. I don't have sufficient flash drives to do the job, so for now (crossing fingers & toes) I'm hoping at least one of them will live long enough that I can then PROPERLY backup the files on something else. I really hesitate to put them on DVDs cuz at the moment, the size is about 80gb (but then, I'm only about 40% thru my entire library and still have another 60 or 70 CDs & DVDs to transfer). That means 20 DVDs would have to be made, at minimum. But....since the final size of my library is yet to be determined, I don't want to do it yet.
I'm hoping that one of my external drives has sufficient space to hold everything, since it's only 500gb and has 465gb available if blank. Not so sure that my larger, 1gb external drive, will make it although I am transferring to there also. Last night all the lights on the drive were on. This morning, only the power and 2 of the 4 "bar" lights were on. Of course, bear in mind they're both Seagates, and they are not reliable. I find this out after I've already invested $100+ on external drives.

At least some of the files that I did lose to the blasted "CRC errors" have been replaced. I had to re-purchase a hard copy of the track that got lost and was corrupted (on 2 CDs), and have had to re-purchase at least one digital file which was fortunately still available online. I am at a point now where I have to see which CDs are good and which are bad, check and see if the bad ones have files that are not already on other CDs, and if not, try and replace them. I may be shelling out some money to re-purchase titles.

Another thought that comes to mind is, what about LS (LightScribe) DVDs? Do they offer superior protection, since they are more coated? I need to investigate this too.
And, last but not least, I also want to purchase if possible 2 more external hard drives from a reliable manufacturer (I've head Western Digital is the best) so that I have "backups of backups". In today's market, with music & artists coming and going, I'd really rather not try and keep track of them myself, so I'll let another company take charge.

Fed up

OK I started out just being upset earlier with regards to some of my archive CDs being corrupted and scratched. Now I am plain and simply FED UP, not just about the CDs but also with the treatment of accompaniment tracks by the Christian music industry.

It really bugs that in order to archive data such as pictures, music or documents onto CDs you cannot find a WELL-MADE CD in regular stores. Why? Because they're so expensive? I understand that if they're well made they're expensive. Maybe if the better made ones were put in place of the el cheapo ones that start degrading and corrupting within a year or 2 (or 3) that would help. Brick & mortar stores, are you listening? Is this doable?

OK, that being said, Christian music industry, it's your turn. Why do you feel the need to discontinue accompaniment tracks within MONTHS of their release? Even the digital ones are "here today, gone tomorrow". I just lost a digitally purchased and downloaded accompaniment track from 5 years ago to TWO bad CDs on my part. OK, I will take responsibility for the CDs. I should've used better quality. My bad. Fine. But you already removed the track for purchase in any format, leaving me to search for a replacement. Maybe if the Lord wills, I'll find one. But MAYBE, just maybe, you should re-think your stance on discontinuing titles.

Recording companies & such need to take responsibility and stop being delete-happy when it comes to accompaniments. They probably still have many OOP accompaniments on a master source of some kind or other, in a vault somewhere. Some companies have taken a great first step with offering massive amounts of titles again. BUT could you possibly bring back the rest of the library? I realize due to copyrights and such this isn't always possible but it would be great. (There I go, dreaming again...)

On a more positive note, I'd like to thank the companies made the crappy quality CDs much more readily available than the premium quality ones....thanx to them, I'm now transferring my music, pictures, and documents to flash and external hard drives ONLY. I'm not risking losing anything more to a scratch or CRC error on another CD again.

the world is still here

Well here it is May 22...and we're still here. ;)

The so-called "prophetic claims" of Judgment Day or the rapture on May 21 proved to be wrong, as I knew they would be, since as God says in His Word, NO ONE knows the day or hour but Him.

What's new in your "world"?

In mine I've been attempting to take pics of some new items I purchased for my Dawns, as well as some clones I kept meaning to take pics of and forgot. I have such an unsteady hand that 99 out of 100 shots will come out blurry. Even with a tripod, they still come out that way.

I'm not trying to whine here, but the camera I have, an Olympus FE-340, is not known for quality pictures. I like to keep the ISO at 64, since it produces the best quality pics. Unfortunately, I don't think you can use that setting when using the blur correction feature. A review of the camera is below.

http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=3403&review=olympus+fe+340

I'm also trying to sell some of my accompaniment tapes. So far nobody has bid or purchased, but since listing & relisting them hasn't cost me anything yet, it's ok. I pray the Lord leads people to purchase or bid, if it be His will. Some of these are old and someone might be looking for something I have. If I can bless them in this way, praise the Lord. :)

Well I need to get off for now and go to the grocery store....bye for now!

Date setting and other things

Some of you have probably heard or read about certain people who claim the rapture will happen on such and such a date, or that the world will end on a certain day. Then of course there's the Mayans who say the world will end on 12/21/2012.

If you're a Christian, and you know your bible, you will already know that anyone who claims to set a date for anything is wrong. Would I love to know when the rapture will happen? Sure, but God's not about to tell me. We can know, thanks to Jesus and also the bible, approximately when the 2nd coming will be, but not the rapture, because it could happen at any time.

I'm sure there are also many of you who think the rapture is a made-up doctrine, or that because the word "rapture" isn't in the bible, it's a bogus event. If you study the Scriptures, and the original Hebrew and Greek texts, you will see that it IS real.

Since I can't do a good job explaining, I will instead provide a link that might help.

http://gracethrufaith.com/ikvot-hamashiach/defending-the-pre-trib-rapture-again/

This guy knows his bible, and he is an expert on it. I can't wait to meet him, if not here, then in heaven.

yes, it's me and this is an update

Wow. I have not been here in a LONG time. I really should've been posting more updates, and I apologize sincerely for that.

A lot has happened since my last post, so let me try and fill you in.

No real news about the prayer need regarding the college student, or whoever she is, that lives in my building. I wish I could say she's moved out but she's still around and all I can do is pray.

I do have a couple other prayerful needs I want to share:

First of all, my mom was supposed to have hip surgery in May. That got postponed when she fell backwards and fractured some of the bones in her upper back. She has a compression fracture. Mom has since then gotten a back brace, as well as a walker with wheels & a seat which Medicare paid for in full. (Thank God!) She also got several pain medications.

Tonight she was admitted to the hospital after one of her friends, who comes to check on her, discovered mom hadn't gone "number 2" in two weeks and had almost no results after being administered 2 enemas. Mom had a colonoscopy 2 weeks or so ago and they said they couldn't complete it due to a blockage in her colon. So here she is with either the same or a bigger blockage, and now she'll be staying in the hospital overnight. Please be praying for her.

Today, mom went to see a surgeon about her back and they are going to give her some time to recuperate and see how she is in 3 weeks. Because mom's bones are very thin, they are against doing any procedures such as fusing the bones because it might not "take". I see this as a chance for the Lord to bring healing to mom. Let's be agreeing in prayer for Him to bring complete healing to her back, and her hip too if it be His will in Jesus' name!

BTW some people have mentioned to me that there's a good possibility my mom will be going to a nursing home to live because she's unable to care for herself. Naturally I don't want that to happen, but if it must, then it must. I would like pray that I can accept this and for God's help in dealing with it.

Now that you're caught up with that....I took an inventory of my Topper Dawn dolls and I have about 129 or so. This does not include some recent arrivals, like Angie, Longlocks & Glori or a set of other clones & dolls that should be arriving any day. I also took an inventory of my Pippas and there are about 21 of those. Much less, LOL. I haven't counted the JPI Starr dolls, clones, Fresh Look Friends, Rockflowers, etc.

Speaking of Rockflowers...I found a use for their neck knobs....they make great replacement knobs for Dawn. There's a pic and a brief description of how to harvest and utilize these knobs here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43193008@N00/5651459926/

I also unearthed some of my (Mattel) Dazzle dolls, and some Glamour Gals! (Aka GGs.) These are smaller than Dawn, and if you think making clothes for Dawn is hard, try making clothes for these little lovelies. It's a lot harder! That is, if you want to make something like pants or a top with sleeves. Fortunately, both GGs & Dazzles can wear Li'l Bratz clothing so I don't have to necessarily make them anything. I really like the Dazzle dolls, altho some of them look very much alike. I have all of the first year dolls and only one of the 2nd year new characters.

If you'd like to see how some Li'l Bratz pants look on a Dazzle doll, as well as a pic of one of the 2 boyfriends of Dazzle's, look below.

The girl is Glossy, who uses the Steffie head mold BTW, and the guy is either Ace or Glint, and he probably uses the 1980s Ken headmold. Poor guy suffers from being in either sunlight or bright lights too long and his neck is orange....if anyone knows how to remove or reduce that let me know.

