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Sunday, December 22, 2013

Merry Christmas

I wish you all the best of holiday seasons.  I hope that you find the time to slow down and enjoy the little things.....which are really the big things.

 I have been fortunate enough this season to be the recipient of some incredibly kind gestures and wishes.

And I am very grateful for that.  Isn't that what this time of year is about?  The important things are not these gifts underneath the tree.

A few days ago my daughter decided to make bath bombs from scratch.  (The apple doesn't fall far...does it?)  I watched her dance and sing to christmas music as she made her little gifts.  She was genuinely happy.  I thought to myself...this is what is important.  Times like that are invaluable.

I made my cards again this year.  They were easy and fun.  I created a washi tape banner hung on red and white bakers twine.

Then I added a photo of the girls taken in front of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Enjoy your time

Monday, December 2, 2013

Maison de Michele and the Farmyard Darlings!

Hi all.  I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

On Thursday Dec 5th I have been invited to showcase my wares at the lovely Farmyard Darlings' event in Lafayette.  Carole and Kim are so kind to include me in their 3 year anniversary party.  It will be a grand all of their parties are.

Here are a few of the items I will be contributing.  I made 12 of these boxwood wreaths this past weekend.  Unfortunately I found out through this exercise that I am terribly allergic to boxwood. :(  I like, though how dainty they are.

Grain sack star ornaments

White linen napkins with frayed ruffle

and a few grain sack stockings

I have been working on my Christmas cards which will have a bunting across the top of the photo made of various patterns of red and gold washi tape, strung on red and white bakers twine!  I'll show them to you as soon as I get the photo.  That part makes hand making the cards seem like a cake walk :).

If you live in the area please join us.

Thursday December 5th
10am - 8pm

3295 Mount Diablo Boulevard
Lafayette, CA 94549

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

How About a Handmade Gift...and a Sale at Maison de Michele

I often think about how much of what I do in the course of a day is electronic.  It is more than I care to admit.  There is definitely a use for it and in many ways, the keys on my laptop, make my life easier.  That is why I think that a handwritten card sent via the postal service is very special these days.  And, with all of the mass produced goods from overseas, a handmade item has a way of standing out.

I handmake my Christmas cards each year. They are certainly not as beautiful as those which come from the printers.  And believe me, the burns on my hand from the glue gun, the sore back from bending over them, aching hand from signing each one, make me reconsider every year around this time.  But I end up doing it because it is not that often that you receive something that people take the time to make?  I do it because I love the impact that it can have.

Here are a few items from my shop which I have created and I think would make nice gifts, for the right person.  Let's be honest.  Not everyone feels the sentiment I am expressing in this post.  But I know a few who do.

(I believe that the same person who would appreciate this also shops at farmer's markets)

Vintage grain sack apron finished with French linen ribbon

Shams which are clearly well loved

Maybe for the hostess, hand monogrammed tea towels

And my newest item, white linen napkins

Please use code GIVETHANKS13 for a 10% discount on any item in my shop,

Thanks for visiting

Promotion good through November 30th 2013

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

What are you sowing today?

I had a little time this weekend to reflect.  And as I considered what I was going to create I thought about the homophones sew and sow.  I am a big believer in karma.  I believe that you reap what you sow. What am I investing in today that will pay off tomorrow?  I bet if I thought that way every day, I would be more productive, compassionate, fill in the blank.  It may be that I do something kind for another, that I change some small thing about how I parent in order to be a better mother, learn something new.  Our tomorrow is, in my opinion, the direct outcome of the choices we make today.

This weekend I bought an embroidery hoop and spent some time on youtube in hopes that I could make a few monogrammed tea towels for a friend of mine.  I have never done this before, so don't judge too harshly :).  I found the fabric at a local shop.  They had many patterns.  They actually called it tea towel material.  (as a side note, the blog popsugar features Martha Stewart's girls' dresses made from vintage versions of this fabric.)

I figure that if nothing else, I have begun to learn something new and hopefully brought a smile to someone's face.  I hope to continue to be mindful about the idea that every choice I make today will manifest itself sometime in the future.....for better or for worse.

Happy Tuesday

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Cupcakes with Washi Tape Flags

As some of you know I like to make and decorate cakes as a creative outlet.  The ones I have been making are very time consuming though.  So, for occasions when I don't have the better part of a day to spend in the kitchen I turn to cupcakes.  The problem has been, though, that I don't think they are as pretty.

I had a few of my college friends over last night and decided to make vanilla cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting.

I picked up some washi tape at Michaels and made these tiny flags.  They are super easy and I think that they dress the cupcakes up nicely.

Have a great day!

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Kitchen Remodel....the outcome!

Happy Hump Day

I write this post with a gigantic smile on my face.  The kids and I went to Balboa Island for a week long vacation.  My landlords chose to use the time we were away to renovate the kitchen for me.  I have never lived through a real remodel but I know enough to realize that I am very fortunate to leave for ten days and return to a new kitchen!

Here it is.  I could be no happier!!  They did a fantastic job.  When we sat down to discuss it I said that I wanted a particular sink.  Unfortunately, due to the way the kitchen was configured, sink on the corner of the counter, they said that an apron sink would not work.

They then came back to me saying that they were willing to reconfigure the layout of the entire kitchen in order to accommodate my sink.  They moved the stove as well as the sink and wrapped the countertop all the way around the room.  Here is a quick look at the old configuration.

And, now.  It feels like a completely different room.

I had my heart set on a few things.  Both came from Ikea, the sink, called the domsjo, and butcher block countertops, called numerar.  I preferred the oak.  It has been discontinued though so I chose the beech.  I want a slightly deeper shade so am considering staining them.

I also knew that I wanted subway tiles.  These are daltile in the standard 3" x 6" size.  I originally thought that I wanted white grout.  But after doing a little research I learned that many people who thought similarly ended up regretting not using grey grout.  I wanted the tile to stand out as subway tile and I felt, after spending hours and hours on Pinterest and Houzz, that the white grout just did not accomplish that.  I am thrilled with my decision.

The cabinets are the only element I did not have a say in.  And they choose ones exactly like I would have.  My favorite part is that they are the kind that close on their own....and silently.  Ok..... maybe my other favorite part are the lazy susans.  Such a great use of space!

The other element that was updated was the hood.  My intention, in order to finish this room, is to put in a stainless steel range.  So, they put a hood in that will match it.

I will also have to add the hardware, pulls and knobs, to the cabinets.

 Now comes the time to consider how to treat the countertops.  I have done some research on this topic as well ;)  There are many options and exponentially more opinions out there.  I want to protect them but also want to be careful about the chemicals I use to do so.  A woman named Vanessa talks about installing the same countertops I have in her blog this and that.  It is a great and very detailed post.   I love the way she stained hers.  They turned out beautifully.  I am considering using the same stain.  She sealed them with a product called Waterlox.  And though I love the look and am sure that it protects her countertops very well, I am a bit concerned about something which requires me to wear a respirator fitted with an organic cartridge to apply it.  I guarantee that most people would say that I am being overly cautious.....and I likely am. :)  If anyone has input on this subject, I would greatly welcome it.

  One last thing that I did was to add stick on led lights underneath the cabinets.

Thanks for bearing with me through this long post.  I am very excited though, to share it with you!  And super grateful to my kind landlords, Lily and Ben.

Have a good one!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Kitchen remodel

Good morning

This is a post I have been waiting to write for a long time.  As you may know I live in a rental unit in San Francisco.  It is a lovely old building.  And I have been making small, slow improvements since I moved in.  Not huge renovations....just lighting, painting, panelling.  These things make a big difference, as you will see below.

 What I am currently focused on is the kitchen.  After a small facelift I still am bothered by the countertops.  I understand that these were quite popular back in the 70's :) I decided to speak with my landlord to see if I could replace them.  I found beautiful oak butcher block at Ikea. (These have since been discontinued.....such a disappointment)  They said that they would have to think about it.

Here is what I started with and the improvements I have made thus far.  (sorry for the poor quality of the below photo.  It was the only one I could find).

The cabinets and underneath the countertops were another thing that drove me nuts.  I realized that painting wood like this was not going to yield a kitchen worthy of Country Living.  But anything, I figured, was better than this.

I also played around with color on the walls.

For the purposes of this post I will show you the before, and the in progress photos.

I wish I had a pic of the old lighting.

Below is what it looks like today.  I added mercury pendants and baskets above the cabinets for storage.  I painted the cabinets, walls, and changed the hinges.

The addition of the wainscoting, in my opinion, made a huge difference.

Now back to the countertops.  A few months ago I went on a short business trip.  I returned to an apt resembling a hot sauna.  The tap, faucet, (not sure what the correct name is) which brings the hot water into the washing machine had broken.  I drove up to find all of the windows steamed up.  As I entered I heard the distinct hissing sound of spewing water.  It was so hot that I could barely touch it as I tried to turn it off. I don't know how long this had been going on.  Somehow, though, the water stayed in the kitchen and drained to the garage below me.  I am grateful every day that it did not ruin the hardwood floors, and everything in the apt.

I call these photos the in process ones because there is a favorable outcome.  It turns out that the water created mold at the base of the cabinets.  Therefore the insurance company will pay to have new ones installed.  And fortunately for me, that means new countertops as well!!!

I am grateful to have such considerate landlords.  Though I obviously need to stay within the budget, they have consulted me on what I want, and are making genuine efforts to create a kitchen that I will be happy with.

The remodel begins on Friday.  I will update you as soon as it is complete.

Thanks for visiting


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Pay Taxes Online

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version

Sumter County has a new Online Tax Payment system.

About Property Taxes:

  • Paying Real Property Taxes - You will pay one (1) year in arrears.  Tax Notices will be issued each October and are payable by January 15 with no penalty.  After January 15 add 3% to base tax amount.  After February 1 add 10% to base tax amount.  After March 16 add 15% to base tax amount.
  • Paying Personal Property Taxes - You must pay one (1) year in advance in order to obtain a license tag.  The exception occurs when you allow a dealer to obtain your license tag; then you will owe taxes within one hundred twenty (120) days.   The Treasurer's Office works with the SC Department of Transportation "online" for renewal of drivers license plates.
  • Delinquent Tax - The Annual Delinquent Tax Sale is held on the first Monday of each November.  Please contact the Treasurer's Office for detailed information.
PLEASE NOTE:   Property taxes shown on the "Online Services" page(s) may NOT reflect the addition of "penalties" and other "fees" that may be applied to property.