Somewhere around here I have other Dazzles & GGs, but only select GGs since I don't care for the ones with molded-on clothes. I am in the process of looking for GGs or Dazzle bodies, as the Happy Meal Barbies from the 1990s (& 80s?) have heads that are the same size as Dazzle's and on a Dazzle or GG bod, would make for new "friend" dolls. Dazzle can never have too many friends.

Well I will try & post more tomorrow...for now I am sleepy...TTYL :)

Need prayers regarding a personal problem

If anyone's out there reading this...can I ask you a prayerful favor?

Let me first explain that while I'm not a professional photographer, I occasionally bring a camera with me to work. I enjoy photographing the outdoors, nature, interesting things or places, etc. Sometimes people get in the way and I don't intend to take their picture, so if it happens, it's purely by accident or coincidence.

There's a college student who lives in my building. A few months ago I was taking pictures of the landscape. This same person, in the distance of the landscape, saw the camera aimed in their general vicinity, assumed it was pointed at them, and falsely accused me of taking their picture. . I explained myself, and said that I was taking pictures of the landscape and nature, but they refused to believe me and continued hurling accusations and ranting and raving. I walked away, since by that point I'd already explained it to them twice and had told them everything while they continued in their tirade. Since then, they have gone out of their way to snub me and express their dislike of me by resorting to childish behavior...making comments when they see me, verbally harassing me, turning their back to me if they see me approaching, etc. They act conceited IMO and while I understand their supposed need to do these things, I'm trying not to let them bother me. They get very upset if they think I'm even looking in their direction, even tho I've done everything in my power to show them that I do not carry a camera around all the time, and that I have NO interest whatsoever in taking pictures of people. Of course none of this matters to them, they believe whatever they want to believe and I can't change their mind.

I would like prayer support for the Lord to help me in this situation, and if possible or it be His will, for the Lord to do something about them. I don't handle situations like this very well and while the fleshy part of me wants to reach out and wring their neck or seek revenge, the Christian in me knows I must forgive and pray for them. So, I'm praying and asking for your prayers too.

Thank you.

eek!

I have been SO amazingly bad at keeping up with posting here. I either forget to do so or don't have the time. With my job and the stress of keeping up with it, I end up often ready to relax when I get home. So my profound apologies.

There's been some action at one of the doll boards I visit. I won't say which one, but I will say the lone moderator there has acted in a very unprofessional manner, calling members names, cursing, making accusations, making threats, etc. Everything inside me says "let them have it....give them a taste of their own medicine" but other folks say it wouldn't do any good. Besides, how Christ-like would it be for me to do such a thing? I hate to see innocent people be torn to shreds verbally by someone who has the audacity to call themselves a moderator and thinks because they're running the site by themselves and have much to put up with from members, that entitles them to berate them when they say or do something even the slightest bit wrong. If there's two things I can't stand, it's a) BULLIES and b) RUDE people. This person is a combination of both.

Fortunately, that board is not the only one for dolls of that size or nature. There's groups on Facebook which helps immensely. Lately, I haven't even had much time for Facebook.

At least now Solomon is back to normal and doesn't need medication. He's such a sweetheart.

Last night Daniel gave me a scare and knocked over my puter monitor! I was so thankful there was no damage. The monitor is very old and probably should be replaced.

Well I hate to say it, but it's getting close to bedtime again. TTYL.

Insomnia is visiting

Well, my old friend (?) Insomnia decided to visit. I guess she felt bored. LOL Courtesy of my upstairs neighbor's dog howling in the night, she came by around 1am tonight. Ah well....

It was good that she did visit, because my inbox had messages returned! :( AACK! Some of the tracks I had ordered from months ago were finished and they'd attempted to email several, but I only got half of them. I informed them of this, I pray that it reaches their INBOX and not the spam one. (They said some of my messages were going to the spam box at one time.)

Dolly news? Oh I have dolly news...I am so excited that I now have BOTH of the Bratz Wicked Twiinz! Had to pay a little more than I wanted, but it's ok...first I found Diona:

Around the same time, I found a neat African-American clone doll (Barbie size) by Shillman:

Then I found Dinah (Dawn size doll), in the rare "10" headmold and she has now rounded out my collection of her:

Then I found and won this beautiful Penny Brown wearing a Pippa Pak fashion:

Lastly, this weekend I obtained Ciara, Diona's twiin:

I also got 2 Dale bodies, 2 Garys, and a Breyer dude who's too tall as is for Dawn & her buds but will be transplanted onto 1 of the 2 Gary bodies I just purchased.

Well I think Insomnia's about ready to leave for the night, I'm sleepy now....goodnight and TTYL ;)

long week

This has been a long, busy week. From Sunday through yesterday (Wednesday) evening.

If you read my past entries, you'll see that Solomon's acted dumpy and didn't want to do much of anything. He's had constipation issues which I think may have been the result of my switching his dry food to another brand, and switching back to his old brand after his ears turned bright pink and became nearly raw from his itching - the result of a food allergy.

It started Sunday when I got up to feed the kitties and Solomon refused to move. I went to feed him and he would NOT walk over to his dish, like he normally did. I'd try to get him to take a few steps but he'd take 1 or 2 and that was it. Then he barely ate and did not want to move, he just growled at me. So, I decided I'd better take him to the ER vet.

3 hours and over $400 later, he came home with a diagnosis of constipation. He had X-rays and bloodwork done at my request. (I did it in case he was injured, had something more serious, or was so backed up that he required hospitalization.) He was put on a canned food only diet (by me) and given an enema which made him "go", and thank God he did, since I also noticed before that he hadn't had a bowel movement in several days. They suggested adding Miralax to his daily feedings, so I did.

He still didn't want to move around, although he did eat better. At first I thought it was on acct. of the enema, but by Monday he was still the same and unwilling to move. So, I called the vet and they said to bring him in. That night, he was found to have a fever of 104 (or more) and the dr. said he had an infection, tho they couldn't find any wounds or anything, and his breathing and heart & other vitals were all normal. He was given Clavamox 125 mg. and a shot of Tramadol for pain, since he was limping when he walked. He also got a prescription for Tramadol in case he needed more.

Solomon started improving immediately. Although he didn't have any BMs, he began eating & drinking normally, moving about more, and was interested in playing again. His not having BMs did concern me, and when Wednesday arrived with still no BMs the vet said to bring him in for a recheck.

Solomon checked out with normal signs health-wise aside from his teeth (which need cleaning). The dr. said the enema cleans him out and it might take a few days for him to have a BM. Also, not all cats have BMs daily. She was pleased with his improvement and progress and recommended to get him to walk and move about every day, which would also aid with his constipation and bowel issues. Lastly she prescribed Lactulose for him, which he hasn't started yet but will soon.

Meanwhile I also gave Solomon 1 tsp. of pumpkin every evening in addition to his Miralax supplements and finally, Thursday morning he had a BM. It was soft, but still he finally 'did his thing" and that was a relief. I'd been worrying about it for days and I couldn't relax. I found myself obsessing over it.

Now that Solly's on the mend, I find myself starting to obsess about every little thing, and I have to keep praying about it over and over. Satan will NOT have victory over me, I am a child of the KING and I have a Great High Priest who intercedes on my behalf!

a blessin' and a lesson

Hi again,

Well the Lord, and "mama nature" (me) helped Solomon to take care of business, if you'll pardon the term. Solomon finally did his thing just in time to save a trip to the vet.

I was so happy and relieved to find Solly's "prezzie" to me when I came home early Tuesday. He was so happy and frisky, schmoozing me and loving me up. I could tell he was feeling better. So I canceled the vet appt. :) Thank you Lord. :) :) What a blessing.

He also went again later after supper, so I thought, good, his bowel habits are back to normal.

Then yesterday came, and I am not 100% sure if Solly "did his thing" or not. Since he & Greta share a litterbox during the day, it's hard to tell whose is whose, if you'll again pardon the term. Since cats typically have 1 BM per day, I got to thinking, I hope we aren't going to have problems again.

So, worrywart me started getting nervous and thinking, well how much is he drinking? Eating? I knew from watching him that he ate well, but wasn't sure about how much he drank. Then I found myself worrying about things like kidney problems, chronic constipation, infection, allergies, etc. Lots of "what if" worrying.

Then the Lord spoke to me early this morning just before I typed this. He reminded me of how He brought Solomon to me as answer to prayer.

He said, "I will take care of Solomon's bowel habits. I gave Him to you. Let me take care of Him."

But of course I wasn't content or sure if I was hearing from the Lord, so I tried to find comfort in it but was still worrying.

So the Lord got ahold of me again and said, "Look, you're just going to have trust me on this. Stop worrying. I will take care of Him. OK?"

Still nervous, I said "Ok, Lord."

Then He said, "Give this over to me. I can't do anything until you do." He knew I was trying to "control" the situation, in my own sinful fleshly way. So, I did.

It's hard for me sometimes to trust the Lord in things like this, because I find I have a fear that I'm not hearing from Him, and will be in for a shock or a letdown. This is something I'm still trying to learn more about.

I find I have to just (and I can't think of any other way to put it right now) pretend that things are fine even tho I might not think so, otherwise I'll catch myself worrying again or expecting things to happen at a certain date or time when they might not. God is trying to show me that things WILL work out, just not necessarily when I want them to.

This is a lesson I need to learn and I pray the Lord help me to learn it well. :)

update on Solomon

Well Solly has a vet appointment Tuesday. AFAIK he still has not had a bowel movement, and his anal area (glands etc.) seem irritated and pink. I did try to, as they say, manually express the anal gland but nothing came out.

Earlier I tried also to express his anal gland and did get some results but not much. When he goes to the vet they too *may* express his anal glands if they think it is necessary. Of course all this means $$$....(sigh)

Please be praying for me and Solomon. I would LOVE to know what's going on.

3/13 post

Well here I am again lagging. Bad bad bad!

Now I have to catch up on posts, AND sleep thanx to the daylight savings time change.

I finally got myself a new keyboard. Yay, no more sticking keys! Then I discovered it was a USB keyboard. (DOH!) Good thing my puter has 2 USB ports in front and in back.

Good news, my tapes from Canada arrived! Wooohoo! Turns out they didn't ship until 2/25. That explains that. ;) My faith in the Canadian postal service is restored. Good on ya, Canada Post! :D

Solomon is doing better, he's starting to act like his old self now. Only problem is he hasn't gone "number 2" in the litterbox in at least 2 or 3 days. So, I first gave him some Vaseline which he loved (some cats love the taste of that stuff), and then for good measure tried to give him less than a teaspoonful of Metamucil. He HATED THAT. He started frothing at the mouth from anger. That is amazing coming from him, he usually doesn't get upset. AFAIK he isn't constipated but the fact that he's eating all this wet and dry food yet not having bowel movements is a puzzle to me. If you pray, please keep Solomon in prayer.

BTW Solomon also is due for a dental cleaning & scaling. He has advanced dental disease & because of that it'll cost me $650 including bloodwork & pain meds. I am praying for the Lord to guide and assist me in this area. I definitely want to do this for Solly, cuz I think he'd feel better. It's up to the Lord now.

Also got another of my accompaniment tracks - "Heaven Will Be Near Me" by Michelle Tumes. The background vocals are supposed to be female but they don't sound it to me. Hmmmmm

I ordered 2 more tracks as well for production, "When Love Draws Near" by Michele Pillar, and "My Soul In Your Hands" by Natalie Grant. Perhaps next month or so I will order another one too.

OK I need to think about going to bed. (boo hiss)

Oh (S)no(w)

Well I meant to post an entry Wednesday but have been dreadfully sleepy this week. For starters, the weather Monday was terrible. The snow alone was bad. Six inches or more were on the ground when I left for work yesterday morning and the parking lots not plowed - but there was also sleet & ice from the night before, causing problems with frozen car locks, and treacherous roads. The day before we had a beautiful spring-like day and had seen some of the "white stuff" melted, along with sunny warmer temperatures, along came a nor'easter with a little sleet, rain, and snow. The dreary weather made me so tired I went to bed early.

Then Tuesday I had every intention of posting this entry, and again I headed to bed early (8:15 or so). I'm taking meds to help me sleep that I got from the dollar store, and they also help me immensely with my sleep apnea. They contain a combination of Valerian, Chamomile, & Melatonin. I take 1 a couple hours before bedtime and they help me sleep thru the night and awaken rested & refreshed the next day. And - best of all - I have no issues with staying awake during the day, something sleep apnea sufferers must deal with. These work even better than the prescription meds I was taking. Praise God for the dollar stores! :)

Tuesday night, I received the cutest doll from my friend Sue...a Dawn clone head ("Jeanie") on a vintage Dawn body. Jeanie was originally 7.5 inches tall so she couldn't share Dawn's wardrobe, and while I have 3 Jeanies already on their regular bodies I was hoping to find one I could put on a Dawn body. I just couldn't transplant them since she is HTF and it took me a while to get the 3 I do have. Now, thanx to a doll swap, I have a Jeanie who can wear Dawn's clothes, and she is such a sweet girl.
I'll have to take a closer look at her body to see if she has any markings. I found out thru my fellow clone lover friend Laura that she might actually be Mod Miss, a doll who was sold with Jeanie's head but a plastic Dawn-type body.

Wednesday I was going to post this, and I found myself falling asleep around 7:30pm. So early bedtime, again.

Ever have weird dreams when you go to bed early? I had an interesting dream that my mom was upset with me and claiming she had no money to buy any nice clothes for herself because she had to spend it on clothes for me. Why I even had this dream is a mystery, since I don't live with her, I buy my own clothes (I get em from the thrift stores and Walmart occasionally) and the only time she now buys clothes for me is occasionally at Christmas.

Today is Thursday and God has blessed me in the most wonderful way. He provided finances so that I can pay off most of my debt, and save monthly in the long run. God is SO GOOD!! I give Him all the praise, glory and honor for this one. Interestingly, the other day when I ordered from a local Chinese takeout place, I found the "fortune" from a fortune cookie that read "The Star of Finances is shining down on you." I remember thinking to myself, "Lord, if it be thy well, let this come to pass." That was only 4 days ago, and He did! I don't put any stock in fortune cookies, but it was almost like this was a sign from the Lord.

I do have a prayer need. I am concerned about Solomon again, as he is sleeping a lot, and is warm to the touch...he eats & drinks well, & is using the litterbox but doesn't seem to want to do anything but sleep. I go to where he's at and he purrs. :) Doesn't seem interested in wanting to be with me right now. I hope it's just because of the weather. Praying he will be OK.

TTYL

Today & tonight

Hi there!

Well, I got a few things done today. Like take pictures of my MW case & the stuff it contained.

I promised pics and here they are:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43193008@N00/sets/72157626211631626/with/5504420276/

A whole set of pics, 1o in all for you to enjoy.

I also managed to fix the knob on the fan in my dining room/living room....had to dremel out a larger hole to accommodate a knob but now one is in place. The old one wore out.

This morning I discovered my Daniel managed to chew off his calming collar. That really annoyed me. Daniel is certain a rebel. LOL I call him "rebel with claws".

Finally, I added an entire album of accompaniment tracks by Andrew Peterson to my library. :)

Hope to add a bunch by Jaime Jamgochian soon.

That's it for today.

behind again

Hello folks!

I am really sorry for not posting daily. My goal is to try and post an entry on here every day, but I'm not doing very well.

So, what's new in your neck of the woods?

Me? Glad you asked. Solomon is eating his Lysine treats, and so is Greta. LOL His herpes is clearing up, his eye (left one) still waters but not as much. His ears look great, the 2 scratches in front of his right ear are healing up wonderfully, praise the name of the LORD. For some reason, however, he's still afraid of when I sing. This morning I was singing along to MercyMe's "Word Of God Speak" and was singing at about a lower than normal volume. He took off like a shot and hid in the dining room. Why? I'm asking the Lord for an answer, and a solution, since the collar isn't helping with that.

Music. OK you didn't ask but I'll tell you anyway. No, my parcel from Canada did not arrive but it could be due to customs problems. I just learned that mail from coming into the US is being scrutinzed by customs....why I do not know....perhaps terrorist threats...perhaps due to activity in the MidEast....only the LORD knows. So, in my frustration, last night I ordered 3 more tracks from Sweet-Music (they're in Canada) and paid $26.50 for Priority Mail delivery. My last order, I had them ship via Air Mail which normally takes about 10 to 15 days (it's been 11 days now).

Bear in mind, Canada Post is not reliable, and I really hate ordering anything from Canada because of their lax attitude regarding delivery. I'm not blaming the Canadian sellers or companies, but I am blaming Canada Post. I've heard stories about how their staff is overworked and underpaid, and this is why the inefficient service. I heard someone tell me that some of their carriers don't feel like delivering certain things so they just throw them in a pile and get away with it. I will say this: if my Air Mail parcel is actually lost, and not just held up in Customs, it will be the third time something of mine was lost by Canada Post. I have one item I've waited on for four years. Another one has been at least one year or more. This latest order and my selection of Priority Mail delivery will help me decide if this method works better or not. If not, I will have no other choice but to order stuff to be shipped via FedEx or a method not involving the Canadian postal service and see if that works. I know to some I'm probably making a big deal out of this. Why the big deal? Because the items I ordered are out of print and hard to find. If I could find them from a US seller I'd go that route instead, but since sometimes Canadian sellers have them, I use them. The items I ordered this time via Air Mail were accompaniment tracks - "When Love Draws Near" by Michele Pillar, and "When The Time Is Right" by Ginny Owens. If these tracks don't arrive, I will have an accompaniment track made to "When Love Draws Near" by mycustomtracks. I already had a track to "When The Time Is Right" but this one just ordered is a better version. Yes, I'm that passionate and serious about my accompaniment tracks.