©2012 Sumter County South Carolina Government | All Rights Reserved

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Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Whirligig 71

 photo 3024776f-496e-4494-8f28-261ef77471c6_zpswmqlcb9s.jpg

Welcome to Sunday's Whirligig, a place for you and your muse to find inspiration. Each Wednesday I will post 12 words with which you may create a poem, a short story, or some other piece of writing. Use the words in any form, as many of them as you wish.

You may link your writing to this site beginning at midnight (Pacific Time) each Sunday. Use the linking button, which will "magically" appear at midnight (Pacific Time) Sunday. The Inlinkz button will remain operable for one week. Enjoy!

If you'd like to contribute 12 words, please e-mail them to me:

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "Firefly" by Jacqueline Woodson: almost, yesterday, sometimes, shout, caught, firefly, long, time, wish, make, good, park

Words will be posted here each Wednesday (most of the time).

Twelve words too many? Then visit Sunday Scribblings 2, where you will find one word to kick-start your writing.

  1. Hope to fly with you - and love the photo ;)


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Sundials - World's Oldest Clocks

North American Sundial Society

Selected Sundials of Oregon

Click on any photo or city name to get more sundial details and more photos.

Cove Oregon USA Abstract Sculpture Dial 141
An unusual sun sculpture 5 foot tall and approximately 20 inches in width and depth. Has hour and minute markings arranged on horizontal members. A 1/4 inch steel rod functions as the gnomon. The dial is set to read Pacific Daylight Solar Time, with a stated accuracy of 15 seconds of time.
Lake Oswego Oregon USA Analemmatic Dial 763
An analemmatic dial with 20 foot major axis, 14 foot minor axis with hour markers and date line made of sandblasted concrete paver stones. A platform stand on the west side holds instructions on using the dial. A preliminary version of this dial was included on the 2009 NASS Conference Sundial Tour.
McMinnville Oregon USA Vertical Dial 133
8 x 6 ft Stainless steel and copper The hour lines project beyond the dial face, which is mounted about 12' out from the wall and cast digit-shaped shadows on it. Thus both the hour-lines and stile line are shadows. The dial is mounted on the south face of a tower, structurally an elevator shaft. The bronze plaque at the base contains the inscription.
Portland Oregon USA Vertical Dial 660
A 4 x 2.5 foot south-facing vertical dial of mosaic tile whose hour lines include longitude correction.
Portland Oregon USA Vertical Dial 662
A classic stone 20 x30 inch south facing vertical dial with bronze gnomon on brick building above sally port about 30 feet above grade. Hour lines with Roman numerals are corrected for longitude. Flanking the sally port are carved figures of Lux, or light, with open eyes on the east and Nox, or night, closing its eyes for sleep on the west. Reed College is a west coast "Ivy League" college following the Collegiate Gothic traditions of Oxford, Cambridge and the eastern US colleges.
Salem Oregon USA Horizontal Dial 708
A 14 inch square California granite horizontal dial with a bronze gnomon with hour and half-hour marks and Roman numerals showing PST. Dial face is engraved with the Class Year 1916 and the motto Audacity, Sagacity, Holiness and Charity. The gnomon may have been replaced since originally installed. The dial is atop a gray granite pedestal integral to the dial itself. The June 8, 1916 Collegian university newspaper provided this: "In presenting the sundial to the university, Walter Gleiser, president of the class, gave a forceful speech in which he portrayed the never-failing accuracy of the instrument's function, believing that it would be of use to the community, and that it should symbolize the good that students of Willamette should be to the world."
Seaside Oregon USA Analemmatic Dial 583
A granite analemmatic dial on the Promenade sidewalk near overlooking the beach. This dial, built in 1987, replaces an earlier dial painted on this sidewalk. Dial face is inscribed, "Enjoy your time in Seaside." While evoking the earlier painted dial, this new dial is not well designed and will have serious errors through the year. See the NASS Registry for a picture of the earlier painted dial.


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Experience The Sunrise Farms Difference Of Non-GMO Family Farming.

The Miller Family believes in:

  • Excellent Service – Our commitment to personal service means high quality products, responsive customer interactions, and integrity.
  • Quality – We know and trust our non-GMO grain suppliers so you can trust us.
  • Relationships – We want you to be our long-term customer and we make each and every interaction one that keeps you doing business with us.
  • Competitive Pricing – We attempt to establish relationships with local suppliers, and we transfer our savings and quality to you.
  • Customizability – Our regular recipes can be adjusted to your specifications.
  • Trustworthiness – Terms like non-GMO and all-natural are often loosely defined and people have a lot of questions. We are straightforward about exactly what we have in the feed and the meat so you see what you’re getting for the price. We offer the best of that type of product for the most economical price.
  • Transparency – When you call, you talk to a real person and often a Miller! We invite you to visit our storefront and see our farm.
  • Visitors Welcome – See our trusted processes and our happy and healthy animals.
  • Care – We employ care with our work, each other, and our customers.
  • Ethical Animal Treatment – Our farming practices emphasize natural growth and processes.

Contact Us Or Visit Our Non-GMO Family Farm And Store.


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Animation SA interviews Phil Cunningham

30 Mar 2016 | This is a summary, read more →

In their two decades in the industry, Cape Town’s Sunrise Productions have produced a variety of trailblazing animation work, from Africa’s first feature-length animation, The Legend of the Sky Kingdom, to their award-winning, widely syndicated short-form kids’ series Jungle Beat. We chatted to founder Phil Cunningham about what gets Sunrise up in the morning.


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Crie aloude, spare not, lift vp thy voice like a trumpet, and shewe my people their transgression, & the house of Iacob their sins.
Yet they seeke mee daily, and delight to know my wayes, as a nation that did righteousnesse, and forsooke not the ordinance of their God: they aske of me the ordinances of iustice: they take delight in approching to God.
Wherefore haue wee fasted, say they, and thou seest not?
wherefore haue wee afflicted our soule, & thou takest no knowledge?
Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
Behold, yee fast for strife and debate;
and to smite with the fist of wickednesse, yee shall not fast as yee doe this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
Is it such a fast that I haue chosen?
a day for a man to afflict his soule?
Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackecloth and ashes vnder him?
wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord ?
Is not this the fast that I haue chosen?
to loose the bandes of wickednesse, to vndoe the heauie burdens, and to let the oppressed goe free, and that ye breake euery yoke?
Is it not, to deale thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poore that are cast out, to thy house?
when thou seest the naked, that thou couer him, and that thou hide not thy selfe from thine owne flesh?
Then shall thy light breake foorth as the morning, and thine health shall spring foorth speedily: and thy righteousnesse shall goe before thee, the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.
Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answere;
thou shalt cry, and he shal say, Here I am: if thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanitie:
And if thou draw out thy soule to the hungry, and satisfie the afflicted soule: then shall thy light rise in obscuritie, and thy darkenesse be as the noone day.
And the Lord shal guide thee continually, and satisfie thy soule in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters faile not.
And they that shall be of thee, shall builde the olde waste places: thou shalt raise vp the foundations of many generations;
and thou shalt be called, the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.
If thou turne away thy foote from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my Holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable, and shalt honour him, not doing thine owne wayes, nor finding thine owne pleasure, nor speaking thine owne wordes:
Then shalt thou delight thy selfe in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride vpon the high places of the earth, and feede thee with the heritage of Iacob thy father;
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.


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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Made to Stick Story

In Made to Stick, Dan and Chip Heath talk about making a message stick with your audience. They say it should be a story that is crafted to have an unexpected ending, with a concrete message that is credible, emotional and simple (S.U.C.C.E.S.).

Ed Baker, who is a terrific help to any business owner when they find themselves is a tight spot relative to human resources, recently had a S.U.C.C.E.S. home-run with an interesting twist. Ed sent a newsletter to his network which contained a questionnaire on one side, and the answers on the other. The questionnaire was about regulatory requirements around aspects of Human Resources.

The ‘story’ is one that came back to Ed when a business owner called him up. The owner told Ed that he tested himself with the questions and when he turned the paper over, was very surprised when he failed to get half the questions right.

Wondering how his own experts would do, he made several copies of the front of the questionnaire. He called in his HR team and gave it to them as a test. You’ve probable guess that they had an unexpected result. The HR team also failed the test.

You can imagine how the owner felt. He’d turned Ed’s newsletter into a concrete example of his company’s need -- and he realized that Ed offered a credible opportunity to add value to the company. Ed had conveyed his value in a very simple way that turned into a S.U.C.C.E.S. story.

If you’d like a copy of his questionnaire, send an email to Ed at
Post a Comment


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Friday, March 19, 2010

Social Gaming for the Antisocial gamer

Welcome to SuperMonkeyCube's magical circus of broad generalizations.

"FarmVille is a giant waste of time and seems like work. "

See how easy that was? I will admit that that generalization is only true for some groups of people.

For my next trick, I will now lump everyone that reads these words into three categories. Watch carefully, as my fingers do not leave my hands. The first category is people who are reading this on my blog page, and with whom I do not interact with on Facebook. These people probably don't play FarmVille. They may not even know about it, or have only gotten sketchy information. The second category is people who are reading this on Facebook and may or may not know that they could read this somewhere else, but they are very aware of FarmVille because every third update on their Facebook home page is "'#FriendName' has just '#event' in FarmVille!". The third category are the people who are generating all those FarmVille updates on everyone else's pages and only stopped to read this because I put 'FarmVille' in the title.

At the Game Developer's Conference this past weekend in San Francisco, the two Facebook games that were mentioned the most were FarmVille and Bejeweled Blitz. Both games are doing something similar to a game model that is practically the standard in South Korea. The game is free to play. If you want cooler stuff for the game, you can either play the game a lot and get in-game rewards, or you can spend real money to reap the benefits right away. Typically, the numbers quoted for this sort of game is that 10 percent of the players actually fund the game for the other 90 percent that just play for free. (I'm sure it's another broad generalization.) Most of the reason that they were mentioned is that they are standout success stories, especially in light of the fact that they're free to play, and developers are talking about what it takes to make games in this space that are successful.