Good news, I got one more of the songs from my accompaniment order with mycustomtracks. Wooohoo!!! I had them recreate the accompaniment to "Still" by Watermark. They released a track in the early 2000s, but I got tired of hunting for it and decided to just have it recreated. Now I have it and it sounds great. Love this song.

Found another artist or 2 offering accompaniments also: JJ Heller, and Downhere. JJ Heller is a Christian folk artist, and since I'm not big on that genre (it's good music, just not my style) I only had 1 or 2 songs I really liked of hers. I ordered & received a track to "All I Need". I also have tracks to "Your Hands" and "What Love Really Means". I wanted to order her track to "What Love Really Means" but her had no background vocals, so that nixed that. Yes I have a track to "What Love Really Means" but it's by Daywind, the people known for adding instruments to songs. I discovered Daywind has an (IMO) annoying habit of adding a cymbal buildup to the intro of the slower songs. Whenever possible I try to edit it out via Audacity. But in the case of "What Love Really Means" it was not possible, so the annoying cymbal buildup intro stays...for now. Maybe when I have more money I will just go ahead and order "What Love Really Means" from JJ's site.

As for Downhere....they have 99 cent accompaniment tracks to their songs& also package deals. I already had a few tracks by them so instead of getting the package deal, I ordered tracks to the rest of their stuff. Like Jason Gray, the tracks from the 1st album have background vocals, but the tracks from their 2nd album do not. Why they did this I don't know, but I may be able to fix this with some remixing. ;) (heehee)

DOLL STUFF. At last I got my htf rare MW Dawn case!!! It is gorgeous. And STINKY. Whoever had this case must've smoked a few packs of cigs, cuz everything reeks of cigarettes. Upon inspection, the case needs a mirror replaced, a good wipedown, a few dryer sheets thrown in (to help absorb the cigarette smell), and I will try to wash the clothes. One of my friends online told me they saw pics of some htf MW outfits in the lot. They were right! Ohh, it's finds like this that make doll collecting so much FUN!

What's that? Pictures? You want pictures? You shall have them...as soon as I can find my camera, set up my tripod (I just got one from the dollar store), and take care of things....patience is a virtue. Take it from someone who knows. LOL

quick update

Solomon now likes his new treats! He ate 2 of them this morning. His ears look great. He does have a slightly reddish area by his right area, but I think this is a scar from a scratch that is still healing.

More later!

well!

Well I am certainly slacking in my posts! I have been stressed and burned out lately, so do forgive my lack of updates.

Daniel & Solomon got calming collars Sunday. They seem to help a lot, since Daniel is calmer and not as prone to bother his siblings as usual. Tonight I did catch him trying to pick on Greta, but a squirt of the water bottle stopped that. But for the first time in months, when I have him come with me to bed (I keep him in my bedroom at night so his siblings can have some peace) he hasn't hissed when he comes with me. He knows that when I say "bedtime" he knows he has to come with me to the bedroom. Most of the time (in the past) he gives an attitude and hisses his disapproval. The last 2 nights however, he has not hissed once at me. That's incredible. :) THANK YOU LORD.

Solomon is also calmer. We have a new network on our cable, Sonlife Broadcasting Network (run by Jimmy Swaggart Ministries) which I watch often for the preaching and music. I was singing along with some of their songs during a live worship broadcast, and Solomon did not run away or hide. He's also mellowed out and is not afraid of Daniel either. This morning Solly came to visit me in bed and even laid on the pillow by me purring. That's the Solomon I know and love.

Sunday, Solly also got scratched by Daniel before they got their collars. He has a scratch in front of his right ear, which I've been treating with peroxide and triple antibiotic ointment. It's getting better now. Then I noticed he was scratching at his ears (the back of them) constantly. So I decided to apply ointment to them, to see if it would help. He has not scratched his ears since, PTL!

Since the vet said to watch his ears for possible infection, I did notice his scratching and shaking his head a little. They mentioned this could also be dermatitis, and I have feline dermatitis products, so I have used them on him. He doesn't like them very much but I believe they are helping. I mentioned to the vet the scratching and shaking his head and they said to bring him in. As much as I'd love to do so, it costs me $50 per trip to go. That's the price for a taxi to, and later from, the vet. It's also the equivalent of a weeks' worth of groceries. So I scheduled an appointment for March 19th, when I should, hopefully, have more funds. I am bothered somewhat by the fact that the vet doesn't want me to try something over the counter first before coming in. If I already have something available, and it's made for felines, which this product is (it's called "Petrelief" by Sentry HC and is made for feline dermatitis) why not try it? Why spend money on exams, tests, & other things if this will solve the problem? I understand that they want to do all they can for Solomon, and are cautious. But I think a little common sense should be used as well. I expect I will draw some heat from the vet and perhaps other folks about this, but right now this is all I can do, unless God provides transportation there for a lower price (or no cost to me). If He wants me to have it, He'll make a way. Whatever the Lord decides.

Even tho today is payday, it's actually what I call "pay everybody else day" since 80% or more goes toward expenses like rent, electric, etc. There isn't much left for trips to the vet, and since I just spent $50 in cab fares this past Saturday, I am already low on funds for groceries. If God wants me to take him to the vet before March 19, He will make a way. I know He will, I don't have to wonder, because He is just that good. He CARES about us.

Doll news:

I recently got a great deal on a VHTF Dawn case! Then some of my Dawn buds showed me that this was not only a Montgomery Wards (MW) Dawn case, making it special, but it also included some MW fashions for Dawn, making it extra special. And at $20 it is a great bargain! Take a look at the pics:

http://tinyurl.com/6fc5hxt

They sent it via Parcel Post but the shipping was free, so I can't complain.

I also found a shirt & pants set made for Gary, for under $10!

http://tinyurl.com/5s2x9cs

They even made shoes for him! Naturally they aren't as nice as the originals, but again, I'm not complaining. LOL It is SO great to find such deals on Dawn items. It makes collecting her that much more fun....you can still get bargains and not break the bank.

Music news:

Nothing much to report, except that Francesca Battistelli has a new album out today. She also has released accompaniment tracks to all of the songs, which I purchased on Amazon. I haven't listened to the entire album yet, but I've heard "This Is The Stuff". :) Catchy fun tune.

STILL no news on my custom track order. I want to ask "When, Lord, when?" but I won't. Instead I will have faith and trust Him for them, just like I'm trusting Him to care for Solomon. In all things, at all times, I will praise and give thanks to the Lord!

the kitties and me (not necessarily in that order)

I finally decided to take Solomon to the vet to insure nothing was wrong....overprotective mom here... ;) so this morning we went and thank the LORD, nothing is wrong. His ears seem kinda pink as does the skin by them, but the vet said it's nothing to be worried about but to keep an eye on it for the next 2 weeks to insure it doesn't get worse. She figures it could be an allergy or something. Solly's heart & lungs were normal, temp. was normal (101.2 which is normal for a feline), everything just fine. Well, not his teeth, they want to do a cleaning to see if there's anything else going on and I'm not sure if I can afford it financially. His teeth are in bad shape cuz he's got FIV, I just wish I could clean them myself. I know it wouldn't be as good of a job as they'd do but it might help. I am praying for the Lord to help in this area.

Solomon was a brave kitty and didn't put up a fight or anything, and he was happy to have me there for support, since he purred a lot. :)

OH he also got his shots updated, so right now he's kinda dumpy from them but that is normal.

I'm also trying to be more patient and calm around my kitties. I do (unfortunately) tend to get upset and find myself raising my voice at Daniel a lot of the time. Now that I have been reminded of how sensitive my kitties' hearing is, I will work at being more calm and at ease. Thank you LORD for the reminder and conviction of this. I welcome your conviction Lord.

I've decided to get Solomon, and Daniel, calming collars that have pheromones in them. They'd be a lot cheaper than investing in diffusers, and if they don't work I haven't lost a fortune to them. I think the collars are around $15 or so each, but I'll have to see.

Still nothing new on the accompaniment track front regarding my large order of custom made tracks. This is definitely a faith and patience building experience for me. LOL

Well, I really hate to close now, but since I'm having a sore throat and need to fix dinner, I better close. More tomorrow I hope.

iiiiiiiiiiiiicccccccccccckkkkkkk

Well I know I haven't posted again in a day or so...may not post again today....I have had some kind of stomach virus....have barely eaten anything lately cuz when I do it just comes back again (if you know what I mean). I was out sick yesterday and will be out today too since I'm still not 100% better (maybe 50%).

Weather doesn't look good either.

Solomon is acting more like himself, I am still being cautious about singing or raising my voice around him.