Bejeweled Blitz is a one-minute version of Popcap's game Bejeweled, a puzzle game where you swap two adjacent pieces in a large grid to get 3, 4, or 5 or the same kind of piece in a row. Unlike the regular Bejeweled, there is no fear of not having an available move. One is always available, so the trick is just to rack up score as fast as possible in the allotted time. In addition to your score, some pieces when cleared off the board yield coins that can then be used for power-ups in subsequent games. It is also possible to purchase coins with real money to get the same power-ups. This game, I like. Each game is self-contained. If I don't play it for a week, nothing bad happens in-game. I have noticed that among my friends, a surprising number of women are playing it, and they tend to be better than the men. I'm sure that has a lot to do with a self-selecting population - women who might only be mediocre at it may not tend to play as much or at all and would rather play something like Farmville where there isn't a score or a ranking ladder. Alternately, it might have something to do with the part of the brain that does pattern recognition being different in women, but I'm in no position to start funding a clinical trial.

FarmVille, on the other hand is structured around planting, raising, and harvesting crops, animal husbandry, and real estate improvement. If you neglect crops, they go bad. If you don't work on your field, it doesn't do anything for you. It does have the advantage of letting your virtual neighbors help you out, and a great deal of bartering and cooperation happens between people. The only console video games that this reminds me of are the Harvest Moon games, with a touch of Animal Crossing thrown in. After seeing what this was about, I opted not to play it. I didn't play it long enough to find out what you can do with real money. I can attest to the fact that easily 10 percent of my Facebook friends have played it at some point, and most of those people are not people that I would consider traditional gamers. Clearly it's more popular than something like Street Fighter - even though it's a flagship Capcom fighting game that just released a new version, I think I have a better chance at walking up to a random person under 40 that has played FarmVille than I do finding a person that's played Street Fighter IV.

This is not to say that people really want farming games. I don't think that's the driving force here. FarmVille is simple to operate, inherently networked, and easy to understand the concepts of. The last thing I want to see is the XBox and Playstation teams feeling like they need to get a farming simulator by fourth quarter this year, because that's wrong on so many levels. Nintendo has tried to make this work, since they have a fairly recent release of Animal Crossing for the Wii which includes a "Wii Speak" accessory - but Nintendo's online system is cumbersome for most. Connecting on most Nintendo games online involves having to obtain a "Friend Code" from your friends so you can connect to them, except that this code is different for every single game. Only the most dedicated Animal Crossing players will involve themselves. The "Wii Speak" allows people playing Animal Crossing online together to talk to each other over the Nintendo WFC connection. I don't think that this will help foster the same sense of cooperation that Facebook lends itself so easily to.

As usual, what I think that people that don't normally play games look for in games is a new experience. People that involve themselves in 'gaming culture' already have their preferences, and gravitate towards genres that they're already familiar with. Amongst those people, it takes a really standout game to get them out of their comfort zone. On the other hand, the novice gamer has fewer expectations, and has less reservation about throwing themselves in a new experience. Framed that way, it makes perfect sense that I would play Bejeweled Blitz over FarmVille - if I had wanted a farming game, I would have already played Harvest Moon and might even have thought FarmVille was inferior and not bothered with it. On the other hand, having played Tetris, Bust-A-Move, Chainz, and Collapse!, Bejeweled Blitz makes perfect sense and meshes well with my existing genre preferences.

So after writing this, I've decided to go easy on my Facebook friends that are playing FarmVille. While I've seen a bunch of people joining groups that sound like "I don't care about your farm, your mafia, or your cafe", I'm going to give that a pass. Besides, what's happening is that they're becoming social gamers.

(Is that like social consumption of adult beverages?)

No comments:


text:
when using XElement.Parse, get AppSession.cs not found

(all adjusted code and the screen dumb is in the attachment)
I've been testing your code and adjusted the latest source code as followed:
Projects B-SubProtocol and SuperWebSocket where set to target .Net framework 4.5.1 instead of 4.

I added this to WebSocketServer (SuperWebSocket project)
    uint _authenticationTimeOut=1000;
    /// <summary>
    /// Max Time in milliseconds a session may use to send login credentials
    /// </summary>
    public uint AuthenticationTimeOut { get { return _authenticationTimeOut; } set { _authenticationTimeOut = value; } }
and added a Authentication method in WebSocketSession.cs (project SuperWebSocket).
    internal void OnHandshakeSuccess()
        m_Handshaked = true;
        Task.Delay((int)AppServer.AuthenticationTimeOut).ContinueWith((work) => CheckIfSessionIsAuthorizedInTime());

    private void CheckIfSessionIsAuthorizedInTime()
            if(!this.IsAuthorized)// <== set via class AUTH message handler
        catch { }
Changed Program in B-SubProtocol to:
        var appServer = new WebSocketServer();

        appServer.AuthenticationTimeOut = 10000;
        var s = new ServerConfig();
        s.Name = "SuperWebSocket";
        s.Ip = "Any";
        s.Port = 2012;
        s.Mode = SocketMode.Tcp;
        s.MaxRequestLength = 10000000;//<== bytes?

        //Setup the appServer
and changed the Test.html file to handle the message "AUTH_REQ".
(see all changes and files in the attachment authentication is just proof of concept)

The AUTH class handles the message with Keyword AUTH accordingly and works fine.

The class XLMPrices does get the message send by the htm file (JavaScript) and the message is complete. I need to process the incoming data, which is XML.
public class XMLPrices : SubCommandBase
    public override void ExecuteCommand(WebSocketSession session, SubRequestInfo requestInfo)
        var test = XElement.Parse(requestInfo.Body.Replace("\\\"", "")).ToString(SaveOptions.DisableFormatting);
        XElement root = XElement.Load(test);

            session.Send("Send info: " + requestInfo.Body); //process and send result. Now just return input for test
But as soon as I use
        var test = XElement.Parse(XMLInput.Replace("\\\"", "")).ToString(SaveOptions.DisableFormatting);
        XElement root = XElement.Load(test);
        test = test;
I get the error AppSession.cs not found on the first row (var test etc...). Also when I just use the second line, I get the same problem.

Everything works fine, till I start using the above. Why? How can I process the incoming message?

Problem also occurs when targeting .Net framework 4 (disabled the Task.Delay in WebSocketSession to test it.
Hope you can help me out with this issue. Furthermore it's a very nice solution ;-) Thanks for that.
Kind regards,

file attachments

mldz wrote Jan 29, 2015 at 5:47 PM

I keep on getting this on the line with

var test = XElement.Parse(XMLInput.Replace("\\"", "")).ToString(SaveOptions.DisableFormatting);

It's trying to get this file:

I think that's on one of your folders. I don't have it on my computer. Build problem?
See attachment.
Kind regards,

mldz wrote Jan 30, 2015 at 3:23 PM

Solved it with a try catch around the XElement in case the XML provided is not correct. Using the try catch prevents the program to search for the AppSession file.

kerryjiang wrote Jan 30, 2015 at 11:57 PM

It's your debuging problem.


text:
Tuesday, March 31, 2009

In Which I Prepare To Help Start A Family

Tonight, just when my work day fin'ly ends,
A charming duty calls me on a trip.
My mission is to introduce two friends
One with a puppy, one who's going to flip
When he meets Poncho Pug, the new recruit
To our small doggie circle. He will join
A motley crew: a collie, two shitzpoos,
A yorkie and another. I enjoin
This doggie-dad-to-be from shedding tears,
(But prob'ly he will anyway) when he
Meets his new pal. We'll all give forty cheers
To have a baby dog around the scene
Perturbing our friend's life and his routine.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Greek Tragedies Do Not Need Translated Into Slang

I may be a curmudgeon, I'll admit,
But I am not impressed by what I learn
About this new translation of, to wit,
The Oresteia. Really, did we yearn
To hear the chorus asking of the queen
If she is optimistic? Talk about
Lese majeste! Like everyone I've seen
Productions in black leather or without
One reference to the Trojan War and such.
They love to reinterpret with a spin
These great old plays, but sometimes it's too much.
I won't go so far as to call it sin.
But Agammemnon does not say "OK."
And I don't have to read it. End essay.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

I've No Problem Loving Them Both!

My house's rooms are not full of perfumes,
(Though scented with the smell of antique books)
No longer are they dark and crammed like tombs,
But they are still library-like in looks.
And so they will remain, despite my choice
To buy a Kindle 2 and load it up.
In "dead tree" books I always will rejoice
And hoard them like a crazy miser. Yup,
I love them both, the Kindle and the old
Familiar kind of book, whose pages turn
And is a pleasure just to see and hold:
For that alone I know I'll never spurn
A real book, but I have to say it's great
That Kindle holds 1000, less the weight!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

In Which I Dither Over Doggies... Yes, Doggies, Plural

For 'tis a truth well known: a single girl
Who owns a house and has a single dog
Must need another one. So do unfurl
The arguments in favor. Lost in fog,
As far as all my friends would be concerned
Are any thoughts of feeding, walking or
Transporting two dogs in my car. I've learned
That border collies like each other more
Than they like anybody else. And yes,
The dog proposed to join us is one, too.
My Molly is a sweetheart. I confess
To guilty feelings that the times are few
When she has company. My hours are long
At work; I often feel I've done her wrong.

Friday, March 27, 2009

This Lump In My Throat Won't Go Away Anytime Soon

The boys in blue don't stay home on snow days,
Don't get to choose who they help out or why,
No matter attitude, abuse or praise,
The job is clear: whatever goes awry
Must be redressed, at risk of life or limb
If needed. Accident, attack or fire,
Domestic fight, escape, or murder grim,
The boys in blue must suck it up. Admire
Or hate them as you will, you'll still get help --
Or if you're doing harm, they'll kick your ass,
While back at home, their kids and puppies yelp
And wives must give that dinnertime a pass.
So when some bastard shoots a working cop
It's right that civ'lization's at a stop.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Curses! It's Pledge Drive Time

I have a tote and vest and hat; all prove
That I'm a sucker for that time each fall
When all the voices that I'm hearing move
From giving news and info, to a call
For listeners to pony up and pay.
There are two stations that get my support,
Since both of them get tuned in through my day.
I do rely on them; what they report
Is often inspiration for my rhymes,
And how I start and end my waking hours.
I pay my way, but still suffer, these times,
A guilt that it is quite beyond my powers
To assuage. Oh damn you, spring pledge drive!
Of course I want your stations to survive!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

BONUS SONNET: On The Evil Nasa Conspiracy

In space, it's true, no one can hear you scheme
As we now do, ha ha, to keep the truth
Out there where it belongs. This planet meme
About Nibiru should defeat each sleuth
Who thinks he can unearth our evil plan
To make a future for us, should distract
The rabble from our workings, to a man
And keep our dreadful secret well, in fact.
It would not do if ev'rybody knew
That some of us are working toward the day
When humankind strides to the future. Who
Could bear the thought of boundlessness, I say?
Far better to encourage weird-ass fears
That everything will end in a few years.