OK TTYL folks. Bedtime.

concerned

Hi everyone,

I don't know if anyone is even reading this, or cares, but if you're out there, could you please agree in prayer with me for one of my kitties? Solomon is acting very dumpy lately....he is an FIV kitty....he is eating & drinking well, and is somewhat playful, but doesn't seem as content as he usually does. He's one of those types of cats who purrs a lot, especially when he's with me. The last 2 to 3 days he will sit with me but doesn't purr much. Hopefully nothing is wrong, but I really do not have the funds to take him to a vet. I may be making a mountain out of a molehill, but I know the Lord cares if nobody else does. If any of you could be agreeing in prayer with me for God's will about Solomon....

surviving, singing, and so on

Hi there everyone!

I'm so sorry for not posting much Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. The weather made me feel lazy, and the energy I had Saturday seemed to be gone those days. Tuesday was back to work and that meant busy busy busy.

I did manage to find and record to DVD a marathon of "Survivorman" episodes on the Science Channel. It's a great show, and shows how if you're fit enough and had to, you could survive on the bare necessities in the wild. Not that I plan on doing that anytime soon, tho sometimes I've wondered what it'd be like.

I used to have a daydream growing up that I'd move to my family's old private campsite, its 100+ acres of trees, wildlife and "growed-up" pastureland, and would live off the land....literally. I kept thinking of naturally growing foods there that I could eat, aside from the wildlife. I figured I could probably eat wild berries, apples, and other things and could build fires from dried wood & things. Since there was an old watering trough that still worked, I could use that for my water supply. There also used to be a small "fort" type structure that my dad built for me to play in, and I could live in there.

Of course, being a child, I never stopped to think of what I'd do for clothes to wear, how to keep warm in the winter & cool in the summer, etc. And how would I get places, like to the store? The nearest department store is a good 30 minute drive...and that'd be quite a walk for me...I probably figured I could ride my bike there. LOL! Now that I'm an adult, I realize that I would miss things like a phone, TV, internet, etc. This was also before I learned about the Amish and how their lifestyle is similar to my daydream of living off the land. The Amish have to work hard though, don't use electricity or phones, and being a kid, I didn't want to WORK, I just wanted to live off the land, enjoy nature, & just play. But in reality, if you really want to live well, you will have to do much work. So, when I got older and learned these things my daydreams were crushed. Ah well, it was a nice thought.

Now of course, I could never be like Les Stroud, "Survivorman" himself, since he knows more about nature, plants, & wildlife than I ever will, so I don't think I could even SURVIVE on my family's campsite with nothing but a few things if I had to. I do enjoy watching him tackle the harsh climates, the challenges, etc. I have the first season on DVD thanx to my brother who got it for me for Christmas.

My boy Daniel has the honor of being a Daily Diary Pick on Catster! He's often been picked by them, I guess they really like his diary entries. I try to keep that updated too but don't always. My lagging behind on posts & blogs isn't just here. LOL

I don't really have anything new in the line of doll stuff to tell you about, except that I will be getting another cardboard case to customize (say that 3 times fast!) soon. Future projects!

In the music dept., I added several more new accompaniment tracks to my library by Brian Littrell, Michele Pillar, Crystal Lewis, Salvador, Ginny Owens, Sara Groves, Michael W. Smith & Helen Baylor. Some of these came as part of a "lot" I won on eBay for $1.75. This is the best way to acquire titles without paying a fortune. Another way is to purchase digital downloads. Which reminds me, I forgot that I also purchased some trax by Ben Glover. ;) (Had to include him.)

Well that's it for now. TTYL :)

lagging

I'm lagging behind in my projects and my blog posting. Sorry about that....

The weather is partly to blame....since I'm bipolar I also tend to get Seasonal Affective Disorder in the cold months too, making me not want to do anything. And with a visit to my therapist coming up, he knows about it but doesn't do much. Ah well.

Anyway, I did want to check in and let those of you reading this know I'm around. :)

TTYL :)

You're nobody til you've been ignored by a cat!

Hi there!

Well today has been semi-productive. It started out with my having sinus pain from the cold windy weather, so I took some meds, which made me sleepy so I laid down for a while. Then finally I decided I'd better get up and do some stuff. So I did some cleaning while listening to Gospel (black gospel) music on the Music Choice channel we get. I truly love black gospel music, there's nothing quite like it to get you motivated, in God's presence. There is such an anointing on the songs that I just love praising the Lord that way. I use that and also contemporary praise & worship to help lead me into God's presence.

I also took some pics of some items I am trying to sell....some My Scene (MS)heads & 2 nude dolls with the poseable bodies. I went on the puter to transfer the pics to my Flickr account, and was singing along to some Christian karaoke. Solomon was sitting next to the monitor. I try not to sing loudly when he's that close, since I know kitties have delicate hearing. Well I guess I was a little too loud again (oops)....Solomon got upset and tried to leave. I tried to stop him, and he kept resisting to the point where he began growling. So I finally let him go. That was over 5 hours ago, and he is still upset with me about it. He's sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwly getting over it, since he did come back up to the puter for some petting, attention & one on one with his mama, but he didn't purr like he usually does when he comes up for his time with me, so he is still kinda miffed. At least he's easting, drinking, playful (he was chasing the laser light earlier) so he's just ignoring me. He'll even turn his back to me, like a kid pouting. LOL Like the title says, you're nobody til you've been ignored by a cat! I feel so important! LOL!!!!

So, at least part of my projects are completed. I still need to take more piccies. I have an Olympus 8 megapixel camera that takes fair quality pics for the most part, unless you set the ISO to 64. Anything higher will result in grainy pictures...I've tried other settings and this is the only setting that works well. Ah well, I'm still grateful for this camera since it was a Christmas gift from my mom who found it used on eBay, and had all the accessories... we believe it was a blessing from the Lord, just waiting for us to find there.

I need to close for now. bye!

Praise the Lord, it's Friday! 3 Day weekend!

Hi there!

Long weekend is here, woooohooo! I am SO excited.

I definitely plan on spending some time with the Lord in prayer and praise. He is SO worthy, after all He is my source, my EVERYTHING...simply put, I am nothing but He is everything. Whatever I have came from Him and I give Him glory and praise for that. This morning I spent time in prayer and started to get distracted by something else, and God said He wanted me to focus on HIM first, not on other things, to spend time first thing with Him and I can take care of other things later. He loves that time alone, just He & I, and I love to be with Him. I could not ask for a better friend or "Husband" than my Lord, my master, my Creator, my MESSIAH Jesus! I praise God for being the I AM, for the gift of Jesus, and the precious Holy Spirit. :) The triune God 3-in-1!

I just unearthed 2 Dawn fashions I bought and completely forgot about: a cute pink minidress with red & white hearts, and a gorgeous green & silver gown made by Checkerboard Toys, with the cutest lime pink shoes. Oh I cannot wait to take pictures to show off all of these outfits!

I also got a new project - making a customized doll case for my Pippas.. A co-worker gave me the box, cardboard with plastic handle, that held candy bars for sale. It's the perfect size for Pippa, Dawn or Starr dolls. There are side flaps that tuck in to close it, but the case doesn't seal properly, so I need to think of something I can make or add to help keep it tightly closed.
I have wanted to create a custom Pippa case for some time...I know there are Pippa cases out there, but I wanted to make one a little different, something with more graphics like the vintage Barbie ones. Right now I'm thinking of finding some images of Pippa, the drawings like those found in trade catalogues, putting some of those together and creating a cool case. :) It will probably take some time to do all this, but it'll be something fun. First I want to finish my "fakey Gail"....I have such a tendency to start something and never finish it! So this time I want to focus on finishing Gail. She deserves it, and so do I.

Which reminds me...I need to take a pic of a Dawn doll case I want to sell or trade. Camera time fer sure!

So my projects this weekend are:
Bible study, prayer & praise
Maybe go to church (depending on the weather & other factors)
Cleaning up and sorting out junk
Taking pics of dolls, outfits & items for sale or trade
Finishing up w/rerooting Fakey Gail
HOPEFULLY transferring more cassettes to mp3 (an ongoing project)

I'll be in touch! :)

well...

Hi there again!

I'm trying to be more diligent in my posting but lately I get so busy I don't have time. My apologies.

A couple of things I should mention - finally got a reply from mycustomtracks about the status of my order. (Thank you LORD.) They said they would finish my order "very soon" (however long that may be, LOL) and to be patient.....confirmation from the Lord IMO to have faith! Last time I asked them about the status which was in January they said the same thing. So it could be a month, 2, or more. The Lord is really trying to stretch my patience with this one. LOL When it comes to karaoke or accompaniment tracks, I never have much patience. That might sound like a boast, but it's not. Rather it's a flaw that I can't stand, and I'm sure the Lord can't stand it either. I pray that He builds up patience in me.

I also discovered Crystal Lewis' site now has custom CDR and album trax available to order. I may try to combine my order with a friend online so we can both save money.
The prices on their stuff is good but the shipping is very high - $10 for Priority Mail for one CD! EEK!