December 22, 2012

I must confess amusement at the fuss
Regarding one partic'lar future date:
December 21st in three years. Thus,
As near as I can follow this debate,
The world may end according to one crowd,
All time itself, according to a friend
In Saratoga (though she has allowed
That measurement of time is what might end,
All notions merging, globbing to just "now" --
Which I oft think is hap'ning anyway.
The internet has made it so). But how,
The skeptics 'mong us ask, is this the day?
The Mayans' reckoning is old and fine
But is a cycle's end such cause to whine?

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

In Which I Begin My Second One Hundred Sonnets

Today was bad, and so tonight's will be
A META-SONNET. No, it's not my first.
I've typed 100 to this blog, I see!
I'll let my readers rank them best to worst.
No longer is pentameter my foe;
No longer do these iambs haunt my dreams.
They are a natural part, an ebb and flow,
Of how I think and see the world, it seems.
I look upon this milestone with some pride.
I wasn't sure I'd still be doing this,
Thought sure by now my muse would sure subside,
And inspiration rob me of her kiss.
But something happens almost ev'ry day
That sets me off and winds up on display.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Vernal Equinox, Hmm? Maybe Somewhere Else

Oh, and to think that only yesterday
I sat right here, seed catalogs in hand,
A-choosing plants as though it were near May
And time to sow a garden on my land!
Today the horizontal slow flies by
To mock my dreams and hopes and make me stash
Those catalogs. But I refuse to cry
Or throw those pretty booklets in the trash.
At some point soon this crap has got to end.
I don't believe in Fimbulvetr (or
In much besides, at this point, O my friend);
But know that I have been a damn fool for
The Ides of March, or something. I must wait
Until the real spring comes, as always, late.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Who They Jivin' With That Cosmic Debris?

I'm no economist, nor engineer,
But something in the skies torments my brain:
While it's a given now that with the sheer
Amount of stuff we've launched outside our plane,
A lot of paths will cross in orbit, there.
But lately it just seems that there's too much,
Too many things to track; it turns my hair
Pure white to contemplate. It seems, as such
It might be time to start to do more than
Just bob and weave our stations, shuttles out
Of harm's way when collision threatens. Can
We not begin at least to think about
Removing at least some of it? Or - shock!
Designing craft that throw off much less schlock?

Saturday, March 21, 2009

To Be A Way-Station For Friends On The Road Is Another Great Reason To Be A Homeowner!

Another reason that I love my pad
Occurred this week. I had a house guest, who
Is not related to me. I was glad
To put up an old friend, just passing through.
He stayed for just one night. We dined and talked;
And reminisced on old pals. It was good.
He met a newer friend of mine; we walked
Our silly dogs through my new neighborhood
And in the morning, much to my delight
He tuned up Deep Blue so he's at his best
For summer rides (Deep Blue is my dear bike),
Then said good-bye and left for the Midwest,
His destination Brooklyn and beyond.
Farewell, dear Adam, of whom I am fond.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Good Or Bad, It's Ending Tonight...

In one-half hour, the last installment airs
Of Battlestar Galactica, and I,
Despite the recent traits that this show shares
With soap operas and Springer, may just cry.
I will admit now that I sure was wrong
About the last Cylon and other things
(I thought that Starbuck stood a fairly strong
Chance of being the fruit of Tigh's weird flings
With Six, until his wife showed up and made
A miscarriage occur). I wait now for
The big finale, hoping a parade
Of resolutions for plot holes galore
Awaits rather than more complexities.
Just minutes now before the whole world sees!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

In Which My Forehead Turns Bright Red, But Not From Alcohol, Tomato Splatter Or Exertion

Tomatoes were to be today's subject,
Since I just bought a ton. They're cooking down.
Meanwhile, I thought, it's time that I Tweetdecked
And what I learned there brought forth a big frown.
My Tweeps at NPR have just disclosed
A set of facts that made me slap my head:
Chris Dodd and our Obama, both exposed,
As having both spent time curled up in bed
With AIG! They're numbers one and two
Among the pols who gladly took a bribe --
I mean a contribution, of course, to
Their campaign funds. It's painful to describe.
Dodd made the loophole AIG then used
To pay its bonuses. I feel abused.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

My Mom Said I Could Post Late Because It's My Birthday!

My suppertime was late tonight because
I am a whole year older, just today!
My Own Dear Mother relaxed all my laws
Because thirty nine years ago she lay
In bed on drugs, exhausted from my birth!
The celebration may seem mild to some --
But there has been much happiness and mirth.
We cooked some maple salmon, rice - oh yum!
And drank a lot of wine and danced about.
My parents are among my fav'rite friends.
For drinking, talking, and to just chill out.
And so has passed a lot of happy hours
Not just today - a lifetime has been ours!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

BONUS SONNET: Written On A Dare

The gauntlet thrown, of course I pick it up.
A Twitterfriend has double-dog dared me
To sonnetize on Cheney. I said yup,
I bet I can before I'm off to see
How many Guiness glasses I can down
To celebrate this fine St. Patrick's Day.
I hope he won't turn this here sonnet down --
A meta-sonnet is fair game, I'd say.
We all know 'bout the ex-veep's latest mess:
His rush to out Limbaugh ol' Rush Limbaugh.
Dick Cheney, in his great Bitchassedness
Keeps dissing on Obama, won't withdraw.
But what do we expect from Tortur'n Dick?
Was he going to depart the field that quick?

In Which I Sonnetify A Contest Entry

O Bad Astronomer, I'd love to win
A copy of that book The Saucer Fleet.
It's partly 'cause of you that I have been
A-pondering these things lately. That sweet
Abduction lamp that is your avatar
Means I've got saucers fully on the brain.
Not that I would, no never, go so far
As to place blame; that would be quite insane!
A churlish way to say "Oh, choose me please!"
I was brought up to better style than that
By the same Mom who hooked by degrees
On science fiction, space and such. No brat
Am I. Consider this, my humble plea:
Will you assign a good number to me?

Monday, March 16, 2009

Unnessessarry Reebranding Is Kinda Stoopid

A roze by any other name smelz good,
But korprit stuff werks by kwite other rulz -
Or so I thot, but then agen I wood:
I think that sienz fikshun's not for foolz.
But Universal TV disagrees,
And thinks "SyFy" is better than "Sci-Fi."
"Imagine Greater" is there noo tagline.
Iliterasy triumfs. I just sy.
It's televizhun. Duz no good to wine.
Enough! I can't keep spelling things that way.
It hurts my eyes and brain to look at it.
I'm lucky I don't have to; I survey
The science fiction scene but don't submit
Myself to cable; I watch DVDs
And can skip by the logos as I please.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

BONUS SONNET: The Bat Of Discovery

Another bat has tried to hitch a lift
Aboard Discovery to outer space.
Perhaps he's seen that show "Tripping the Rift"
Too many times and hopes now to embrace
The Terry Farrel character? Or do
Bats have a mission unbeknownst to man
To boldly go to make a bat debut
Beyond our atmosphere? What's its game plan?
More likely he just thought a shuttle tank
A likely spot for napping, nice and safe.
Whate'er his reason, I'd sure like to thank
Him for the entertainment. This small waif
Stayed on the shuttle till its full lift-off.
To this intrepid soul, my hat I doff!

A Sonnet On Bogus Bonuses - But Not A Bonus Sonnet

Let me say, first: The fact we are at all
Engaging in these bailouts makes me ill.
That we let something get too big to fall,
Though, means that we somewhat deserve the pill,
Though bitter. That said, is there anyone
Out there who's gladly stomaching the thought
Of AIG's announcement? I'm undone
Just sorting out the details of this plot.
But in my naive way I'm fairly sure
That bonuses reward a great success;
Are handed out when matters are secure.
But this time it is WE, without redress,
Who's doling out the dough to reward bad
Decisions and worse management. We're had!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

What's My Sonnet About Again?

Piezoelectricity's my theme...
No wait, it's pilots, right, today's their day?
I know it isn't picene; I'd not dream
Of sonnetizing on some tar, okay?
Pirates are always good for some hum-arrr,
As are pinecones, what look like hand grenades,
And clear out drunks when flung into a bar.
A pie plate? No! Bad notions come in spades.
An idea must come soon on down the pike
Or I will pile up bad ones, call it good.
I'm not afraid, for this is nothing like
The demon writer's block, although I would
Appreciate a pica's worth -- I say!
I've got it! Have a happy, great π day!

Friday, March 13, 2009

In Which I Contemplate The Naughtiness Of The Science Of Astronomy, Or At Least (Certain) Astronomers Who Engage In #DirtyScience

When properly construed ev'rything's lewd
So did Tom Lehrer teach, and he is right.
But I am not the type to just conclude
On faith that something's so, and so one night,
With sev'ral chosen friends (well, volunteers)
With all due spirit of free inquiry
And scientific method, and yes, beers,
And a commitment 'gainst casuistry,
We tried to prove the study of the skies
And stars and planets, galaxies and suns
Could be as dirty as we want. Archives
Alas, are incomplete, and so reruns
For future ref'rence may have to take place,
And for posterity, more #dirtyspace.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

BONUS SONNET: Why I Watches The Watchmen

The casting call, for the big Watchmen flick
Must have been odd. "Must make a good blue nude."
They found one, though, and Crudup did the trick;
He managed to emote, not to say brood,
From 'neath the paint. But Haley stole the show.
To act under that mask was no mean feat.
And Rorsach in the prison - umm, hello...
Hands down the best part of the film, complete.
A faithful adaptation? There's no doubt!
Down to the wardrobe and the set design,
The detail lavished here just knocked me out!
The novel to the life! A moving shrine!
As to the ending - honestly, I thought
The movie has the better, for this plot.

I Watches The Watchmen, That's Who

I'm glad to say I come down on the side
Of those who don't think this new movie sucks.
Some caveats I won't and cannot hide:
I am a Watchmen nerd from way back. Shucks,
I was a teen when "Cold War" was a real
And scary term, when ev'ry honest kid
Confessed to fear that all of us could feel
That Russia'd help us eagerly to rid
The Earth of life. Into this nervous world
This book exploded with nuclear force.
For kids like me at least, who gladly hurled
Ourselves into its angst - diff'rent, of course,
With superheroes, flawed and human, too.
So yes, I liked this film, and you might, too.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

A Turn No Longer Taken

At Hilltop Avenue, I do not turn;
I stay on Dell Range for one more half-mile
To reach the place where now my home-fires burn.
I pass that old left turn with quite a smile!
I smile still more when soon I see ahead
The famous doggie on his famous roof
(A navigation aid I choose instead
Of street names). A contented dog is proof,
I think, of a contented home. One block
Past him I turn; Hilltop now far behind,
And I approach a proper house. The shock
Of knowing that it's mine's still new. I find
It not too hard to bear. It's got that spark
Of joy; gone is the Vertc'al Trailer Park.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

A New Reason To Care About The Wooly Bear

O! Pyrrharctia isabella (known
To schoolkids, fondly, as the Wooly Bear,
For its appearance ere it's fully grown
Into a moth)! This caterpillar's rare
Skill set, while not including future-sight
Into how bad the winter's going to be,
Is greater than we thought! That it can fight
Off freezin' through that season, we agree,
Is cool. Now per Carl Zimmer's column, Loom,
An infestation of cater-cooties
Is something they can live through; they consume,
And thereby press into diff'rent duties,
Some plants containing poisons, which become
Their medicine, and suddenly taste - yum!

Monday, March 9, 2009

Did I Really Just Hear That?

It happens to me ev'ry now and then -
I half-hear some mad thing on NPR,
And have to ask myself, once, twice, again,
If, really, what I heard was true. Bizarre,
Diverting news sometimes has this effect,
Like Mager's odd conch-shell Sinatra, but
More often it's a sidebar I reject:
Today a Georgia governor's the nut,
If what I think I heard is what is true:
That in reaction to Obama's move
Restoring normal fed'ral funding to
Researching embryonic stem cells, you've
Got this Perdue guy stamping his two feet
And saying Georgia's stem cells are elite?

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Starting To Feel At Home

The Ellis and the Moore are on the wall,
As are O'Brien's aspens and my clock.
Burnett and Breth will follow once the small
Detail of where to hang them's made. The lock
(A combination model!) is now set,
Most of my books are set upon their shelves
(Though not in any order as of yet!),
My insect chimes and magnets are themselves
In place. All this thanks mostly to my folks,
Who came while I've been sick to lend a hand,
And tools, and reassurance it's no hoax -
That really it's my house. They understand,
And tell me I'll believe it when I make
That first full mortgage payment, no mistake!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

In Which I Ponder The Virtues (?) Of My Mother's Dog

Wee Missy ShitzPoo is my mother's dog.
A poodle combo bloodline, far from pure
Is hers; a mix of traits that leaves agog
Whomever she may meet. We are not sure
If Missy's fluffy tail is a Shitzu
Or Lhasa Apso trait, but it is cute.
She flounces it around and sniffs, as to
Regain attention lost. She's far from mute
(Just ask the passing cars behind my fence
Whose every move she orders with shrill care).
Her little round-eyed gaze is quite intense
When she wants to join us on couch or chair,
Or start a game of tug-of-war or chase
She knows we can't say no to that darn face.

Friday, March 6, 2009

This Spring At My New House Will Be Especially Interesting

At my new house, we have made up a game,
Regarding all the flora of my yard,
Consisting of attempting just to name
The shrubs and plants that come 'neath our regard.
Spring won't be here for a short while to come
To tell us if we're right or if we're wrong.
A few of them defy us, and then some
Are myst'ries such that we're not sure the strong
Swift pulse of life still surges through them, or
If they are dead and need removed. Perhaps
Some lilacs, maybe currants are in store.
I hope that one's a crabapple. There are gaps
'Tween what I hope and what I'll have at last,
But that's my fun for now, and it's a blast.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

In Which George Hrab Leaves Me Almost Speechlessly Chuffed

I had today a pleasure strange and rare:
George Hrab read one of my bits on his show,
Which read he did with brio and with and flair,
And said something which set my face aglow.
His kind of chick, he called me, and likewise
He definitely is my kind of dude.
I feel like I have won some shiny prize!
But pardon me, I know it's rather rude
To crow like this, but please allow this gloat.
A sonneteer earns nothing but the odd
Wee scrap of praise to make her ego float
And float it did, like bubbles in pernod
Or really, in an Alka Selzer Plus
(Yes, I'm still sick, but too pleased now to fuss).

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

This Sonnet Is Sort Of Late For A Lot Of Good Reasons

If there was an event at all today
That could be called important, I missed out.
Between my cold and new home's disarray,
Deliveries and running all about
Cheyenne on errands, I lost track of time,
I missed the news and missed all of the tweets
That are these days more timely, for my dime,
Than any broadcast show or scandal sheets.
I got a lot accomplished, I may claim.
My kitchen's up and running and I bought
A lot of little things I shall require
A smoke detector -- no, I had one not --
A freezer and the all-important fire
Extinguisher. I'll take on faith that no
Attacks, impacts or meltdowns happened. though.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

On How I Would Really Love To Go Home And Take A Nyquil Right Now

I have a *COUGH* slight problem with my voice.
Like marathoners *SNEEZE* my nose doth run.
The Kleenex box is empty. I've no choice,
*ACHOO* cuz I must end what I've begun.
The late adopter of the *SNIFFLE* bug
Is usu'lly the one who *MOANS* the most.
The ones who brought it *STAGGER* home and drug
Themselves and leave the well to coast
On through the week *BLESS YOU* as best they can
Until they, too, succumb -- then it's too late
To go home *HACK&. The job still needs each man
Or woman to keep on *EXPECTORATE*.
And so I tough it out. Can't help but whine
A bit. At least, though, my job still is mine!

Monday, March 2, 2009

BONUS SONNET: On Why No Mars Space Laboratory Just Yet

Dry lubrication's only just the start
Of problems causing MSL's delay,
So I am told, and yes, it breaks my heart.
To see another project gone astray.
I've loved to watch the rovers do their jobs,
And hope to see much more as we improve
Their range and revving pow'r by heaps and gobs,
To let the next gen rovers eas'ly move
Across a wider swath of Mars. And then
There's all the budget wrangling that took place;
Each bureaucrat's and politician's pen
Threw on more zeroes, rules. O outer space!
Our future as a people counts on you,
But not enough agree, which makes me blue.

In Which I Ponder A Happy Chain Reaction

It got its start when Kevin bought a house.
He is a bit carefree, I will just say.
My sister heard the news, began to grouse,
And came to the conclusion that she may
As well do so; if he could so could she.
She shopped around, and chose, and moved right in.
The dial took a spin and stopped on me.
I took the step, though not without chagrin.
I'm glad I did, and anyone who cares
May hear this tale, as did a pal of mine.
She caught the bug and now she boldly fares
Into the market, husband at her side.
Did Kevin start a cycle, or a tide?

Sunday, March 1, 2009

In Which A Tardigrade Is Not So Tardy

We learn today of a panarthopod
Who will stray far indeed from its home moss
When Russia sends it spacewards with a squad
Of other creatures, all the way across
To one of the twin moons of far Barsoom.
I will confess that ere this Sunday came
I'd never heard of tardigrades. I fume
A bit to learn that one could claim
To be the first on Phobos. I confess:
I'm on the fence about this. On one hand
A test to see how life forms stand this stress
Is vital to our long-term future, planned
To outlive our wee sun. Still, though, I doubt
A water bear ambassador has clout.


text:
How can I control the view in the 3D Preview window?

The 3d Window is always open when a model is loaded and is used to show the 3D model, material, boundary line and any calculated toolpaths.

This is a fully interactive view in which the virtual job can be dynamically rotated into any position and zoomed to assess the detail.

Click here to view a summary sheet of Cut3D's 3D Window controls.


text:
Thursday, March 13, 2014

Survey: Training and Certifications Important to IT Professionals’ Career Growth but Employer Support Lacking

Spiceworks, a professional network for IT, announced the results of a new survey examining the IT training and certification priorities and plans of IT professionals in North America and EMEA. The report “Making the Tech Grade” shows 84 percent of IT professionals believe IT training is very to extremely valuable, and most believe it can increase job opportunities and salaries. However, 39 percent of IT professionals say their employer places limited to no value on IT training, and 54 percent said they would pay for all or some of their training courses on their own.

More than 75 percent of IT professionals plan to enroll in new training in 2014

-- According to the IT professionals surveyed, 47 percent took at least one training course in 2013, and 78 percent plan to enroll in a course this year. Of those who are not planning to take a training course in 2014, 67 percent plan to train themselves, 63 percent believe training is too expensive, and 62 percent don’t believe they have enough time.

-- When asked what specific types of training courses they were planning to take in 2014, 43 percent said virtualization training, 39 percent cited networking, and 34 percent said operating system and information security courses.

-- Of those who have taken or plan to take a training course in 2014, 62 percent plan to attend a self-paced, online course while 44 percent plan to attend an instructor-led class.

Overwhelming majority of IT professionals see certifications as at least somewhat valuable

-- Ninety percent of the IT professionals surveyed see vendor certifications as somewhat to extremely valuable, although only 19 percent received a new certification in 2013. Forty-one percent are planning to receive a new certification in 2014.

-- IT professionals believe certifications can have a positive impact on their career. Sixty-seven percent said they can help increase the job opportunities available to them, 55 percent said they can improve their credibility and half said certifications can help increase their salary or rate.

-- Vendor certifications IT professionals view as important to their careers mirrored their training priorities. Certifications from Microsoft, Cisco and VMware were rated as the most important to have.