I'm really trying to get around to taking pics of new doll clothes, but I just haven't had the time. Between that and being super-tired and ending up going to bed early (like 8pm), it hasn't gotten done. I will be SO glad to have a 3 day weekend to try and get things like this done. Now I just need some motivation.

One good thing about getting to bed early...chances are good that one of my kitties will follow. Solomon has been coming to sit beside me lately. He loves to lay beside my pillow and just purr contentedly. He's helped me to fall asleep many times thanx to his soothing purrs. I am truly, truly grateful and blessed that God gave me such a special kitty.

Another special kitty is Daniel, whose "birthday" was yesterday! (February 17) I don't know if that is his actual birthday, since when I got him he was around 6 or 7 months old, but it'll do. Daniel is now three years old, so he's mellowing out more. His personality (purrsonality?) is changing too...he was sleeping with me in bed for a while, now he's happy to lay on the floor in the bedroom. He loves to look out the window, and relax by it. Our windows don't have much of a ledge, but there is an old TV table (with TV) next to it, so that's his "ledge." LOL Daniel is another one of God's blessings to me, and came to me unexpectedly about 2 years ago.

My 3rd and last (but not least) kitty is Greta. She's 11 years old, and has been with me the longest. She is definitely showing signs of aging...sleeping more, eating less, etc. I think she may also be a bit hard of hearing, since I have to call her with a loud voice for her to hear me. Greta is a sweet girl and a real blessing, since she's a black cat and at first, before I got her, I wasn't sure if I'd want a black kitty because the ones I'd met in the past were mean-tempered. But Greta is a sweetheart and loves her mama. I adopted her - or more like I rescued her - and her now deceased brother Buster back in 1999 when they were five week old barn kittens. The very first time I picked her up, she just purred her little heart out. That was all it took for she and I to bond instantly. :) (Buster died in 2008 of heart failure.) Greta would also prefer to be the only cat in the house...I discovered this after Buster had died and it was just her and I for a few months. She tolerated Buster, but I thought it was just sibling rivalry. When I adopted my 2 boys, she really didn't like the idea and barely tolerates them too. She is quite the independent lady and loves to be held but only for a short time (like 30 seconds). She does "ask" to be held so I know she enjoys it.

For the record, and some of you may find this hard to believe, I shouldn't technically say I adopted my 2 boys, because in actuality the Lord gave them to me in answer to prayer. I did "adopt" them by giving them a home, but the Lord was the one who brought them here. I had come very close to adopting kitties before their arrival, because I missed the close companionship and needful personality Buster had, and I prayed about whether or not God even wanted me to have another cat. Every time I considered adopting from a shelter, the Lord said to me "do NOT adopt a cat from the shelter. I will put a cat in your path." And just like the situation with my impatience about my accompaniment order, I was impatient in His putting a cat in my path. I even questioned whether or not He actually said this, and He confirmed it to me over and over again.

It took 10 months after Buster's death before the first of TWO kitties arrived....Daniel was the first, and Solomon followed 2 weeks later. Daniel actually was brought to me by a friend, and so was Solomon. Daniel had already been in 2 previous homes and the last ones who had him couldn't afford to feed him, so they were going to drop him outside. Fortunately that didn't happen and he came as a surprise. I asked the Lord if He wanted me to have this cat, since I wasn't really expecting him and He revealed to me that He wanted to surprise me, and that Daniel was one of two cats He was giving me.
As for Solomon, he was a stray cat (possibly partly feral) who kept coming back to a friend's home in search of food. The friend eventually took him in and fostered him, and she & I prayed about whether or not the Lord wanted me to have him. He told both of us (at different times) that yes, this cat was to be mine. Solomon finally arrived at his "furever" home a few weeks later.

I should close this for now...I need to try and rest.
TTYL :)

today's entry 2/15/11

Hi everyone!

Well today it's quite cold outside. Windy and cold, a real change from yesterday and the high of 52* (F). Today was a reminder that winter's here, but hopefully not for much longer. I don't usually put stock in the groundhog (or as I call him, woodchuck) on Groundhog Day and his predictions, but maybe he's right this time. Only the LORD knows for sure. ;)

I did strike "karaoke gold" yesterday when I discovered undiscovered tracks by Pocket Songs: Unpredictable, Behind The Scenes, & My Paper Heart by Francesca Batistelli; Going Home by Mylon & Broken Heart; Someday by Crystal Lewis; and Love One Another & Matter Of Time by Michael W. Smith.

Speaking of Crystal Lewis, I checked her website recently. She'd stated on it back in December that there were some changes to the store (online). Since I like to check for accompaniment tracks or specials at artists sites periodically, I thought I'd visit. As of this writing, there are now only about 40 or so "downloadable" or MP3 accompaniments (about half as many as previously) and the section for custom CDRs and complete album accompaniment tracks is empty. I've sent an inquiry to the ordering department of the store, which I believe is Metro One Music (not sure). They may have decided to eliminate the custom CDRs & complete album accompaniment CDs (aka Vocal track collections, as they call them). Right now there's been no reply, but I hope to hear from them.

And again, speaking of reply, STILL nothing from mycustomtracks about my order....(sigh) when when when???? I feel so frustrated!

I do have my eye on an auction with some obscure MWS trax I don't have, so will be checking that. I really wish I knew other Christians who were into accompaniment and karaoke music also, I would love to be able to share, swap, and talk about it with them. I hope yall don't mind my doing so here. I don't even know if anyone reads this. I guess I'll see, huh?

OK, do you need some doll talk to go along with this post? :) Alrighty....I took some pictures of some "new" (to me) Bratz dolls I got from a friend at a board called My Scene Hangout.

Nevra and Sasha, both looking hot:

Meygan, with the most gorgeous eyes:

I also have 2 other girls I need to take pics of.

This next pic is of a My Scene (MS) Madison who I bought as a head only a few years ago...she came on a keychain! Her hair is only rooted once around the scalp, but she such haunting eyes beautiful curly hair:

I will try and take pics of my Dawns, Pips, and/or Starrs OR clones in some clothes I received.

That's all for today.

New things!

I have some new pics I want to share, but it's getting late tonight so I'll have to wait. One is a beautiful outfit for Pippa by my UK friend Elaine, some are some custom doll clothes from eBay, and some other neat things.

Goodnight :)

Valentines Day – Not just for couples

Hello everyone and happy Valentines Day! I hope it was a good one.

I wanted to encourage some of you out there who may be feeling lonely or even angry because you’re single and don’t have someone who loves you.

There are many people who hate the day because it’s a celebration of love and couples and marriage. To them, it’s a reminder of something (or someone) they can’t have or no longer have. There’s also many Christians who have a hard time with this day.

I choose to not let the fact that today is Valentines Day bother me. I’m single, partly by choice, but also because I know that I am not emotionally able to handle the companionship of a man. (I’m bipolar.) I tend to have wild mood swings and can be a plain and simple pain to be around sometimes…to put it mildly. This is something I am continually working on.

I treat myself special on Valentine’s Day, to cheer me up. I’ll buy something simple like a package (of 3) Ferro Rocher chocolates. Those are so good. Or listen to some uplifting music. Or be with my kitties.

Besides, I actually do have a boyfriend, and His name is Jesus. He’s more than a boyfriend though, He’s more like a husband and father to me.

If you are a Christian, and have accepted Jesus as Savior, you too have someone who loves you so much you will never be able to comprehend it. His love is SO full, rich, pure, forgiving, full of mercy and grace…there is no end to His incredible, amazing, unconditional love for us. Allow Him to fill you with His love.

If you don’t know Him, why not give Him a try?

Here’s some scriptures on love from the bible. These are all from the NIV.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
This is so true!!


"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalms 37:4)
This is one of my favorite verses, in fact it’s what I call one of my “life verses.” God has granted me the desires of my heart so many times and I am always in awe and amazement over His willingness to do so.
If we love and serve Him, and choose to make the Lord our joy, our delight, our everything, He will bless and reward us richly. But we should not serve Him just to get blessings, but out of love and devotion to Him.


"To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." (Mark 12:33)
Amen. This is one of the greatest commandments Jesus ever gave.

"We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19)
I love this scripture too, because of His great love for us, we can love others, have compassion for them, and help others. There are so many things we can do, simple things like praying for (or along with) someone, providing a meal, offering to bring someone to church, helping the elderly and disabled, saying a simple “I care”, etc.

"My lover is mine, and I am his." (Song of Solomon 2:16)
This is just beautiful when you see it in context...Jesus is our Lover, and we are the beloved...Jesus is MINE!! And I am His. (And glad to be so!)

"Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
This is the perfect example of God’s love for us. I love to apply this scripture to Him and to my life, because He is love, and since He lives in me, I can be His love.