More information on IT, service and support training can be found at


text:
Sunday, March 8, 2009

Almost perfect

This evening was almost perfect!  The sky was
clear blue and the wind calmed a bit after 4
days of 30 mph + sustained winds.  A great surf band,
the Supertones, was playing at Calypso for happy hour.
The crowd of  Rincon regulars sprinkled with tourists
and those making their annual surf pilgramage were
all in place enjoying the vibe.

Calypso is a wonderful place to watch sunset and tonight
seemed just about perfect.  Everyone looked westward
as the sun began its' decent into the ocean.  The music
played and the anticipation of one of the best sunsets
in weeks was in the air.  Than it happened.  With about
2 minutes to go a tiny cloud, the only cloud in the sky,
drifted ever so slowly towards the setting sun.
You could feel the momentary let down as the sun moved
behind the cloud.  Ahh.

An almost perfect sunset.  Oh well there will be another
chance tomorrow.  That's what is so nice about tomorrows.
There is always another chance.  For tonight, almost perfect
was really good.  A great ending to another day.  Celebrate
all your days.

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Monday, August 17, 2009

Watching the fears wash away

Interesting experience this past week. My son's nephew
is visiting from Dallas, Texas. The little fellow is 3 years
old and his doctors have been strongly considering some
form of autism as his diagnosis. It's been amazing to watch
him for the past 3 days as he experiences the ocean.

Each day he becomes less afraid. The tension that was in his
body on day one, as he held his father in a death grip, was obvious.
Little by little that grip loosened, that tension seemed to melt away.
First it was standing at the shoreline watching and feeling the little
waves. The occasional splash in the face, the push, the loss of
balance, even the falling down all became fun, pleasurable experiences.
The trip beyond the breakers with dad was initially a trip of terror,
especially if a larger wave forced them both to jump, or if his head
momentarily went under the water. Soon even that brought a smile.
By the third day the little guy was visibly loose and smiling as he stood
in knee deep water jumping as what was left of a wave rolled towards
him. He didn't quite have the timing down but he had the idea. If
the white water knocked him off his feet he relaxed, fell into the ocean
and awkwardly tried to stand up and right himself. It was clear now
how much he was loving every minute.

It is getting increasing hard to get him out of the ocean and ready
to go home. He really doesn't want to leave no matter how much
his teeth are chattering. He isn't struggling in a tense way all it now
takes is the promise from dad that he'll be back and his smile returns.
I guess he's forgotten the fears.

Watching the ocean wash fear away from an autistic child or
special needs kid is an amazing experience. Check out the web
sites for Surfers Healing or the Best Day Foundation or Google
surfing for autistic or special needs children. Volunteer for an event
or just go for a while and you'll learn that the ocean can wash your fears
away as well, make you less tense.


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Thursday, January 20, 2011

Mark Bittman's Quick Scallion Pancakes: fast, cheap, addictive

My Hero
Having conducted "Scallion Pancake Week" and revisited with Super Simple Scallion Pancakes, I was not prepared for the ease and deliciousness of Mark Bittman's "Quick Scallion Pancakes" from The Minimalist Cooks at Home.

Fast, cheap, and addictive In 20 minutes, you can make a pile of beautiful green pancakes with 4 bunches of scallions, an egg, flour, salt, and pepper. It is as easy as boiling water, which is the first step. You'll need a blender or food processor, a small bowl, and a non-stick pan.

These will stay warm in the oven at 300 F. If you are frying for company, these will have the same effect on your guests as potato latkes. They will hover around the pan.

Cooks' notes: Know your stove and frying pan. It is pointless to write "on medium high heat" because yours might be blazing hot or vaguely energetic.  The goal is to cook them through, with either lightly brown or deeply brown (my favorite) exteriors.

Lots of scallions

4 bunches of scallions, washed and trimmed
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
Oil for frying, salt & pepper
Lemon slices
additions (see below and use your imagination!)

  1. Boil a pot of salted water.
  2. Scallions:  Mince one bunch and reserve. Rough chop three bunches.
  3. Add the chopped scallions to boiling water. Boil 5 to 6 minutes or until the thickest scallions are tender. Drain, but do not rinse.
  4. Puree scallions in a food processor or blender.  Remove to a medium bowl. Add the flour, slightly beaten egg, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and reserved scallions.
  5. Heat 2 T oil in a non-stick pan.
  6. For dollar-sized pancakes, drop the batter by tablespoons. For larger pancakes, use 1/4 cup or eyeball with a large spoon.
  7. Green in the pan
  8. Cook the pancakes 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until brown. I like brown-and-crispy, so I lean toward 3 minutes. Serve with lemon slices.
Unable to leave well enough alone, I also added:

Garlic: throw 2 or 3 peeled cloves into the boiling water with the scallions.
Ginger:  Process a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger before adding hot scallions.
Chili pepper: With the ginger, I processed skin and seeds of a jalapeno. Feel free to use some (a technical term, indicating as much or as little as you want, taking into account the Scoville rating of the pepper and your ability to cope with it) fresh or dried pepper.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

5 easy changes to improve your cooking

Five easy changes to your kitchen will improve both the quality of your food and the ease with which you make it. Whether you are an experienced cook or a novice, whether your kitchen is packed with tools or you are outfitting your first apartment, smartening up your organization and paying attention to basic tools will benefit your cooking for yourself, your friends, and your family.

1.  Move your herbs and spices away from the heat.
Resist the temptation to keep spices handy and to keep a peppermill on top of the stove. Purposeless-random heat does not improve your parsley. Extra credit: Alphabetize your spices on a rack. You will save time and rarely buy what you don't need. True confession: This habit dates from my days of selling Spice Islands spices to grocery and drug stores in Northern California.

My travel-size Peugeot Peppermill
2.  Keep your knives sharp. This is Rule #1 under the heading "Safety First." Trying to cut with a dull knife is frustrating and dangerous. Unless you are willing to invest in an electric sharpener, find a local professional knife sharpener (Eversharp in Minneapolis) and take your knives in once a year. Expect to pay between $1 per blade on sale, or $1 per inch. Buy a knife-steel from the sharpener, who will demonstrate its use, and remind you to use it every time you chop.

3.  Purchase a heavy-duty sheet pan.  Unlike the thin pans from the grocery store, a heavy duty aluminum pan will never buckle under extreme heat and will last forever. An 18x13 weapons-grade pan called "half-sheet," can be had for less than $20, from either a restaurant supply house (Hockenberg's, $7.30) or a cooking emporium (Williams-Sonoma, $19).  I bet you won't want just one.

4.  Buy (or beg for a gift) a good quality peppermill.  There is no substitute for fresh ground pepper.  I have one near-but-not-next to my stove, and a tiny Peugeot Peppermill that travels with me.

5.  Acquire one Microplane grater. In an entertaining history of Microplane, the New York Times reminds us that this handy tool was born in a woodshop. Now that Grace Manufacturing, Inc. has embraced its culinary functions, there are a dazzling number of choices. If you must pick just one, I recommend a long, thin one with small holes that grates mountains of fresh Parmesan in minutes. It will zest your lemons, grate nutmeg, and make short work of ginger and garlic, too.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Registration open for 2011 susan-cooks! season

The essence of susan-cooks! is “Fun with a side of skill-building.”
Three dishes and their variations in each class will launch you with new skills into a new season Come to learn, to laugh, to enjoy great snacks and appetizers, and great food.

Details.  Class size limited to 6. Secure registration through PayPal:  $45 per person; $200 for a 5-class pass. Cost of food will be extra. Location: St. Paul. Each class (except for Canning) begins at 6 p.m.

March 26, Knife Skills: Prep forever. Coconut Braised Beef, Cucumber Salad w/Carrot Brunoise & lots of chopping, Spiced Fruit Salad. Includes dinner.

May 21, Spring
: All about Fresh. Fresh Spring Rolls, Spring Vegetable Stir Fry, Fresh Fruit Torte. Includes dinner.

July 16, Creative Canning. Local, available fruit for jam. Dried Apricot Chutney. Includes appetizers. Begins at 4 p.m.

September 24, Fast. Easy. Healthy. Mom's Creole Sauce with Your Choice of Protein. Chili Shrimp. Smart Chopping for Fast Roasted Root Vegetables. Includes dinner.

November 19. Holiday Baking. Laurie Colwin's Black Cake. Spiced Pecans. Caramel with a candy thermometer. Includes appetizers.

To create a class for you and your friends, your book group or your special event, contact Susan Gainen at 651-917-0219 or


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Macmillan Sustainability

To understand how each business activity contributes to our carbon footprint, we systematically look at all of our current practices. We immediately tightened up processes in our offices and facilities. One area where we could affect immediate improvement was around the emissions impact from transportation for conferences.

All types of conferences, from sales meetings to business meetings, take place across Macmillan. We closely monitor all travel and meeting plans to minimize the environmental effects of transportation, with more company meetings taking place via video conferencing and over the Web.

To help facilitate this effort, we upgraded video conferencing equipment to move more people to non-travel. As an example, in our trade group, traditionally there were three face-to-face sales meetings each year.  Now, the trade group only has one.


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Governor Corbett limits DEP inspectors' authority and power

Can gas companies be limited in Pennsylvania? A new piece by ProPublica reporter Abrahm Lustgarden shows that the Corbett administration has just hamstrung inspectors for the Department of Environmental Protection.
Oil and gas inspectors policing Marcellus Shale development in Pennsylvania will no longer be able to issue violations to the drilling companies they regulate without first getting the approval of top officials...

The memos require that each of the hundreds of enforcement actions taken routinely against oil and gas operators in Pennsylvania each month now be approved by the department’s executive deputy secretary, John Hines. The memos are raising concerns that the state’s environmental inspectors can no longer act independently and that regulations could be overridden by the political whims of the state’s new governor, Tom Corbett.

“What this apparently is saying is that before any final action, the inspector must get approval by two political appointees: the secretary and the deputy secretary,” said John Hanger, who headed the DEP until January under former Gov. Ed Rendell and worked to strengthen the state’s oil and gas regulations. “It’s an extraordinary directive. It represents a break from how business has been done in the department within the Marcellus Shale and within the oil and gas program for probably 20 years.

There are already cries from community groups. Iris Mary Bloom, Director of Protecting Our Waters wrote in an email today to supporters, "Don't 'read it and weep,' get angry and organized." We will hear more from her on tomorrow's episode of Sustainability Now.

The blogosphere is starting to buzz. Susquehanna River Sentinel is already taking a cynical view, writing "Hmmmmm. Let's see: August 22, 2011 - "Under Governor Corbett's tough new enforcement policies, the number of reported violations related to gas-drilling activities has dropped significantly..." Yep, that is probably what they have in mind."

What do you have in mind? Is this reasonable practice or will it, as Hanger said, "cause the public to lose confidence entirely in the inspection process?"

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• Program 2016-17

The Biophilic Workplace - What's Old is New Again

October 18, 2016

6:00 - 8:00 pm

Pratt Institute School of Architecture Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development

What’s old is new again. As we become an increasingly urban population, living in zero-culture ecosystems, it has become necessary to re-discover nature in ways that were intuitive just a few generations ago. Daylight - yes please! Multi-directional views to the outside - yep! Visual diversity, texture, color, prospect, and refuge - of course! The biophilic workplace has become emblematic of this re-discovery effort by both designers and corporations - perhaps as a way to improve both occupant experience and productivity while also providing a counterpoint to how far afield we’ve wandered in the name of progress in shaping the places we work and live. Join us for a lively discussion with practitioners on the leading edge of biophilic design. How can biophilic principles support a healthier, more resilient urban environment? What does a biophilic workplace look like? Does it really provide tangible benefits to productivity and the bottom line? What bioinspired innovative strategies and products are being developed? Come find out.

Principal, YRG ;
LEED AP, CSBA, Sr. Project Manager, Terrapin Bright Green;
AIA, Principal at Helena van Vliet Architect LLC;

LEED AP BD+C, Sr. Project Manager, Terrapin Bright Green


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Setting the Urban Agenda: 2016 Study Programs

Amsterdam is internationally recognized for its high quality urban development.  In the first half of 2016, Amsterdam will take a leading role in shaping the future of cities while hosting the EU Presidency.   The key goal is to adopt a declaration creating an European Urban Agenda with a focus on air quality, housing, urban poverty and integration of refugees / migrants.

To contribute to these discussions, Sustainable Amsterdam is organizing a series of Study Programs to illustrate key urban innovations in Amsterdam and inspire their adaptation elsewhere.

Program Dates

The same study program will be offered three times:

  1. April 14 – 17, aligning with the  Innovation Fair 2016 Cities of the Future
  2. May 26 – 29, aligning with May 30 City Maker’s Summit
  3. June 23 – 26, aligning with the wrap-up of the EU Presidency and FabCity programming

Target Audience

This program targets urbanists and city makers, and everyone else connected to livable cities.  Group size will range from  5 to 15 people to maximize learning and exchange.

Program at a glance (3 days / 3 nights)

Thursday PM: Arrival. Welcome presentation and tour of Oosterdoksleiland. Group dinner.

Friday: In the morning we visit the Smart City Experience Lab and FabCity Campus.   After lunch we visit Amsterdam’s Easterdocklands for a case study in urban renewal on Amsterdam’s waterfront.

Saturday:  In the morning we visit Houthaven, Amsterdam’s first climate neutral district currently under construction.  In the afternoon we visit rapidly gentrifying North,  including a visit De Ceuvel, Amsterdam’s clean-tech playground, and other unique projects.

Sunday AM: Morning activity TBD followed by group reflections and good-byes.

 Cost: € 950EUR per person, based on shared room.  Single room: €1,400 / Own accommodations: €550.

 What’s included

  • Accommodations at 4 Star hotel within 800 meters of Central Station (Double Tree by Hilton or Room Mate Aitana)
  • All meals: Thursday dinner to Sunday lunch
  • Transport, primarily by bicycle (we will be riding bicycles for most activities)
  • Excursions and expert speakers

Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from Amsterdam.

Key study themes

This study program, in line with EU’s Urban Agenda and Amsterdam’s FabCity  programming, will focus on three key study themes:

1. Multi-modal mobility & transit-oriented development (TOD)

Amsterdam is a leader in sustainable mobility, and famous for its low rates of car ridership. This is the result of mobility planning that prioritizes cycling along with Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) creating vibrant neighborhoods.  What can we learn from Amsterdam on how neighbourhoods can be structured such that residents are able to walk, bike and take transit for a majority of trips, reducing reliance on the private automobile?

2. Urban Transformation & Community Development

Urban transformation is the process by which disadvantaged neighborhood’s are revitalized into cleaner, safer, more attractive districts with increased levels of social cohesion.  What can we learn from Amsterdam on achieving these transformations in dialogue with residents and entrepreneurs so that the entire community benefits from these developments, particularly disadvantaged groups?

3. Climate Change Adaptation

Responding to climate change is a key challenge for cities today with impact on virtually all aspects of urban life.  Amsterdam has a long history of adapting to climate change, and is continuing to innovate.  What can we learn from Amsterdam about adapting to  clime change at different scales – from the individual household, to the street and the neighbourhood level?

The final program will be made available in late January. To reserve a spot please fill out this Google Form.  For more information email

Similar 3 day to week-long study programs can be arranged for academic and other groups interested in customized and multidisciplinary study programs during April – June 2016.  Contact us for more information.

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Sunday, July 7, 2013

Two Hipsters Walk Into a Bar...

I have certain fabrics sitting on my shelf that cannot be used for other things as in my head they've been earmarked for certain things. Even if I've got them tagged as such for a few years, it doesn't matter, as one day it will most definitely be a such-and-such. Last year I bought a bright orange and white striped fabric, thinking it would be a hipster bag. And it finally became one. It was quite patient about it, too. Part of the long wait it had to endure was the fact that I couldn't find the strap hardware I had purchased--I put it in that place we all have where things go that we don't want to forget where we put them. I can't wait to find that place in my house, because I've got so much good stuff there, I'm sure.

Anyway, I cranked out a very basic bag--front pocket, top zip, no bells and whistles, as my main motivation was to use the hardware.

 Great size, a little plainer than I had envisioned. It needed that flower.

Amazing how a fabric circle and some buttons can change the look of something.

 The strap is sewn into the zipper, instead of on the edges of the bag. It's totally adjustable, too...

 I always thought strap sliders looked so scary. They're one of the easiest things to use, once you get it straight what goes where.

See? The back is a little plain. The front looked like this as I was really careful about lining up the stripes.

So that was the first one I made. I still had hipsters on my mind, and had fun inserting that hardware and wanted to do it again (folks, there is no limit to sewing-related geekery in these here parts). So I trotted to Joann's during lunch and snapped up some fabric I had been eye-balling for a while but hadn't bought as I had no plan, and I'm trying to behave when it comes to fabric. If you follow my page on Facebook, you saw a little fabric preview of this one, and now here is the bag--

 Front and back. The back doesn't look as plain on this one.

I majorly love this fabric. The word that kept coming to mind was 'powdery' for some reason--it didn't disintegrate in my hands or anything,  but the colors were so soft and muted, yet with a touch of vibrancy to them. Who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear (anyone wanna name the movie that's from?).

The front of this one has a beefy slip pocket as well as a zip pocket. I had to add the flower as the fabric (which is also the lining) seemed too perfect not to use. And I finally got to use that yellow zipper--I have a few in my stash for some reason and feared I'd never find a project for them.

I used a pattern for this one, and the only thing I would change is the zipper insertion method. It was so weird, and made the bag feel so restrictive and didn't provide a neat finish at all--I had to take it apart and redo it my own way. I made my usual suspension bridge style zipper, but instead of sewing it to the lining, I sewed it into the seam of the lining where the top band meets the bottom part. Now it's perfect.

I do love some snazzy hardware. Instead of using only one ring and the slider (as I did for the orange one) I used two rings and the slider on this one. I thought it might make a bigger difference to the finished product, but not really.

On this one the inside only has a slip pocket, but take a gander at that lovely dotty lining. Love it! And it's a nice sturdy weight, too.

Isn't that fabric just the bee's knees?

For a change I used a medium weight sew-in instead of fleece for the interfacing on this one--I love the structure it gives, but it's still nice and soft. I think I'll be stocking up on that stuff, for sure (it was Pellon 50 if you're curious). The orange one uses my usual fusible fleece.

These were pretty fun to make, but I loved the fabrics and the hardware.These are both in my shop, if you're interested. See you soon!

  1. I have several things in that place where stuff is put so I won't lose it. If you find it, could you send it home?
    I love your second bag, and yes, that fabric is the Bee's Knees.

  2. I love them both but the style and fabric of the second one I really adore.

  3. Ha! The first part of your post really cracks me up because I could have written it. I totally have fabric still sitting untouched a couple of years later because it has been ear marked for something specific. I may have several bits of fabric like this;)

    Lovely totes too!

  4. Oh wow, I'm looking at the closeups of the flowery bag and can't help but be really, majorly impressed. The details are amazing and put together so neatly - wow! Love the first bag because of the happy orange stripes which remind me of deck chairs :-)

  5. Well done missie!! I love them too!! (They don't look anything like something a Luther Vandross fan would make, ha!) :-)

  6. I love that second bag... the fabric is too beautiful! And you are right, it does seem 'powdery'. =)

  7. Cute bags!! I love the fabric on the 2nd bag! Thanks for sharing at Whatever Goes Wednesday!

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Healthy Start Instant Win Game (426 Prizes) 3/31/17 1PPD18+

Title Abbreviations Explained Here | Sweepstakes Ratings Explained Here
FavoriteLoadingAdd to your Sweeties Sweeps Favorites List

Win $1,000 toward a home gym or gym membership Register plus 425 other instant prizes from the Healthy Essentials Healthy Start Instant Win Game Sweepstakes

Eligibility: US, DC, 18 and older, Healthy Essentials member (free to join)

Entry Dates: December 12, 2016 and ends on March 31, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Random Drawing: on or about April 3, 2017

Click Here to Play | Official Rules

Entry Limit: one entry per person per day, + bonus entries

One (1) Grand Prize: $1,000 prepaid gift card

(425) Instant Win Prizes:

  • (25) A Fitness Wristband ARV: $100
  • (100) $50 Nike Digital Gift Card
  • (300) $10 iTunes Code.

Prize Limit: One Instant Win Game prize per person

Disclosure: this listing may contain affiliate, referral or tracking links. Read about our policies for more details.