Well, enjoy yourselves and tttyl. :)

Just a quick note

Hi everyone!

Don't forget tomorrow is Valentine's Day....show your sweetie (if you have one) that you love them!

My valentine is Jesus. I consider myself "married" to the Lord. And lemme tell ya, He is the best friend and husband I could ever ask for! :) I love you LORD.

Gotta get to bed....work tomorrow. (ugh)

Bye!

It's Sunday...

That means it's the Lord's day. I don't have a church home at present, so I listen to ministers like John MacArthur. I highly recommend him! :)

It's also the start of Spring Training. That means baseball is back! WOOOOHOOO!

I'm a Yankee fan, and also a Mets fan. Since I live near NYC, I gotta root for my 2 NYC teams. :)

I know more about the Yankees, but would love to learn more about the Mets. We get SNY (for Mets games) and the YES Network (for Yankees games) so I also get to see features like their Magazine shows, kids' shows, etc. YES has Yankeeography, I am wondering if SNY has done any bios of their past or present Mets greats.

I thought of a few other artists I'd love to see more tracks by:

Bethany Dillon (aka Bethany (Adelsberger) Barnard, since she's now married to Shane Barnard of Shane & Shane) - no new accompaniment tracks from her latest album... :(

Bebo Norman - new album and so far, no new accompaniments. I want a track to "Here Goes" without the lead vocal!

FFH - another one who's with a new label and no new accompaniment tracks. Also now performing as a husband & wife duo. New album is good, but I miss the 3 & 4 part harmonies. I really wish someone would release a performance track to "Undone"...

Tobymac - until recently there were only 1 or 2 accompaniment tracks of his songs....am I the only one who wants karaoke versions of songs like "Lose My Soul" or "I'm For You"? Looking forward to obtaining the newest accompaniment, "Hold On" (by Christian World).

Plumb (aka Tiffany (Arbuckle) Lee) - there are some great songs here with messages good for today's hurting youth - yet there are only 2 songs of hers available as accompaniments. I'd love to be able to sing "I Can't Do This" (even tho it does sound more alternative/metal), "Better", "Cut" (a song about cutting), her rendition of the hymn "God Will Take Care Of You," or "Beautiful History". She has some great music, I sometimes wish she had more variety in her messages since after a while they start to sound alike to me.

Erin O'Donnell - yes, she's not released anything new in some time, aside from acoustic versions of songs from her previous albums, but I can think of at least 2 songs by her I would absolutely love to sing, "Even In My Youth" and "No Better Place" (not to be confused with Steven Curtis Chapman's song "No Better Place," which is entirely different). There are others I'm sure. I did have a track created to her song "Crazy", and I love it.

When I say I want to sing these songs, I don't mean sing along to the original version with the lead vocals still there. I mean, be able to sing them for solos at churches, events, etc. Since my calling is to sing for the Lord and encourage others, I like to have a large selection.

Ironically these are also artists whose songs, when trying to remove lead vocals with karaoke software, provide poor unusable results. If the cost of getting karaoke tracks to these songs wasn't so high, I would've probably done so long ago.

In other news....I found 2 rare tracks: "Beauty From Pain" by Superchick, and "Hymn" by Jars Of Clay. The company? "Soundmachine"....you might know their site....mycustomtracks.com ! They've taken songs they produced for others and now released them on compilation albums. Not much selection in the Christian, Gospel, or Inspiration dept. by them, but if you're interested, you can now obtain accompaniments in MP3 to songs I had created by them including "Deep Love" by Michelle Tumes, "Alice In Wonderland" by Susan Ashton (remember I mentioned that song?) and one of my all time faves, "Song To My Parents" by Keith Green. Go here and get em:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JZCGI6/ref=docs_ya_os_a

I need to stop going on and on about this....also need to get ready to go get groceries. Yippee! LOL

another evening entry

Hello again everyone!

Well another unproductive day for me here. Actually, it wasn't completely unproductive....I discovered Lisa Bevill (one of my fave Christian artists) has a page on Facebook now....she's got some great new and older songs out there....and also a really cool site of her own:

http://www.lisabevill.com

She is a sweet lady. She struggles with Lyme disease, but doesn't let it stop her from serving the Lord with all her heart. I've never met her, but her personality shines thru all the time.

I also dug out Lisa's newest cd, When The Healing Comes, and have been listening to it. This is one of her best CDs yet! She offers downloadable accompaniments to all of the songs from it, and I can see I'll be ordering several (if not all). LOL

Remember I was talking about Addison Road and their accompaniment tracks? I'd heard that the Daywind track to the song "What Do I Know Of Holy" was a different arrangement? Well I decided to listen to their version and the album version. I only heard 1 difference: Daywind added a cymbal intro, which I was able to edit out from all 3 keys of the accompaniment.

Daywind has a tendency to add instruments or other things to their trax, which can be a problem....for example I ordered their track of "I'm Not Who I Was" by Brandon Heath since they were only one of 2 companies who had it (iTrax had it but it was too synthesized and sounded like a deluxe "electronica" version), and Daywind's was better. Upon receiving and listening to it, the vocals were not that good, which would've been bad enough....but they also added a steel guitar to make the song have a more country or gospel feel. (sigh) They turned a contemporary Christian song into a country/gospel song and never mentioned the change. So, what did I do? The next best thing: removed the lead vocal from the original Brandon Heath version which came out quite nicely, and added in a drum beat, since part of the drums were removed along with the lead vocal. Much better. :) It's times like this, when a company releases a karaoke or accompaniment track to a song and it sounds almost nothing like the original, that I either try to find the original artist track, create one with vocal removal software, or give up. In some cases I have mycustomtracks.com create it.

I gave my Francies & friends some more cute outfits for their wardrobe....these were all purchased on eBay today:

This ensemble was called "Summer collection." Clearly the shoes won't work on Francie & I might not use the earrings or purses.(Remember, Barbie has arched feet so any pumps or heels made for her won't work on Francie, whose feet are flat.) I just thought the outfits themselves were cute.

This one they called "White Gold." The shoes won't fit Francie, but a pair of either white or clear Francie-size pumps will work in this case.

This one is "Casual Comfort", altho I think I'll just call it "Comfy Casual". It sounds more fun. I might just keep the earrings for myself, if they'll fit me. LOL!

This one is called "Dalmatian Dots" but I'll rename "Dog & Dots." I might alter the top, since it doesn't look quite right. I need some inspiration!

And lastly, here is an outfit the seller called "Pretty In Pink." Not sure if the belt will stay, go, or be altered. Right now I do plan on losing the earrings and possibly the shoes too. The outfit is cute on her, don't you agree? Even if you don't, I like it anyway. So there. LOL ;)

OK, I have to think about heading off to bed....**************

The asterisks are courtesy of Solomon, who just walked on my keyboard.

TTYL!

this might not be pretty

Well hello again everyone. How's your weekend so far?

Yes, I'm up early again...been doing some visiting of sites, checking out things. I have a couple of things I want to discuss:

1. Rude YouTube users. I watch classic television and some Christian karaoke music on there. It amazes me how many rude, selfish inconsiderate people there are on that site. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since it seems to draw a lot of young kids and adults in their 20s, for the most part. There is so much hatred in some of these kids and adults! I spotted several users browbeating others' opinions and comments, cursing and posting really rude remarks to them. One of them, a young man in his 20s (I won't reveal names here) seems to take delight in calling people morons and apparently has never learned the words "shut up". Of course I do realize Youtube has a lot of secular garbage on there, but as I've said, it's one of the few sites to offer classic television shows and rare episodes. Why can't people allow others to have their opinions, whether they agree or not? And if they post wrong info, do you have to be RUDE when correcting someone? That's just the way of the world, I guess.

2. The lack of accompaniment tracks by some Christian artists. This has been a problem for years, especially with some of the better known Contemporary Christian artists. There are a few companies that produce tracks to songs, and that's great, but there isn't as much of a consumer base for Christian karaoke. There are 2 popular artists who I would love to find more karaoke or accompaniment tracks of: Britt Nicole and Addison Road.

While Ms. Waddell (aka Brittany Nicole Waddell, aka Britt Nicole) does have a few tracks out there, she's also had a few radio singles that were never turned into trax - songs like "Safe", "Believe" and "You". Often, when an artist releases an album, I try to find whatever accompaniments are available to their songs. When that's not possible, I then try to remove their lead vocals using various software, such as a plug-in for Winamp. In the case of Britt Nicole, there is often a lot of reverb on her vocals so it sounds like virtually none of them were removed when using this method.