Get the best sweepstakes delivered to your Inbox every day. Subscribe to Sweeties Daily Email Newsletter

  1. just won an itunes card

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QUICK ENDING! Cool Wave Annual Pansy Spring Giveaway (50 Prizes) 3/19/17 1PH18+

Title Abbreviations Explained Here | Sweepstakes Ratings Explained Here
FavoriteLoadingAdd to your Sweeties Sweeps Favorites List

The Cool Wave Annual Pansy giving is happening now. 50 randomly selected Wave Fans will win fantastic Cool Wave Pansies and other spring flowers.

Cool Wave Pansies
Photo Credit: Cool Wave Pansies

Sweeps Rating: Good

Eligibility: US, DC, (excluding Alaska, Hawaii), Canada, 18 and older

Entry Dates: March 10, 2017 and ends on March 19, 2017

Random Drawing: on or about March 20, 2017

Click Here to Enter | Official Rules

Entry Limit: one entry per household

Fifty (50) Prizes: nine plants that may include the following varieties: Cool Wave Pansy Raspberry and Akila Osteospermum Grand Canyon Mix. Shipment of prize via FedEx will occur in spring 2017 according to the appropriate regional planting dates. ARV: $25

 NOTE: Plants are shipped via FedEX, which requires a phone number and does not deliver to P.O. Box locations.

Disclosure: this listing may contain affiliate, referral or tracking links. Read about our policies for more details.

Get the best sweepstakes delivered to your Inbox every day. Subscribe to Sweeties Daily Email Newsletter

  1. sunnydaybunny says:

    I won this one a few years back, the flowers are beautiful!

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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Getting Ready

You'd think I've never gone on a vacation before, I'm so excited for this weekend. I completed a charm bag to carry all my 'fun' stuff. I've started preparing my 'stitcheries' for the road. I am going to make the free pattern from Cinderberry Stitches (for the Stitcher's Angel Swap) and another one from Australian Homespun Magazine. I got all my floss ready. I'm super excited because I am going to use the DMC variegated thread for the first time!

My next quilt I am going to make is called "Chubby Chicks" by Black Mountain Quilts. I had a really hard time finding the green polka dot fabric by Mary Englebriet. I looked EVERYWHERE! Finally I found it at Sweet Peas and Angels (or so I thought). I was all excited, until I got a phone call from the quilt shop telling me that they had just sold out of it. I was crushed! But the nice saleswoman told me that she might have something else that would work. I told her that it had to coordinate with the 'Friends and Flowers' charm pack, because that is what I was using for the chicks. Well, I got the package yesterday, and the fabric was perfect! So please stop by their website and check it out. They have a great selection of fabric!

Jeanette said...

This is ADORABLE!!!!

I can't wait to see it done! Love it love it!

Jeanette said...

Ooops forgot to tell you that your bag is also really really cute. I love it.

Almost makes me want to tackle another bag, but my sewing machine screams in protest at the thought (it's a wuss LOL)

SewAmy said...

omg, omg !!! I love that pattern. Would you be upset if I made a "chubby chick" quilt? and I love the fabric your using. Your charm bag turned out adorble.


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Melissa's Sweet Style: September 2012

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Free Glasses!

Hey Sweets!
The weather is super crappy in NJ....rain, rain, and more rain!

I'm doing this quick post to show off my new glasses.  A few weeks ago I was contacted by Firmoo. This is an online optical store that carries prescription & non-prescription glasses & sunglasses.

Firmoo carries high-quality, fashionable eyewear at extremely affordable prices. The best part is that Firmoo has just launched a program offering free eyewear to first time customers! I even got the hubby a pair!  All you have to do is pay for shipping!

Check here for details about the free glasses program!

I chose these particular frames because I love the nerdy look, and they are color-blocked!  Right on trend!  When I first got these at home, I thought they were wayyyy to nerdy.  Not that it matters since I only wear my glasses at home.  What do you think?  Too nerdy?  I'm glad I got to try this nerdy look without spending big bucks!  Thanks Firmoo!!!!!

Happy Thursday!

xo xo

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Neon Accents

Blazer: The Clothing Co.
White Button Up: Zara
Jeans: Forever 21
Neon Belt: Kohls
Flats: Mandees

Morning Lovers!

Fall is here and that means crazy weather days are ahead!  In the morning it's freezing and super warm in the afternoon.   I know most bloggers are rocking boots, (including myself) but I love ballet flats.  If there is one thing you should know about me is that "I HATE SOCKS!"  The longer I can go without wearing them, the better!  There will be plenty of time for boot weather, but for now I'm going to keep my footsies free.....or at least for today!

I have a pretty simple outfit on today.....I call it "classic with a neon twist."  Nothing makes a simple classic outfit POP like NEON!  I'm totally going to continue to use neon in the fall/winter.  #neonrocks!

Have a fab day!

xo xo

Monday, September 24, 2012

The "Glammies"

Morning sweets!  I hope you all had a fantabulous weekend!

I had no time this morning to do an outfit post so instead I'm bringing you the "Glammies."  I don't know how many of you are magazine whores like me, but I subscribe to just about all of them.  The "glammies" are Glamour magazines eighth annual beauty awards.  More than 399,000 of us have voted since 2005.
Lets see what we voted for!

The Best Shampoo & Conditioner

From Drugstores:
Herbal Essences Hello Hydration (2x winner)
From Department/Specialty Stores/Salons:
Redken All Soft

The Best Hairstyling Product

From Drugstores:
John Frieda Frizz-Ease Hair Serum (7x winner)
From Department/Specialty Stores/Salons:
Moroccanoil Treatment

The Best Mascara

From Drugstores:
Maybelline New York Great Lash (8x winner)
From Department/Specialty Stores/Salons:
Dior Diorshadow Mascara (3x winner)

The Best Foundation or Concealer
From Drugstores:
Maybelline New York Fit Me
From Department/Specialty Stores/Salons:
BareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation (8x winner)

The Best Lip Color Product

From Drugstore:
CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain (2x winner)
From Department/Specialty Stores/Salons:
MAC Lipglass (6x winner)

The Best Fragrance

From Department/Specialty Stores/Salons:
Dolce&Gabbana Light Blue (2x winner)

The Best Blush

From Drugstores:
CoverGirl Cheekers Blush (8x winner)
From Department/Specialty Stores/Salons:
Nars Powder Blush "Orgasm" (4x winner)

The Best Self-tanning Product

From Drugstores:
Jergens Natural Glow Revitalizing Daily Moisturizer (6x winner)
From Department/Specialty Stores/Salons:
Tan Towel Classic Self-tan Towelette

The Best Body Product

From Drugstores:
Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion (2x winner)
From Department/Specialty Stores/Salons:
Bath & Body Works Signature Collection Body Lotion (7x winner)

The Best Wrinkle Fighter

From Drugstores:
Olay Regenerist Regenerating Serum (2x winner)
From Department/Specialty Stores/Salons:
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex (3x winner)

The Best Gadget or New Product

From Department/Specialty Stores/Salons:
Clarisonic Mia Sonic Skin Cleansing System

The Best Facial Moisturizer

From Drugstores:
Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer (4x winner)
From Department/Specialty Stores/Salons:
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (8x winner)

The Best Eye Treatment Product
From Drugstores:
Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller
From Department/Specialty Stores/Salons:
Clinique All About Eyes (7x winner)

The Best Nail Polish
From Drugstores:
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure (2x winner)
From Department/Specialty Stores/Salons:
OPI Nail Lacquer (3x winner)

I hope you find this information useful.  I know I did!
I buy all new make-up for the new season and this is a fun way to see what's hot and poppin at the moment, and a great way to find new products.

I also have the "Beauty Editors Secret Weapons"
Stuff they love that you won't find in the beauty aisle!

Olive Oil -   Elaine Welteroth, Senior beauty editor says "I snuck a little olive oil from the kitchen and rubbed it on my cracked cuticles."  It's been my go-to ever since.
A Towel - Lauren Bernstein, fashion and beauty writer says "Swap your shower cap for a terry-towel turban to pro-long a blowout."
 ....and beer?! - Felicia Milewicz, beauty director says "Sounds crazy, but dark beer makes your hair shinier. But do rinse it out!

Have a happy Monday!  Thanks for visiting<3

xo xo

Friday, September 21, 2012

Sweetgrams, Sweeter Buys

Happy Friday!
It's INSTA-TIME! I also have a few Sweet buys!  I haven't done that in a while.  Which is pretty good....well at least that's what my husband would say.  #lol

I can't wait to wear this!  It looks super chic and I love how the scarf is attached!  Thanks Jlo! ;)

Bucco Austin Wedge Sneaker via Hautelook
Ok.....the jury is still out on these.  I got them on Haute a few days ago and they were only $42!  I know they aren't Isabel Marant.  But who wants to spend that much money on a new trend.  I don't even know if I'm going to like how these look on me.  Stay tuned!

Mani of the week
Color Club Custom Collection in "Insta-This."  I got this awesome color in September's Birchbox!

Breakfast on Fridays are always sweet!

I was hoping to find a leprechaun or at least his luck!

My pretty business cards<3

Fall Fashion with Emma<3 #enoughsaid #glamour

Red velvet pops from Poo Loves Boo! Thanks Erica!

Having too much fun at the bloggers meet & greet! #howudoin?

My Insta BFF! @itsmisslv

Bloggers meet & greet collage<3

Fall ready!

Just me!

Follow me on Instagram @melissa_sweetstyles

Happy last day of summer!

xo xo

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Safari Queen

My hair is out of control! #bighairdontcare

Jacket & Belt: NY & Company
Necklace: Mandees
Jeans: Levi's
Shoes: Bamboo (old)
Handbag: Jessica Simpson (TJ Maxx)

Hey loves!  I'm feeling very safariesq in today's ensemble.....all I need is a leash and a tiger! #lol
I think I may be starting to like this change in weather. #changeisgood

Happy day sweets<3

xo xo


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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

leopard lovin’

Latest obsession, leopard print.  Pairing a leopard flat with some skinnies or making an ensemble pop with a leopard belt brings out the inner glam diva.  Wouldn’t this be a fun pattern to bring into an event?  Done correctly, animal print can add the perfect amount of fun to your design without being overbearing.  Just think about it… and don’t be afraid to take a step outside of your box.  Rarrr!
Side note: We have big plans for leopard print paired with neons in our next photo shoot. Excited? Well, you should be!

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