As for the members of Addison Road - there are only 3 tracks to their songs available, with a 4th on the way from Christian World. The tracks available are: Hope Now, Fight Another Day, This Little Light Of Mine (due out in March) and What Do I Know Of Holy. I've heard that the track to What Do I Know Of Holy isn't the same arrangement as the original, and since it is on Daywind they are known for doing this with some songs. Also, the only original artist track by Addison Road is of Hope Now. Like Britt Nicole, when you attempt to remove the lead vocals on their songs, the result is an unuseable track- the lead vocals are just as prominent and strong. :( In their case it's not because of the reverb but rather something else, either the recording method used or the effects added to the lead vocals.

I could have accompaniment tracks to these songs created at a site called Mycustomtracks.com, but I am now having second thoughts. For starters, their prices keep going up....they'd been charging $60 for easy songs without background vocals and $80 for most pop and other songs. Now they're charging $80 for some songs and "to be quoted" for others. This includes the high probability it will cost more than $80 depending on the song's arrangement and vocals. Additionally, if you want real female background vocals on your song (if the original has them), that'll be another $40 or more. Be prepared to wait 2 or 3 months for each song, and never get replies to your emails. I know this because I've dealt with them for a few years now. Yup, these are the folks who I've been referring to in my posts about my large 17-track order. They ARE good folks, and they are quite busy, but the fact that they don't respond in a timely manner nowadays is getting bothersome. I am beginning to have some concerns and doubts about this order. Yes, I know you're busy, mycustomtracks people, but couldn't you at least acknowledge my emails? And yes I know I must be patient, but still, how long would it take for you to say "we received your message" or at least give a possible timetable as to how long (or longer) it will be? Remember I ordered these in November, and I know you have other songs to produce but still communication is vital.

Ok, well hopefully I haven't done too much damage from my complaints and concerns. TTYL

update on the rest of the day

Hi again!

Time for an update as to how the day went. I did get to the Post office and mailed my package....finally! I'm glad that's done.

I was a bad girl and stopped at McD's just to get their hamburgers. (That's all I got from there.)

On the way, I tried to walk on the sidewalk, which was pretty tricky since it was just coated with ice. I am so tempted sometimes to bring some kind of ice melting crystals or whatever is safe for cement sidewalks. Noone should have to walk down block after block of ice-laden sidewalks.

Then a trip to the dollar store to pick up some dollmaking needles, deodorant and a couple other things. Then a quick trip to the grocery store to get some food for meals this weekend. For some reason they'd either pulled all their Tai Pei frozen chinese dishes, or sold out of them. Darn. And I was hoping to get a small container of their General Tso's chicken. Ah well....

When I got home, the sidewalks along the main road were also covered in ice, so that made for more treacherous walking. At least the sidewalks in this complex are treated.

I was so tired from my trip that I rested briefly. Kept getting interrupted by phone calls tho, from various places (I'd rather not say where for personal reasons). Between that and my kitties jumping on me, it was a fitful rest.

I did finally rest a bit and fed the kitties around 4pm, among other things. Also took a few pictures of some new Bratz stuff. My camera takes horrid pictures, and it's an 8 megapixel Olympus...the pics turn out kinda grainy which bugs me. I always thought the higher the megapixels, the better the images. Guess not.

But anyway, here's a pic of Ciara, who I've renamed Clara:

Since I already have a Ciara (one of my Wicked Twiins repros), I changed this girl's name to Clara. I don't understand why MGA recycles names....or why they have to have so many characters, for that matter. I've said for years that they only have 2 head molds for the girls but over 50 characters. They're starting to look alike now.

Then there's one of my former Cloes who I turned into my version of Rina, who I'm calling Rinna:

Before you say anything, I already know that she doesn't look that good. I tried to lighten her skintone and I didn't do as nice of a job as I'd thought. Same with the eyes. I'll probably end up buying the real Rina....who will be renamed as Rinna, just as this "wannabe" is. But again, please no comments about how bad she looks only because I know that already.

Ok that's it for tonight. TTYL tomorrow. :)

G'morning!

Hi folks,

Well I'm off work today, since today is Lincoln's Birthday. I have some plans for the day already. One is to go to the Post Office and mail out a package I should have mailed 3 weeks ago. Another is a trip to the dollar store, and maybe even a trip to the Chinese takeout place. It's only 7:12am but the sun is already starting to appear. Praise the Lord for sunshine, it makes the day so much nicer. :)

More later. :)

Prayer requests

I wanted to add a couple prayer requests:

1) Prayer for my mom's friend Ray, who is in his 80s and has (I think) the flu. He is taking some meds but of course he's susceptible to pneumonia.

2) Prayer for my mom- her white blood cell count is low for some reason, and she may also be anemic since her Iron levels are very low. She'll be 81 in a few months.

3) Prayer for a friend of an eBay seller I recently did business with. She is in a coma and needs prayer support.

Thank you! :)

Update on things...

Hi everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple days. I have been so tired in the evenings I am finding myself in bed by 8pm. Ah well, it is on work nights….sometimes even Friday nights! It's probably from the stress of work and such.

STILL no word about my custom accompaniment order. One thing I don't have is patience. I know the Lord's trying to get me to have more, but I'm just one of those who likes to hear from someone as to how things are going. Besides, since this place did forget to add background vocals to some of my tracks, the least they could do is send me a status email. I hope I am not going to be scammed, because I already paid in advance for these tracks and expect them to produce them...I guess they're just really busy. If you would, agree with me in prayer regarding this situation and also that the Lord works more patience in me. I will not let my flesh, or the devil, win!

In other news….I did find an accompaniment track to “Hope To Carry On” by Caedmon's Call! Yaaay!!! I'd been wanting it, and found it under “Modern Worship Soundtracks” on Praise Hymn's site. So, another new track to add to my list. I have sooooooo many songs that I want to sing…some I can get accompaniments and some I cannot…hence my having them “custom made.” For example, the first song I had an accompaniment track made of was Susan Ashton's "Alice In Wonderland," a song about being selfish and not caring about others. I am always saddened when I find Christians who are too wrapped up in their own little worlds to not care about others (hey, there's another good song about that – “My Own Little World” by Matthew West). We are not to be like this world, and when we are so engrossed in ourselves, our lives, etc. we are doing exactly that. Jesus does not want us to be this way. We are to let our light shine, let the world see that there's something (or should I say Someone) different and look for opportunities to share His light and Gospel with others. So what if they don't like it. The important thing is to plant seeds! If we do even that, then we've accomplished something. :)

Got the Bratz Boyz clothing lot yesterday, along with some clothes for my Dawns from my friend. Woohoo! I didn't have a Gary handy to show, but I did pick up one of my FC guys so he'll be our model.

This first pic shows that some tops fit them, and some don't.


This is supposed to be a hoodie (I think), but it’s so big and the sleeves too long.
The hood part isn’t really a hood – there’s a hole in back, prob so it'll fit the Boyz heads better. Aside from that, I like it. Too bad it doesn't fit well. I wonder if it'll shrink with a good wash.


Well, this one's a little better but it's still kinda big for him. Look at the size of that pocket! It takes up at least 1/3 of his upper torso!



This one fits very nicely. It's a black t-shirt, and it's not too long. Maybe a little loose, but not enough to keep me from putting it on my guys.

There's 4 other outfits included in this set: a light blue sweater, a winter jacket, a white tank top, and a brown suede-like jacket. Right now, from what I can tell, the tank top is probably the only thing that'll fit Gary and his pals nicely without shrinkage or anything. So, out of 7 outfits, 2 work well and 5 don't. I'll wash the rest and pray that they shrink.

Of course, there's also pants and shoes included, but the pants are way too big for Gary – he could easily get lost in them – so I might sell or swap those. I'm now wondering if the Bratz Kidz Boyz clothes would fit my 6.5” guys. They're similar in size, and I know the Kidz girls ones fit Dawn really well…have not had any luck getting Kidz Boyz clothes. Instead I have to buy the complete doll with outfit. Drat. I'm not really fond of the Kidz dolls. I like Bratz dolls, and I have many of them including nearly all of the new characters (still need the newest Twiins) but I don't care for the Kidz. They're cute, but not my style. Maybe I can sell the Boyz nude on eBay, or trade.

Now for my next arrivals: Mini Flatsys!


Now how could anyone resist these little cuties? They aren't perfect, but still cute. I enhanced them just a bit by giving them pupils in their eyes. They didn't look quite right without them, the eyes seemed to “glow”. Now they look more normal.
The blonde on the left is missing the trim from her dress, which is not in the best of shape. The brownette on the right has green thingys (patches?) on her overalls which are falling off from age.

From what I can tell, you can't remove these outfits either. Which is probably a good thing, since these dolls are so small that dressing them would probably be difficult.

I do have some larger Flatsys and I like them too, but these mini ones are appealing to me more at the moment.

One last update for today – my “fakey Gail” in progress:


This is as far as I've gotten with her. She may not look like much now, but in time she'll look fab. You will forgive her for not wearing any clothes, won't you? I wanted to get a piccy of her like this (in progress that is, not nude) for posterity.

OK that’s all fer now. Bye!